Seeking Headphone Help

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Seeking Headphone Help

Postby KvackPack » 19 Jul 2013 13:55

Hello there! :D
I would like to apologize if this topic happens to be placed wrong. I submitted it here because it is more of a help topic.

Without further ado I am going to explain what I need help with. I have a pair of headphones called Siberia V2 (Gaming Headset) and they are starting to feel weird when making music. The thing is when I master my music so that it sounds good on these headphones, the music sounds unbalanced on others.

Do you guys/girls have any favorite pair of headphones that you would like to recommend for mastering in a reasonable price range (not over 250 dollars or so)? If you would like to recommend more expensive headphones feel free to do so also.

/Kvack
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Re: Seeking Headphone Help

Postby Conduit » 19 Jul 2013 14:13

Your going to want look for headphones with a flat frequency response, which means they play without changing the character of the sound. Most commercial headphones like beats, skullcandy, and I would guess your gaming headphones boost the bass, along with a couple other frequencies. I use these and they work great, but if you can go to a music store near you and take a listen to a couple pairs that would be best.

Also, if you have the money and the space, a set of dedicated studio monitors would much better then headphones. I use a pair of these. (Note that the price is for one monitor.)
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Re: Seeking Headphone Help

Postby itroitnyah » 19 Jul 2013 14:22

Ok, thank goodness you came here to look for headphones. The "gaming headset" immediately set off bells and whistles in my head. They're definitely not ideal for music production. A good set of headphones below $250 is the Beyerdynamic DT 880 250ohm.
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Re: Seeking Headphone Help

Postby Majora MIM » 19 Jul 2013 15:27

Even the best headphones in the world won't do good if you're not used to it. Be sure to listen to music daily with them to accomodate your ears to their frequency response and try to mix your music to sound like commercial records on them.
IMO you could virtually mix a song with Beats if you're really used to their sound, but it's always better to have sound as unaltered as possible because internal EQs can kill small details.


ps: I don't have Beats nor do I want to buy them.
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Re: Seeking Headphone Help

Postby Raddons » 19 Jul 2013 15:47

http://www.monoprice.com/products/produ ... 1&format=2

I got these about a month ago. For $25 bucks these are the best you can get and they compare to some $100+ cans real well.
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Re: Seeking Headphone Help

Postby S.P.P » 19 Jul 2013 17:48

If I've said it once, I've said it a million times. I swear by Sennheiser and KRK. I picked up a pair of Sennhesier HD205s for £50 and it was the best £50 I've ever spent.

When looking for headphones to mix with, you'll need to find some with a frequency response which is as flat as possible; like Conduit said. So leave your bassy earphones for strictly listening only! (Although it's a good idea to test your mix on these, but that's for another thread!)
Also know that a higher frequency range means your headphones will pick up more frequencies across the range. It goes without saying that this is important. It's also good to get a set of 'phones with a high impedance. This means you can turn it up louder without distortion. This also is imperative to mixing, as you can't truly assertain how a track sounds at high volumes if all you can hear is noise and cymbals.

So with this in mind, go find a pair for yourself. If not, I stand by my suggestion. Awesome for the price :3
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Re: Seeking Headphone Help

Postby itroitnyah » 19 Jul 2013 22:41

Hey Raddons, I know you're just trying to be helpful, but if somebody says they want to spend somewhere in a high pricerange, such as what Kvack said, suggesting a $25 set of headphones isn't helping, no matter how good you claim them to be >.>

But yes, Sennheiser is most definitely trustworthy, I've heard that KRK sometimes has distorted bass a bit so check reviews, and the headphones I recommended above are the closest you can get to $250 with a good pair of studio headphones.
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Re: Seeking Headphone Help

Postby Raddons » 19 Jul 2013 23:06

itroitnyah wrote:Hey Raddons, I know you're just trying to be helpful, but if somebody says they want to spend somewhere in a high pricerange, such as what Kvack said, suggesting a $25 set of headphones isn't helping, no matter how good you claim them to be >.>


The OP said not exceeding 250 USD and at a reasonable price range, and 25 USD sounds really reasonable so nice try :)

I'm sure that upgrading to anything from a gaming headset would be a step in the right direction :)
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Re: Seeking Headphone Help

Postby the4thImpulse » 19 Jul 2013 23:37

Raddons wrote:
itroitnyah wrote:Hey Raddons, I know you're just trying to be helpful, but if somebody says they want to spend somewhere in a high pricerange, such as what Kvack said, suggesting a $25 set of headphones isn't helping, no matter how good you claim them to be >.>


The OP said not exceeding 250 USD and at a reasonable price range, and 25 USD sounds really reasonable so nice try :)

I'm sure that upgrading to anything from a gaming headset would be a step in the right direction :)

When someone says they don't want to exceed $250 that, almost, always means they want the best headphones without costing more than $250. Obviously everyone understands this. When you come and offer $25 headphones, there is nothing wrong with it but there is garunteed better headphone out there for $125, even better for $250.

Thanks for your suggestion but I think the guy is wanting to buy expensive headphones for the many, many benefits expensive headphones provide.


