# Suitable headphones for composing film/instrumental music (with a price of up to 180$)?



## Behdad (Jul 24, 2016)

Hi everyone,

I was wondering if you could help me choose a pair of headphones that suit's my needs. I compose instrumental and film music, so here are the properties I seek:
1. High-definition and natural sound for mixing and mastering (No amplification of certain frequencies)
2. Must work on a laptop without needing an amplifier
3. Over-ear models would be best
4. Can be semi-open or closed-back (whichever is best for this genre of music in your opinion)

As for the last question, I must add that I'm not going to use the headphones to record live instruments or vocals.
And I'm not exactly a pro, so I don't need something that's too expensive. Something with a maximum price of 180$ would be great. I've heard a lot about the Audio-Technica M50x and M40x models, but I thought it'd better to get some advice before buying anything.

Thank you for your time


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## Maxime Luft (Jul 24, 2016)

Hey Behdad, nice to see you there on VI-C. Currently I don t have much time to detail why but I d rather you to take a look at FOCAL's headphones. Damn excellent, that's all I can say now  
I hope you ll find the right one for you !

ML.


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## Zhao Shen (Jul 24, 2016)

Can't go wrong with Sony's MDR 7506s.


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## passsacaglia (Jul 24, 2016)

Listen to the ALG K240s, after that you will know why.

+1 also for Focal stuff.


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## Behdad (Jul 25, 2016)

Thank you all for you helpful suggestions.
I would appreciate even more tips from other users as well.


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## Flux (Jul 25, 2016)

+1 for the M50x's. I use them daily and couldn't recommend them enough.


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## Behdad (Jul 25, 2016)

Flux said:


> +1 for the M50x's. I use them daily and couldn't recommend them enough.


Thanks for your answer. So based on personal experience, you think they'd fit my needs? Would they work well without needing an amp? I've heard that they need an amp to offer the best sound quality.
Although, I do plan on buying a Steinberg UR22mkII sound card. So maybe that would automatically fix the amp problem.


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## Flux (Jul 25, 2016)

Behdad said:


> Thanks for your answer. So based on personal experience, you think they'd fit my needs? Would they work well without needing an amp? I've heard that they need an amp to offer the best sound quality.
> Although, I do plan on buying a Steinberg UR22mkII sound card. So maybe that would automatically fix the amp problem.



I have not used an amp and have had no complaints in terms of sound quality. Obviously you are not going to be getting the highest possible sound quality with your budget, but you really can't go wrong with the M50x's. I cannot speak about the other headphones mentioned in this thread, but I'm sure you can't go wrong with any of those either.


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## tack (Jul 25, 2016)

Focal's Spirit Pro headphones sound pretty good to me in their neutrality, but unless you're a small child, they will absolutely devastate your skull with their relentless grip of death. I can't wear them longer than half an hour before I'm in actual pain.

So I just use the Spirits as my "second opinion" headphones, but apart from that I use the Sennheiser HD650. I'd recommend them but they're outside the requested budget.


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## Alan Wave (Jul 25, 2016)

Hi Behdad. I think another factor for choosing will be comfort, if you are going to use them for a lot of hours. The AKG K240 are extremely comfortable but they lack a bit of lows. I also have the M30x, no complains about the sound, but i can not use them for a long time. They are headphones mainly for monitoring, and they are closed back. In that range i also tried Sennheiser HD25ii. They have great sound and although they are closed back they are really comfortable. All 3 have low resistance so you won't need an amp. Just my two cents.


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## Takabuntu (Jul 25, 2016)

I have the Sennheiser HD280 PRO, but also bought the SonarWorks plugin for headphone calibration when it was on sale a few weeks ago. It had a profile for my headphone, so in theory I should have a flat frequency response.


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## ed buller (Jul 25, 2016)

awsome

e


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## JohnG (Jul 25, 2016)

AKG k701

they may be a bit more expensive than $180 but honestly if you are going to try to skip buying a good amp and speakers, you really have to consider splashing out for very good headphones. Otherwise you risk spending a lot of time and not really hearing what you're doing as accurately as you need. The Sennheiser 600 range is also recommended by engineers.


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## scoringdreams (Jul 25, 2016)

Just my 2 cents, but I really believe that as you venture into the realm of 'finding the most transparent/suitable/neutral/whatever' pair of IEMs or Cans, you will eventually understand that any pair of headphones _within an acceptable range of criteria_ will do as they meet the following requirements:

1. : You know their sound signatures well and know how to work around it during mixing.
2. : You use them for the right purposes intended by its build. (closed to prevent bleed...etc)

Anyway, if you still want to find 'suitable' ones _*within your budget*_, look at:


Beyerdynamic DT880 Pro
AKG K550
(feel free to add on to this list if you have any knowledge on it)

Not too sure if the Shure SRH1540 is within this price range or you are keen on IEMs. But you are probably looking for something with good sound-staging, comfortable for long periods of use and something that sounds pleasant out-of-the-box for you. Then you will need to live with these pair of cans/iems for a while to get used to them first.

