headphones vs. monitors

[lyons238]

also bass response on headphones isn't ideal. it just cant be possible because bass waves are long and require distance to hear them properly.

and also the stereo image will be more noticeable on headphones because each side is isolated from the other.

but think about it: are you doing a track for headphones or for a club system? do you want to hear all the little details or the total mix? how often have you been in a club and thought 'wow i love how crisp the eq on that hi hat is'?

i have a decent set of both and find that stuff i do on headphones only sometimes sounds good on my monitors, but anything i do on my monitors will sound good on my headphones...if that makes any sense...

yup this is a slight addition to what i said and this is exactly how i feel.

[lysergene]

Here are a couple of articles:

http://www.soundonsound.com/sos/jan07/a ... phones.htm

http://www.soundonsound.com/sos/jan10/a ... phones.htm


....and I totally agree about hearing loss, I'm in the position now where I'm getting on going ear infections due to headphone and earplug use. It's not all about how quiet the music is either, anything which is in or on the ear causes trouble, inflamation, wax production and the inevitable infection imo.

G

[Krakkemikkig]

KRK KNS6400



I got them myself, there so sick, and the bass is insane. KRK is the shit man. You wont regret them!

[VirtualMark]

I would recommend against buying anything from Shure. I have some SRH750DJ headphones, and they're only about 9 months old. The ear covers are cracked and split, and the joints that rotate are cracking and splitting. It said on their website that they're ultra durable, i'd say they're flimsy!

Contacted support, they said to send them in, i just can't be bothered with it as i use them everyday. I'll just get a more expensive pair from another company.

[lysergene]

The Beyerdynamic DT 990 Pro headphones have had good reviews here:

http://www.headphoneinfo.com/content/Be ... rmance.htm

According to this site they perform similarly to the (very expensive) Sennheiser HD800 cans. In my experience it doesn't matter if you spend a grand or a few hundred, provided you know how music should sound on the headphones/monitors by comparing professional mixes to your own. I've been using cheap Sony headphones for about ten years (the same pair ) and I know exactly what's going on in the mix because I know the headphones. For very cheap cans I can't fault Sony there. And they're solid still, metal frames etc. (although I can't vouch for newer models).

Don't trust reviews and descriptions provided by the manufacturer of the product. Independent reviews are better, provided they are actually independent.

Try a load out in a music store, find out which ones you want and then go online to buy them In my experience music store people add zero value to the products with their arrogant and clearly sales targeted based bull s**t!

G

[Debaser1]

I could babble on for days about this.

My monitors are out of action for a while so its headphones all the way at the min. I really like how you can pick up fine details on headphones, but it wont give you an accurate overall frequency response like speakers. After all, we make music like this to be played out, so play it the fuck out - unless youre at a Swedish silent rave.

[Psythe]

The Beyerdynamic DT 990 Pro headphones have had good reviews here:

http://www.headphoneinfo.com/content/Be ... rmance.htm

According to this site they perform similarly to the (very expensive) Sennheiser HD800 cans. In my experience it doesn't matter if you spend a grand or a few hundred, provided you know how music should sound on the headphones/monitors by comparing professional mixes to your own. I've been using cheap Sony headphones for about ten years (the same pair ) and I know exactly what's going on in the mix because I know the headphones. For very cheap cans I can't fault Sony there. And they're solid still, metal frames etc. (although I can't vouch for newer models).

Don't trust reviews and descriptions provided by the manufacturer of the product. Independent reviews are better, provided they are actually independent.

Try a load out in a music store, find out which ones you want and then go online to buy them In my experience music store people add zero value to the products with their arrogant and clearly sales targeted based bull s**t!

G

I have the beyer dynamic DT 770 and they are really good for production. Just use the headphones then burn the track to a cd and throw it in the car see the results.

[philly]

You can get the Shure SRH440's or the Sennheiser HD280's

I have the Sennheisers and my friend has the Shures and unfortunately their both over $100 (unless you look on google shopping )

Haha I've been meaning to buy a pair of 280's. If I posted a pic of my monitoring situation I'd get laughed off the forums.

