# Inspiring headphones, $200-ish?



## Studio E (May 11, 2021)

I’ve got a great pair for myself, but I have a resident composer starting work at my studio to assist myself with upcoming projects. I want her to have something that sounds good. I will be handling mixing, and I have what I need between monitors and cans. I need her to have something that will be fun to listen through and comfy. My Sweetwater guy recommended the DT-770M, and I just plugged them in, and there is NO bass. Super disappointing, so those are going back. I have the DT-1990s with no complaints, but I’m not spending that much this time. Comfort and fun bass and treble, as well as a wide sound stage preferred. I do have a pair of HD-280s, but I was hoping I could get her something more fun. Let me here your thoughts. Thank you!


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## X-Bassist (May 11, 2021)

I still use Audio Technica’s M50x’s, great for tracking and for me, mixing. I’ve gotten so use to them I can do a lot of premixing before checking on the mix stage which is pretty close. They accentuate the bass a little around 100hz, but nothing dramatic yet lets you know what the bass is doing. The high end sounds clear and flat with a solid mid-range. Can’t beat it for $150... or $400. 😄


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## steveo42 (May 11, 2021)

Studio E said:


> I’ve got a great pair for myself, but I have a resident composer starting work at my studio to assist myself with upcoming projects. I want her to have something that sounds good. I will be handling mixing, and I have what I need between monitors and cans. I need her to have something that will be fun to listen through and comfy. My Sweetwater guy recommended the DT-770M, and I just plugged them in, and there is NO bass. Super disappointing, so those are going back. I have the DT-1990s with no complaints, but I’m not spending that much this time. Comfort and fun bass and treble, as well as a wide sound stage preferred. I do have a pair of HD-280s, but I was hoping I could get her something more fun. Let me here your thoughts. Thank you!


I had the DT 990 Pro and I sold them because they were too sizzle and boom and even the stock Sonarworks profile didn't fix it. I currently have Sony 7506, AKG K701 (actually the Q701 which is the Quincy Jones version) Audio Technica ATH M50X and Massdrop Sennheiser HD-650s. For me the HD-650 is miles above the others. Just my 2 cents.


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## Studio E (May 11, 2021)

steveo42 said:


> I had the DT 990 Pro and I sold them because they were too sizzle and boom and even the stock Sonarworks profile didn't fix it. I currently have Sony 7506, AKG K701 (actually the Q701 which is the Quincy Jones version) Audio Technica ATH M50X and Massdrop Sennheiser HD-650s. For me the HD-650 is miles above the others. Just my 2 cents.


How do the 650s do with low bass frequencies, like drum machine kicks, low cinematic stuff, etc?


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## AudioLoco (May 11, 2021)

Focal Spirit are lots of fun on the low end.
I wouldn't use them for more critical listening though...


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## bill5 (May 11, 2021)

If you're wanting more bass, agree on the AT 50s. Or 40s or 30s for that matter. You certainly don't need to spend anywhere near $200 for what you're describing.


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## Fidelity (May 11, 2021)

Beyers sound great, but the cables are soldered in. My 880s lasted a few years of light use before a can cut out and I then proceeded to destroy it by trying to resolder the cable (literally melted the housing...I didn't use a heatsink clip tho). I haven't tried the 770s, but never had a complaint about the sound with the 880s.

I personally like Hifiman headphones at this point - recently upgraded to a pair of Devas and the soundstage is quite wide (the HE4xx arguably sound a bit better and are under your price point, but are much heavier and were uncomfortable to me due to the clamping force - though I only really upgraded to have something with a bluetooth option). The low frequency response is great and snappy without that boom you get on dynamics - it's really impressive. Devas are a bit past your target (even the wired ones, unless you find an open box). You can't go wrong with the 650s though - those are probably more neutral, the planars I've tried are more fun.


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## Soundbed (May 11, 2021)

Studio E said:


> How do the 650s do with low bass frequencies, like drum machine kicks, low cinematic stuff, etc?


I've not been interested in different headphones since getting the Drop 6xx Sennheiser.

Are any headphones the same as having a sub? No. I use a sub when I listen over my monitors. Low machine drum kicks and sub in cinematic stuff will probably sound different, but that's the physics of headphones — and economics, at the $200 price point. I wouldn't spend an hour tuning the sub on a kick drum using headphones for a club mix anymore, anyway. That's what the studio and the sub is for... imho.

But I found I could write and finish most of the mix with virtually no translation issues with a good headphone amp and the Drop 6xx Senn's, and a nice A/B tool and reference tracks. I like the headphones even more with Sonarworks Reference, but it's not necessary.

They are super comfortable and I'd say fun, nice sound stage. Great for long hours of use. My favorite headphone amp is the Dangerous SOURCE but of course that costs much more than the headphones lol.