Anyway bonus section, if you are really keen in the best (in the future), go for:


Sennheiser HD800s CANS (mod an 800 or something to save on costs)
FitEar MH334 CIEMS
I am only confident to recommend the above for now...lol

Anyway, enjoy your search of suitable cans...


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## JohnG (Jul 25, 2016)

scoringdreams said:


> any pair of headphones will do



I flatly disagree with that. Yes, you need to get to know your speakers / headphones, but some headphones are seriously deficient.


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## scoringdreams (Jul 25, 2016)

JohnG said:


> I flatly disagree with that. Yes, you need to get to know your speakers / headphones, but some headphones are seriously deficient.



I have to say you are correct, I will avoid mixing in a pair of Beats if given the option.


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## JohnG (Jul 25, 2016)

scoringdreams said:


> I will avoid mixing in a pair of Beats if given the option.



lols


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## Behdad (Jul 25, 2016)

Thanks for all your great tips! I'm going to have to process them all one by one. The mention of long work hours caught my attention in particular. Haven't given that much thought before. I also saw some interesting headphone models among your suggestions. I’m going to look into them as well.
Once again, thank you. You’ve all been of great help. I think I can finally make the right choice in this matter.


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## Thorsten Meyer (Jul 26, 2016)

I got myself a http://amzn.to/29WBPjU (Shure SRH840 Professional Monitoring Headphones)


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## synthpunk (Jul 26, 2016)

Just a word of warning to be very careful with headphones and the health of your ear drums!!!!
This comes from the husband of a ear doctor technician.

When needed the AT50's work for me and careful volume.


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## Flux (Jul 26, 2016)

aesthete said:


> Just a word of warning to be very careful with headphones and the health of your ear drums!!!!
> This comes from the husband of a ear doctor technician.
> 
> When needed the AT50's work for me and careful volume.



In terms of headphones, what is considered a careful volume? If I'm listening to music on my iPhone or Mac with the M50x's, I am usually around half volume or less, but sometimes I catch myself increasing the volume a bit if I want to hear something specific. I'm usually a bit paranoid that what I'm listening to is "too loud", but I have friends who listen to music at significantly higher volumes, so I guess I don't have a good reference point.


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## GP_Hawk (Jul 26, 2016)

Might be worth a look also is Sonarworks as already mentioned. Most of these headphones mentioned are for sale with individual calibration file on the Sonarworks site.


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## prodigalson (Jul 26, 2016)

scoringdreams said:


> I have to say you are correct, I will avoid mixing in a pair of Beats if given the option.



Not if you know your Beats REALLY REALLY well


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## scoringdreams (Jul 27, 2016)

prodigalson said:


> Not if you know your Beats REALLY REALLY well



So deep...


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## benatural (Jul 27, 2016)

Beyerdynamic DT 770 Pro is a great headset, around $175 USD I've used them for years and many other folks I know (and admire) use them too. Get the one that will work with your headphone amp, they have 250, 80, and 32 ohm versions.


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## steinmann (Jul 28, 2016)

The Sennheiser HD600 right now are a bargain for the quality. I own a pair of AKG K701 and they are good, despite some problems in the low mids.


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## Firpow (Jul 28, 2016)

I would recommend the AKG K550 line over the M50x headphones. I had the latter but my dog ate them. She has had more respect for the AKGs. In my opinion, the AKG K550s have a more balanced sound and they are clearly the comfier option. Loved the detachable coiled cord on the the M50x whereas the K550 have a fixed cord.


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## Behdad (Jul 31, 2016)

synthpunk said:


> Just a word of warning to be very careful with headphones and the health of your ear drums!!!!
> This comes from the husband of a ear doctor technician.
> 
> When needed the AT50's work for me and careful volume.


Thanks! I'll keep that in mind.


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## Kaan Guner (Aug 1, 2016)

HD598 anyone? Their open design is a plus for most of the time.


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## mushanga (Aug 1, 2016)

Kaan Guner said:


> HD598 anyone? Their open design is a plus for most of the time.


I just picked up a pair of these myself (the black SE version). I absolutely love them. The level of clarity and neutrality they provide makes them excellent for composing and mixing. Coming from the Beyer DT770s these ones are less bass-ready, which I prefer as they provide a truer representation of what is really going on in the lower frequencies of my mixes. And with their open-back design they are much less fatiguing on my ears and I can wear them for hours on end without any issues.

A lot will argue that the HD600s are a significant step up from the HD598s. I used to own a pair of HD600s before I returned them after one week's use. They require significantly more power and clamped my head a bit too much for my liking. The 598s fit my head perfectly, even to the point that I hardly notice I am wearing them. They are extremely comfortable.

A huge thumbs up from me.


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