# Best headphones for composing with orchestral plug ins



## dcoscina (Feb 18, 2009)

What headphones do you guys swear by when composing late at night. I am in need of some new ones and have tried the ATH-M30 but feel as though the sound is a little distant and not close enough for my taste. I used Sony's for years but they died last night.


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## JonFairhurst (Feb 18, 2009)

I like the Sennheiser HD280 Pros. They are flatter than most to my ears. I find the Sony 7605s to be scooped (which is great for tracking and live sound, as you need to hear what's being mic'd over the ambient sound.) I tried some AKG 240s to be too dull.

The only issue I find with the Senns is that they are tight at first. They do loosen up over time. 

If you don't really need closed headphones, consider open ones. They are often lighter and less fatiguing.


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## Mihkel Zilmer (Feb 18, 2009)

For open phones try AKG701 (personal favourite of mine) or Sennheiser HD650. For closed phones, Ultrasone Pro900.

Also, try the head-fi.org forums for a ton of info, reviews and impressions on almost any kind of headphones ever produced.


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## Nick Phoenix (Feb 18, 2009)

Sennheiser HD-650 flat sound and comfortable


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## AR (Feb 18, 2009)

Well, the AKG 271 MK II got a whole lot bigger potential than all of the other AKGs (except 701, which in my opinion is a little bit too "nice" for orchestral music).

The sound of 271 is close to 701, but a little more "in your ear", due to construction.
You have a beautiful Stereo 3D field deepness.

But I'm careful with mixing on very good headphones. It makes your mix sound clear and wide, and when you hear it the next day on monitors you won't recognize your mix anymore.

That's why I go back to K141 for AB-listening on a mix. Cause they sound more like HiFi system.

Greets
AR


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## timkiel (Feb 19, 2009)

Mihkel @ Thu Feb 19 said:


> For open phones try AKG701 (personal favourite of mine) or Sennheiser HD650. For closed phones, Ultrasone Pro900.
> /quote]
> 
> +1 for Ultrasone 900s - they are fantastic. I tried the HD650s but sent them back and got the Ultrasone instead - much better to my ears.
> ...


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## hbuus (Feb 19, 2009)

I have HD 600 and like them.
However I had the "bridge" replaced as it was too tight (free of charge).
According to Sennheiser, they had a bad production batch.
This is something to consider if you think the bridge is too tight.
But the sound of the headphones is very good.
I remember I compared the HD 600 to various other Sennheiser models including the HD 650, which at the time was considerably more expensive than the HD 600. 
As I recall, I was not able to detect much difference between the two.
However this was in a shop which of course is not the most quiet place around.


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## lux (Feb 19, 2009)

this thread would better suit the hardware section imho


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## rJames (Feb 19, 2009)

david robinson @ Wed Feb 18 said:


> hi,
> research shows that prolonged use with headphones leads to hearing loss.
> 
> ... if i wanted a continuing career in audio, i know what i'd be doing.
> DR9.



I got the HD 600s and they are amazing. I don't even remember the price difference from the 650s but always opt for the earlier model of the latest technology for the savings.

I have permanent tinnitus (please, no comments about my tin ear) and did notice an increase in ringing after using the phones. It is alluring to hear that smooth flat response so I try to go to them for short periods.


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## Shantar (Feb 19, 2009)

This was an interesting thread since I was on the lookout for new headphones as well. I´ve worked with the Sony mdr-7506 for many years. I found them Sennheiser HD 650 on sale so i decided to give them a try. Hopefully I´ll have them within a months since I´ve read the distributor isn´t really the fasted one on the planet.


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## Frederick Russ (Feb 19, 2009)

I like the AKG 701 Studio Reference headphones for late night work. Something that has probably been said before - but never hurts to mention - is to always run your mix through real monitors to fine tune the mix before completing the project. A good mix should sound good on many different monitoring scenarios which include portable boom boxes, car stereos etc.


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## R. Soul (Feb 19, 2009)

If you can afford it Sennheiser have finally brought out a successor to HD650 - the HD800.
At $1400 it's rather pricy though.

But as everyone else says; HD650 and K701 are the best.


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## PolarBear (Feb 19, 2009)

I got the Sennheiser HD580 (predecessor of the HD600) and they're great. The greatest addition I could have bought is not the upgrade to HD600 or HD650, it's that I run them through a Rega Ear headphone amp now. Which is always a very good addition to any high-fi-headphones and makes a substantial difference to my ears.

For any more detail about such things I'd like to also advise you to head-fi.org like above mentioned somewhere, it's the greatest ressource for headphones related stuff.

Oh and one thing about the Senns: Be aware that you will need to replace the cables sooner or later, and I found the hard way by stumbling too often on it that these can be pricey (a fifth of what the 580s are worth). If you're looking for used headphones, I'd not buy these without replacing the foam and cushion pads. You may be better off with new ones, my 580s sustained almost 10 years now, so it's a solid investment (besides that replacement cables, ahhhh).


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## timkiel (Feb 20, 2009)

To be honest and I'm not sure where you live but if possible I'd try and get some phones that you can trial. I ordered the 650s from PLAY.com and the Ultrasones from Amazon.co.uk. As it turned out I didn't like the 650s so was able to return them within my 14 day no questions asked returns policy.

Like Monitors, phones are a very personal choice so it's always worth trying with your own equipment and playing your own music through them.

Tim


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## chimuelo (Feb 20, 2009)

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## chimuelo (Apr 5, 2009)

Here's a nice plug for matching headphones or IEM's to a particular set of monitors.
For example my Blue Sky's are my favorites for Redbook CD work, but I can only use them for so many hours before I have go to my IEM's as people need to sleep, etc.
So after some recent SDK developement I had a crack at these.
These are an excellent to continue mixing knowing the 3 way IEM's will reproduce the same result as the Blue Sky's.
This device works great.
There are such devices in the world of VST probably too.