Massdrop x Sennheiser HD 6XX | Top Rated Open-Back Headphones | Drop


Our all-time best selling open-back audiophile headphones, the Massdrop x Sennheiser HD 6XX is a replacement to the original HD 650 with a refreshed aesthetic & improved utility.




drop.com


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## Fidelity (May 11, 2021)

Soundbed said:


> I've not been interested in different headphones since getting the Drop 6xx Sennheiser.
> 
> Are any headphones the same as having a sub? No. I use a sub when I listen over my monitors. Low machine drum kicks and sub in cinematic stuff will probably sound different, but that's the physics of headphones — and economics, at the $200 price point. I wouldn't spend an hour tuning the sub on a kick drum using headphones for a club mix anymore, anyway. That's what the studio and the sub is for... imho.
> 
> ...



Audio interfaces have decent headphone amps built in, though. The Apogee groove works great with 650s (and even planars). It's also USB output-only audio interface that does asio (!) with a greatly simplified apogee control panel to tweak the buffer settings.

Unfortunately, Apogee's windows drivers aren't exactly rock solid (I have to reconnect mine occasionally, around once a day - same as my Apogee One) and it doesn't have inputs. That said, I found the output on the one to also be solid with 'phones, and I'd wager even a cheap interface would be "good enough".


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## Soundbed (May 11, 2021)

Fidelity said:


> Audio interfaces have decent headphone amps built in, though. The Apogee groove works great with 650s (and even planars). It's also USB output-only audio interface that does asio (!) with a greatly simplified apogee control panel to tweak the buffer settings.
> 
> Unfortunately, Apogee's windows drivers aren't exactly rock solid (I have to reconnect mine occasionally, around once a day - same as my Apogee One) and it doesn't have inputs. That said, I found the output on the one to also be solid with 'phones, and I'd wager even a cheap interface would be "good enough".


Yes, I like to watch this channel for comparisons of 'budget' interface headphone amps:


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## JohnG (May 11, 2021)

Hi Eric,

I like AKG K701 Reference headphones. Semi-open in case your colleague is sitting really close to you.


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## Trash Panda (May 11, 2021)

DT 990 Pro 250 ohm version is in your budget, sounds amazing and, equally important, can be worn for hours comfortably and practically “disappear” after a few minutes of use.


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## muk (May 12, 2021)

There is a trinity of usual suspects that have to be proven to be very good headphones over the years. These are Sennheiser HD600 (some prefer the HD650. Others don't, so try both). The Beyerdynamic DT 880 (the only difference between Pro and non-pro is the clamping force, so choose the one that is more comfortable for you). And the AKG K701/702. If you want more bass on the AKG's there is a simple reversible mod for that, so you can adjust the amount of bass to a certain degree. I wrote a bit more in detail about the differences of these three models here:






Affordable Mixing Headphones


Didn't want to hi-jack the Audeze LCD-2 thread but....it got me thinking. Haven't had a ton of experience with mixing headphones, as I've always been been pretty happy with my monitoring situation and up until recently had been doing a lot of work at a studio that is not in my apartment...




vi-control.net





Then there are the AKG K371 which might be worth trying too. I haven't heard them, nor read much about them. This review speaks highly of them though, and I trust this pages scientific approach to testing:









AKG K371 Review (closed back headphone)


This is a review and detailed measurements of the AKG K371 closed-back headphone. I purchased this last summer and it currently costs US $149 on Amazon including shipping. Note: our company, Madrona Digital, carries various Harman brand products although not the AKG products. The K371 is made...




www.audiosciencereview.com


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## Studio E (May 12, 2021)

Thanks everyone. I really appreciate the insight. Can anyone explain why the greater impedance would be cause for greater sound quality?


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## packhorse (May 12, 2021)

I bought DT 770 Pro recently. Tried them out once. However, I prefer my iphone earbuds. Anyone after a pair 32 ohm?


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## SlHarder (May 12, 2021)

Sennheiser HD560S are worth a look. I and some reviewers prefer them over the Drop 6xxx.


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## steveo42 (May 13, 2021)

Studio E said:


> How do the 650s do with low bass frequencies, like drum machine kicks, low cinematic stuff, etc?


They are very flat sounding phones. Like others have said, if you are into the low end the ATH M50x would probably suit you better.


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## David Kudell (May 13, 2021)

The Sennheiser/Drop HD6xx are the way to go. You’ll need an audio interface to plug them into.

I recently got the Slate VSX closed back headphones and they’re also excellent, but out of your stated budget. However, those can emulate various types of other headphones very accurately, and they also have a “flat” profile. The Sennheiser HD650 emulation is extremely close to the real pair, the only difference being that they’re closed back. When you switch from the HD650 mode to flat mode, it’s actually quite close, which tells you how flat the HD650’s are. However when you switch to some of the other headphone model emulations they sound hyped in the highs and scooped in the mids, in my opinion.


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## SupremeFist (May 13, 2021)

The 6XX and k701 also work very well with the profiles on dsoniq's Realphones if you're interested in that kind of thing. (Mainly on VSX now myself but I'll occasionally switch to those to get some air flowing to my ears. )


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