As for my suggestion, they are all good; what people have suggested here. Go to a store and listen for yourself, get the staff to open the box and plug em into your iPod thing. Look for the word 'studio headphone' and read some reviews online (look for music forums/blogs, not tech blogs).
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Re: Seeking Headphone Help

Postby KvackPack » 20 Jul 2013 17:36

Thank you all for the responses! I did honestly not expect so many people to respond, and I'm very grateful that you, the more experienced producers have given a lot of great suggestions. I might still wait a couple of months before deciding on what to get (since I'm planing on upgrading my graphics card). We'll see what will happen! :D

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Re: Seeking Headphone Help

Postby Lhet » 26 Jul 2013 00:17

I haven't really done much headphone research for a few years, so I can only recommend what I ended up purchasing when I was looking.
The first is Sennheiser HD555: I've had them for 6 years, and they're just as amazing as when I first got them. They're sound amazing, even without an amp, and are comfortable to wear all day long, even with glasses. The main downside is that there's a bit of coloration, so even though everything sounds great, they might not be ideal for mastering. Also they aren't produced anymore, but I assume the updated model is the same.
The second is the Grado SR225i: I think they're probably right among the most accurate you can find around $200. It's pretty amazing to discern individual instruments in songs that I had never noticed with any other headphones. The biggest downside is that you will need a headphone amp ($50-$100) or the bass won't really come through. Also they unfortunately aren't the most comfortable things to wear for long durations.
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Re: Seeking Headphone Help

Postby bartekko » 26 Jul 2013 06:13

1.) There are no perfect headphones.
2.) Very expensive headphones have a tendency to be prone to damage from dropping (or in other words, DO NOT Fin TAKE YOUR GR8MAZING PHONES OUTSIDE YA HOUSE)


Out of my own experience, I suggest getting two sets of headphones. One, more expensive set Like Audio Technica m-50 or Sennheiser HD280 (used by Lavender Harmony and D'notive, recommended by me)
and a second set of cheaper but pretty much the same quality for listening outside your home. In there there is only a single choice.

mother fucking >>KOSS PORTA PRO<< DUN DUN DUUUUUUUUN. Unlike Beats, these are popular for a reason, it being they sound amazing. The only downside is that you shouldn't ever take them off your neck because of how not rigid they are, but you'll be hard pressed to find headphones that won't break when carried in a backpack. They come with a carrying bag but do not fucking use it cuz my sister broke them after one day of carrying in the bag.

You don't need a headphone amp if you're getting Sennheiser HD280 64-ohm, though you may want the 200+ version in which you should get them.



One more very important thing: your sound system is only as good as the weakest link. If you're going to use built-in Realtek HD with the MME/DirectX driver just stick to Sennheiser HD201. I've been using a Xonar w/ASIO4ALL for 19 months now and it's a p good thing but you should look for the Focusrite Scarlett series


Here is a detailed chart for comparing headphones: http://www.headphone.com/learning-cente ... -graph.php
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Re: Seeking Headphone Help

Postby Tasorrog » 26 Jul 2013 06:31

Myself i use ATM-M50S (S-version is just not a twisted cable as the normal ones)
And Asus Xonar Essence STX.
And i can really recommend these things, the only down side i can find is that the ATH-M50S have a little to strong bass for being flat sounding.

But at lest here in Sweden its the best you can get for that price range.
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Re: Seeking Headphone Help

Postby Acsii » 26 Jul 2013 10:09

Going to be the Janitor I am and post this:
Please search for threads to make sure we don't have any double ups for example there is already a Headphones thread located here: viewtopic.php?f=13&t=8005 Please try to keep the forum tidy :)
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Re: Seeking Headphone Help

Postby the4thImpulse » 26 Jul 2013 10:13

ΛCSII wrote:Going to be the Janitor I am and post this:
Please search for threads to make sure we don't have any double ups for example there is already a Headphones thread located here: viewtopic.php?f=13&t=8005 Please try to keep the forum tidy :)

Except since this guy has a $100 cheaper budget the suggestions we give him could potentially be different.
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Re: Seeking Headphone Help

Postby Acsii » 26 Jul 2013 10:16

True I was more talking about putting the request/question into that thread
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Re: Seeking Headphone Help

Postby Lhet » 26 Jul 2013 12:43

Another thing to note: You should look into open headphones, which will generally have a grill or mesh on the outside of the ears. These tend to sound a lot better due to the lack of reflected sound. The main downside is that they won't really shut out sound, so you'll have issues trying to work in a loud area or DJing or something.
Also you should have a pair of crappy earbuds and speakers, a well mastered song should sound good on all audio setups.

bartekko wrote:2.) Very expensive headphones have a tendency to be prone to damage from dropping (or in other words, DO NOT Fin TAKE YOUR GR8MAZING PHONES OUTSIDE YA HOUSE)

In my experience the higher end Sennheisers are pretty close to indestructible, and in the event that anything should break, you can actually order replacements for individual components. I can't vouch for any other brands though.

bartekko wrote:Here is a detailed chart for comparing headphones: http://www.headphone.com/learning-cente ... -graph.php

This is awesome.
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