Let me guess....

[hifi]

i would rather have a good pair of cans before good quality monitors. good pair of headphones with a good frequency response would be all you need temporarily while you can save up to get some nice speakers.

[Debaser1]

i would rather have a good pair of cans before good quality monitors. good pair of headphones with a good frequency response would be all you need temporarily while you can save up to get some nice speakers.

+1+1+1+1

[macc]

I'd trust headphones over any monitors in a completely untreated small room any day.

Headphones are fantastic BUT it is a completely different way of listening. If you are going to use them, do a LOT (!!!!) of listening to proper stuff with them too.

[tactilezero]

Actually, ive been in a club and have said similar things(the few times ive been sober in clubs ) . I have a pair of HD280's and they are quite good, and its very much possible to get a great sounding mix out of them. As far as the extreme stereo separation problem that comes with producing with headphones, their are plugins you can just chuck into your master channel that can solve that problem.
http://www.112db.com/redline/monitor/ thats one of them, its pretty much the next best thing to having decent monitors if your producing with cans. But also by no means a replacement for them. Their are other ones similar, but ive gotten the best results out of that one.

[lysergene]

Actually, ive been in a club and have said similar things(the few times ive been sober in clubs ) . I have a pair of HD280's and they are quite good, and its very much possible to get a great sounding mix out of them. As far as the extreme stereo separation problem that comes with producing with headphones, their are plugins you can just chuck into your master channel that can solve that problem.
http://www.112db.com/redline/monitor/ thats one of them, its pretty much the next best thing to having decent monitors if your producing with cans. But also by no means a replacement for them. Their are other ones similar, but ive gotten the best results out of that one.

Yeah the SOS article I first posted a link to discusses the way that around 40% of a left speaker is still heard through your right ear and vice versa. The sound is in front of you, rather than comming from inside your head.

All my tracks are made using headphones and I have a listen on speakers every now and then to make sure the stuff with stereo imaging isn't too quiet which tends to happen a lot. The stereo imaging seems louder in headphones.

If I had a nightclub system in me yard I'd use that but I don't

Anyway - I tried the Beyers against my old Sonys today and they are similar but have a more extended bass end, so exactly what I was after. The guy at the store said the 770's are good too.

Open back/semi open back headphones are best for production, that's worth mentioning too.

[dubesteppe]

bass response....well theyre flat frequency so the bass isnt like HOLY CRAP THIS IS AWESOME!!!!!!! but the plus is that you'd be hearing the audio AS IT IS instead of being colored by a built-in EQ curve like most headphones...and they DO have bass, so don't worry about that. But for the sennheisers, best performance is with a headphone amp.

EDIT: For all headphones, best performance is with the headphone amp...I say you should get the Shures man, theyre cheaper and pretty much same as good

correct me if im wrong but wouldnt having an amplifier be bad since im using these as monitors?

[jrisreal]

no, especially monitor headphones often require some extra power to work their best...so you should definitely get an amp...i dont have one, but ive used them once

[lysergene]

Can you get decent headphones and an amp for under 100 bucks?

If the headphones have an impedance of 250ohms or less you should be OK without an amp. If the impedance isn't stated in the technical specifications then you probably have consumer headphones which are loud enough anyway. With this kind of budget you could end up with anything. I'd recommend Sony headphones. For a little more you could get some Beyers or Sennheisers.

G

[Kodachrome]

You can get the Shure SRH440's or the Sennheiser HD280's

I have the Sennheisers and my friend has the Shures and unfortunately their both over $100 (unless you look on google shopping )

Haha I've been meaning to buy a pair of 280's. If I posted a pic of my monitoring situation I'd get laughed off the forums.

Let me guess....

Lmao you have no idea how close to the truth you really are..

[the dub lemon]

If you're looking for something decent below 100 bucks it's going to be a struggle.

For the headphones route I use Beyerdynamic DT990 which are really good which are over $100 but under $200. Very highly recommended!

[lysergene]

I have those Beyers too now - decent!