Headphone advice

Cliff Kane · Post by **Cliff Kane** » 20 Feb 2009 3:09 pm

I need to buy a set of headphones for home recording. I was inclined to get a pair of AKG 240's (the 55ohm mk1's are cheap now that they've been replaced with the mk II's). The AKG 240 are semi-open, and now I'm wondering if I should find some closed back headphones as I don't want bleed into the mic from the phones. What are good closed back phones for $100-$150? Should I not worry about it and just use the 240's?

Thanks for your help!
Cliff

Tony Prior · Post by **Tony Prior** » 21 Feb 2009 9:25 am

Well Cliff, I have been down the road of real expensive and real cheap and somehow I ended up with not so expensive but still not so cheap. My main phones are Sony lightweights model MDR V-300 I think $50 maybe $60. I also have 2 pair of Sony MDR V-150, I think these were $30 each. I can't tell the difference between them . I also have two pair of some sort of Sony Studio MDR CD30 , so called Digital reference, these are just too dang big and bulky. I don't recall how much I paid for these but more than $50, I am thinking closer to $100. My favorite are the Sony MDR V-300. Doesn't much matter, if you play bad it still comes out bad regardless of which phones you have.

t

Cliff Kane · Post by **Cliff Kane** » 21 Feb 2009 3:45 pm

Hey Tony,
thanks very much for those recommendations. I will definately check those out (the price is good!). BTW, thanks to for your help on the AW1600. That is a great machine: fun, easy, and it sounds great.

Cliff

Brian McGaughey · Post by **Brian McGaughey** » 26 Feb 2009 9:54 pm

Sennheiser HD280 closed back headphones. 100 bucks. Love mine.

Darrell Criswell · Post by **Darrell Criswell** » 16 Mar 2009 6:09 pm

Went to an audiophile store and tried several high end models, none even came close to Grado's, and if you look at reviews by audiophile's that is the most admired headphone, you can get them at all price ranges. The SR80's seem the best value. Plenty of reviews on amazon comparing Grado's with other headphones.

Rick Hedges · Post by **Rick Hedges** » 17 Mar 2009 10:13 pm

The SR80s that Darrell mentioned sound nice (I have a pair), but they're not closed, so they don't work well in most recording situations. If you're only concerned about using the headphones in the context of recording, you should audition a pair of the Extreme Isolation headphones.

If you want to spend a bit more money and get good isolation but great sound too, I like my Ultrasones. I also have a pair of $30 Radio Shack racing headphones that work great for recording. They're designed for listening to radio chatter while sitting in the stands of a NASCAR event, so they provide excellent isolation. The downside is they're mono and the sound quality isn't the best, but they're cheap and are certainly useable.

Rick

Jack Stoner · Post by **Jack Stoner** » 18 Mar 2009 6:05 am

There are so many different brands/models of headphones available it's hard to make a decision.

I recently had to replace some old AKG's that I used in my home "studio". I picked up two Sennheiser HD210 Pro headsets at G.C., as I got them at a reduced price, and they seem to work good. The only negative so far is that they seem to have a little too much low response.

I have one AKG K240 Studio that I use, and they reproduce almost exactly what my Samson Resolv 65a studio monitors do. The nice thing with the K240 is the cord is detachable and can be replaced. Most headphones if the cord goes bad you throw them away.

Chip Fossa · Post by **Chip Fossa** » 24 Apr 2009 12:05 pm

I've been reading BOTH posts, now, on headphones.

Each post has mentioned closed and open back headsets.

Can someone please explain the difference, and exactly how it affects your listening while recording?

Thanks all.

Brian McGaughey · Post by **Brian McGaughey** » 24 Apr 2009 7:05 pm

Chip,

The closed back models don't put any sound into the room, only your ears. A must for a vocalist singing to tracks while recording. Her/his mic won't pick up the headphone sound.

I think if you're wearing either style then it makes no difference to you ears, only the room.

At least that's the way I understand it.

Rick Campbell · Post by **Rick Campbell** » 24 Apr 2009 7:09 pm

Be careful. You don't want headphones that sound good, you want ones that sound true. Anything that colors the sound very much will lead you down the road of inconsistent tracks and mixes. Same goes for studio monitors.

Will Holtz · Post by **Will Holtz** » 26 Apr 2009 1:05 am

I also have a pair of Sennheiser HD280s that I'm very happy with. I'd also recommend checking out Audio-Technica's ATH-M50. I haven't gotten a chance to try them yet, but they have gotten many rave reviews.

Chip Fossa · Post by **Chip Fossa** » 27 Apr 2009 3:32 am

Thanks Brian,

But I guess what I mean to say is, (and this is just an assumption) the first generation headphones were probably the typical ear-muff style (closed). Then came the open style.

Why did some headphonephiles decide an open back would be better; more advantageous?

Gwyneth Morgan · Post by **Gwyneth Morgan** » 27 Apr 2009 4:08 am

Open back 'phones allow the diaphragms to move air freely in both directions, which eliminates some of the resistance to very rapid, small motions. It's these low-amplitude high-frequency components which give a sound its "air" and improve imaging. Because the ear isn't sealed, you also eliminate any resonance artifacts that might appear in the closed system.

The tradeoff is that you bleed bass, and of course lose isolation.

Brian McGaughey · Post by **Brian McGaughey** » 27 Apr 2009 6:31 am

There's our answer, Chip! Didn't know that. Thanks Gwyneth.

Chip Fossa · Post by **Chip Fossa** » 27 Apr 2009 9:06 am

Yes,

Thanks Gwyneth...

That certainly makes sense.

Gerald Menke · Post by **Gerald Menke** » 27 Jul 2009 7:46 am

I really like Ultraphones, they are essentially airplane tarmac-type earphones that have really nice-sounding drivers installed in them. A number of great qualities to them, two most significant are:

Say you are tracking in a room with minimal isolation between players, with Ultraphones the only thing you hear is the headphone mix, no bleed-in from amps, drums etc.

They are excellent for tracking quiet acoustic music because the click will not bleed out to the mics on your instrument. You can really hear what's making it to the console because that's what you hear most through the phones. It can be a bit unsettling if you are used to vibing off your amp or the sound of your acoustic or dobro say, but once you get used to the mix coming, for the most part from the phones alone, there's nothing better in my opinion.

If you are tracking live with a band, you don't have
to monitor nearly as loud because the phones are sealing the band out, so you don't have to crank them to hear over the band. Very smart product, I rarely go to a session without them these days.

Gerald

Robert Tripp · Post by **Robert Tripp** » 28 Jul 2009 4:44 am

One big advantage of open back phones is for a vocalist in a isolation booth. You don't need to worry about bleeding into the mike when in a booth with either open or closed phones. When using closed back phones the vocalist often tends to sing a bit flat. I find that closed back phones works best in open room environments where mic bleed is a potential issue. Of course this is only a problem if you are doing critical recording and want the cleanest sound possible.

I have both, and the open back phones introduce a bit more ambiance to the sound I am hearing, which is nice for just listening pleasure, but not as true for critical monitoring.

Chip Fossa · Post by **Chip Fossa** » 28 Jul 2009 1:51 pm

Wow, fine-tuned ears here, fer-sure.

Man, I've some ketchupping
to do.

Thanks for keeping this post going. I'm getting more cornfused as we soar to new depths.

But I are learning.

Gary Richardi · Post by **Gary Richardi** » 21 Aug 2009 11:37 pm

The best no-bleed 'phones for tracking I've ever found are the Direct Sound Extreme Isolation headphones. They're also fantastic for acoustic drummers trying to overdub. They're not the best for monitoring though. For that, I use a pair of ATH-M40fs.