# Headphone advice?



## shnootre (Oct 20, 2016)

My work situation is changing, and I'm going to have to spend a lot more time (late nights) working w/ headphones. I am working with a bunch of sample libraries on orchestral/operatic stuff for the moment. 

I have a pair of Sennheiser HD280s (or a similar model - $100, about 7 years old). I'm wondering how much I need to pay to get a significant improvement. Would $200 do it? AT what price point do things really begin to change? What are recommended models (bang for buck is definitely a concern).


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## Gerhard Westphalen (Oct 20, 2016)

I've never heard those Sennheisers but I imagine you'd only get a big difference at around $300. I've tried a couple of cheaper ones like the AKG 240 mk2 and the AT M50x and found them to be on a different level compared to my DT880.

The DT880 recently got a price cut. They might be being discontinued since there were some new models released. I believe they used to be around $400 and now are $250. Great deal since they are on par with the HD650 which are $500. I've heard that it's a matter of personal preference rather than one being superior when choosing between these 2.

Before you get any new headphones I'd suggest getting Reference 3. Will probably make a bigger difference than getting new phones. If you are gonna get new phones I'd highly recommend getting it directly from them with the custom calibration. With their frequent promotions it ends up being the same prices as buying them normally (sometimes even cheaper). Considering that the calibration alone is $100 it's a huge deal. Right now they're offering 20% off.

I'd suggest the DT880, HD600, HD650 or one of the higher end AKG. Definitely something open. Even with these headphones that are somewhat flat Reference 3 makes a big difference so you should factor it into your budget. 

You might also want to check out Waves's Nx if you're working only on headphones but I find that it really messed with the bass so I wouldn't trust it or you'd have to really get used to it and how it translates. It does, however, create a sense of listening to real speakers. The 5.1 works pretty well. Head tracking isn't realistic for me so I usually leave it off.


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## mac88104 (Oct 20, 2016)

I totally agree, these models are good choices. I have a DT880PRO and I am glad with it but it is a personal taste. If you can spend 1 hour in a store to compare them you won't regret it.

The DT880PRO is like a cocoon for my ears, very soft for long time working. So much better than my old Sony MDR 7506.


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## shnootre (Oct 20, 2016)

Thanks for the quick and detailed responses! Got my work cut out for me...


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## shnootre (Oct 21, 2016)

Was on the Sonarworks website - saw that I'd be eligible for their 50% student/teacher discount. But I didn't see how to buy the headphones directly from them. DT880PRO is under $200 at Amazon right now. Looks like I should get a headphone amp with it, does that make sense?


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## muk (Oct 21, 2016)

In your price-range there are five headphones that are usually mentioned to be best suited for studio purposes. I wrote a bit about each of them here (post #8):

http://vi-control.net/community/threads/affordable-mixing-headphones.47127/


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## Fab (Oct 21, 2016)

One more for ATH-M50, they are just great imo


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## Karsten Vogt (Oct 21, 2016)

DT880. Love it.


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## Kirk A. (Oct 21, 2016)

IMO ATH-40x is even better than 50. And very affordable.


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## cmillar (Oct 23, 2016)

Keep the 280's and buy Sonarworks software.

Or buy the software and use any headphones that Sonarworks has calibrated already.


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## Gerhard Westphalen (Oct 23, 2016)

shnootre said:


> Was on the Sonarworks website - saw that I'd be eligible for their 50% student/teacher discount. But I didn't see how to buy the headphones directly from them. DT880PRO is under $200 at Amazon right now. Looks like I should get a headphone amp with it, does that make sense?



I forgot that they have the student discount on the software.

To find the headphones you have to go to "Store" and then "Headphone Calibration" and then it'll show all the headphones they sell. They regularly go 20% off and sometimes do free worldwide shipping. If you get just the software now it might be worth waiting until Black Friday and then getting the DT880 from them with whatever sale they have although I'm not sure if it will be less than $200. You'll have to decide whether you want to invest more in the headphones and have the custom calibration so that they're more accurate.


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## shnootre (Oct 23, 2016)

Cool! I will first do the free trial w/ my HD280s and see what happens. Maybe that can help me hang in until Black Friday!


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## Tommy-boy (Oct 25, 2016)

HD600s are wonderful headphones. Open backed phones are the way to go for mixing. I love mine. HD380s are good for tracking or working remotely (they fold up wonderfully). The 380s are probably ok for mixing, but aren't quite as good as the open backed 600s. Sony 7506s are fine for tracking or doing stuff where you're not making critical decisions. High end is a bit hyped on the Sonys.

-Tom


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## creativeforge (Nov 8, 2016)

I've been using Audio-Technica ATH M40fs for years, and very satisfied with them. They don't hype anything (which I hate). Check them on Amazon. They are discontinued, though... Good thing I bought two [air a few years back, still haven't damaged the first one.


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## jules (Nov 8, 2016)

creativeforge said:


> I've been using Audio-Technica ATH M40fs for years, and very satisfied with them. They don't hype anything (which I hate). Check them on Amazon. They are discontinued, though... Good thing I bought two [air a few years back, still haven't damaged the first one.


Yep, very very good headphones, imo. Did you tried the athm40x ? My 40fs are slowly aging and i heard the 40x were unfortunately not sounding the same... 
@op : you can't go wrong with athm 70, hd 650, dt880 or dt 770, imo.


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## creativeforge (Nov 8, 2016)

No I haven't had the chance. At the time I was working in a music store (Long & McQuade) so I had time to test all the headphones I wanted. However, you can't do that anymore. If you want to hear how it sounds, you have to buy it. And if you buy it, you can't return it (alleged health risks).

Some of new studio headphones seem to try to be too much of a regular headphones. They should leave them be and keep running with a winner model.


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## jules (Nov 8, 2016)

That's too bad because the 40fs were really amazing headphones (for the price). I suppose today and in the same price range, the dt770 are more of a safe bet (they're frankly very good headphones).


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## creativeforge (Nov 8, 2016)

I haven't had the chance to hear the DT770, these here?

Playing keys demands a much wider ranger of frequencies rendered much more clearly. The ATH were really transparent for that.


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## John Busby (Nov 8, 2016)

this is the first i've ever heard of sonarworks 
i too have a pair of the HD280s and i've been told many times to get open backs


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## jules (Nov 8, 2016)

creativeforge said:


> I haven't had the chance to hear the DT770, these here?
> 
> Playing keys demands a much wider ranger of frequencies rendered much more clearly. The ATH were really transparent for that.


Yes, that's it. 32, 80 & 250 ohm. I tried them besides the ath m70x and they're very linear headphones, imo. One should balance a mix without a glitch with these ones. (Both dt770 and athm70, but the second are twice the price).


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## shnootre (Nov 8, 2016)

I ended up getting the HD600s, and also the kinda well-known DAC/AMP combo from Schiit (Modi 2 uber and Magni 2 uber - the "Schiit Stack" - which I love to say). I have the phones so far, but the stack arrives tomorrow. The phones sound great, but my M Audio Fast Track pro (running strong at 12 years old!) can't really make the 300 ohm headphones very loud. I did try Sonarworks free demo, but only as a plug-in in Finale, which is probably the worst way to judge anything. I will consider getting the software w/ my edu discount somewhere down the line. Will report back on how things are going once I get it all set up. What I like about the Modi 2 Uber is that I can use it w/ splitters to power both the headphone amp and also my PreSonus sub/speakers combo. We'll see if I hear a diff. w/ a dedicated DAC. Reading the audiophile forums for a bit has been really funny.


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