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## rayinstirling (Apr 6, 2009)

Just to be different, I use.

beyerdynamic DT770

but only for checking the mix, never for mixing where I prefer my Bluesky Media Desk 2.1


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## TheoKrueger (Apr 6, 2009)

Mihkel @ Thu Feb 19 said:


> Also, try the head-fi.org forums for a ton of info, reviews and impressions on almost any kind of headphones ever produced.



Thanks for this one! Looks very useful.




(Half the smilies over there wear headphones, what could i do?) :mrgreen:


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## Mihkel Zilmer (Apr 6, 2009)

You're welcome, Theo. Beware though, the sheer amount of information and impressions on that forum is quite addictive, I've often lost track of time browsing those threads. It has lead me to purchase some excellent gear I would have never heard of without that place, though. 

Oh, and I also like their motto, which I guess sort of applies to this forum aswell:

"Sorry about your wallet!"


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## artsoundz (Apr 6, 2009)

Headphones can come in very handy but an accident(high spl burst) can ruin your life.

since vocalists use in ear monitors ,they have a limiter on the phones to prevent accidents. So-

An easy solution for most of us V.I people would be to strap a brick wall limiter on the stereo mix buss but that isnt ideal as it could color the mix.

I wonder if there is a better hardware solution that is cheap and easy. I'm not finding a headphone amp that has this feature so ...anyone have info on this?


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## Hakan Yurdakul (Jun 21, 2009)

For headphones, try to find as much flat as it is..You can search for frequency response diagrams. I use Beyerdynamic DT250, it sounds flat. However, the company kindly refused to inform me about its frequency response diagram. One important thing, never use headphones when you get your piece's mix. An acoustically treated room and monitors with accurancy are a standard choice..
Best wishes,
Hakan
www.hakanyurdakul.com


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## Frederick Russ (Jul 11, 2009)

Regarding ultra high end Sennheiser line, has anyone tried or bought the HD800? Hadn't tried them but I'm curious - and wonder about the $1399 price tag.


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## janila (Jul 11, 2009)

Sennheisers are the best. I have tested pretty much every potential brand and model there is and there's no competition for the HD600 and HD650. I tried both and ended up with the HD600. I was ready to pay the difference but the HD650 seemed different, not better. I haven't tried the HD800 yet.


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## janila (Jul 11, 2009)

Frederick Russ @ Sat Jul 11 said:


> Sure there's competition - AKG 702 for example which are astounding


I tested those too and they were nice but I still chose the Sennheisers.


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## ozmorphasis (Jul 11, 2009)

+1 on HD650. I've been very happy with them...although, I would love to drive them with something better than the headphone out of my Motu 896HD. These phones deserve a truly world class headphone amp in order to reap the full benefits. Looking to get a Lavry Black DA10 or DA11 eventually to improve my monitoring chain...both for cans as well as nearfields.

I highly recommend these phones...especially for acoustic music. 

O


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## Lunatique (Jul 11, 2009)

BTW, for those of you considering the Beyerdynamics, DT880, DT770...etc, beware that they do have a spike in the upper frequencies that can be shrill on some material such as music with a sharp snare drum. It's a shame because those cans are very comfortable and sound great otherwise.


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## synergy543 (Jul 11, 2009)

That's probably cause their closed cans and therefore have resonance at certain frequencies. You can get a frequency graph here. 

I have the DT770M which is specifically a phone for drummers and it reduces outside noise by about 30dB which is sometimes nice when I need to block out extraneous noise. Although since my Mac G5 died, my studio is suddenly extremely quiet.


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## Lunatique (Jul 11, 2009)

synergy543 @ Sat Jul 11 said:


> That's probably cause their closed cans and therefore have resonance at certain frequencies. You can get a frequency graph here.
> 
> I have the DT770M which is specifically a phone for drummers and it reduces outside noise by about 30dB which is sometimes nice when I need to block out extraneous noise. Although since my Mac G5 died, my studio is suddenly extremely quiet.



Technically I think they are semi-open, so they do bleed into the mic (one reason I didn't pick them beside the occasional shrillness). I have studied many of the frequency charts at headphone.com during my various researches (I own about 7 different pairs of headphones, for different purposes), and the interesting thing is that sometimes a very similar frequency response may not mean they sound alike, as there are many other factors such as the earcup design, the materials used, the driver angle...etc. If you look at this chart:
http://www.headphone.com/technical/prod ... hp?graphID[0]=713&graphID[1]=183&graphID[2]=723&graphID[3]=&graphType=0&buttonSelection=Compare+Headphones

The M-50 is an amazingly neutral headphone at $150, but in the chart you see it's got a bit of a spike at around 12Khz. However, when you listen to the M-50, you will not hear that spike at all--it's not fatiguing in any way. But that same spike in the same frequency range on the DT880/770 will sound quite shrill on some materials (but at the same time, notice how the spike has got a more gradual ramp compared to the M-50, so it's actually spiking in frequencies around the 12Khz range as well).


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## SvK (Jul 11, 2009)

For what it's worth...I do my mixes entirely on HeadPhones....

SennHeiser HD 600......

SvK


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## ozmorphasis (Jul 11, 2009)

SvK @ Sat Jul 11 said:


> For what it's worth...I do my mixes entirely on HeadPhones....
> 
> SennHeiser HD 600......
> 
> SvK




Impressive, especially since your results with reverb and space are very nice from the few examples that I've heard. That's one of the main things that seems to sound off when mixing with phones. Pretty typical to dial it all in, and then the next day listening to the mix over the normal monitors... ~o)


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