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Hi guys, I'm new to the forums. I just got myself a new laptop and figured out that I want to try writing some music on it. I got Reason, i'm looking at midi keyboards, and for listening I decided to go with some cheapish headphones for starters. These threads have helped me out a great deal.

BUT you guys talk about headphone amps - is it an absolute necessity? Do all headphones need it, and if not, how do I figure out which ones do?

Ayatollah wrote:Hi guys, I'm new to the forums. I just got myself a new laptop and figured out that I want to try writing some music on it. I got Reason, i'm looking at midi keyboards, and for listening I decided to go with some cheapish headphones for starters. These threads have helped me out a great deal.

BUT you guys talk about headphone amps - is it an absolute necessity? Do all headphones need it, and if not, how do I figure out which ones do?

http://www.goodcans.com/

Thanks mate. The site's great reading and now I'm considering the Grado SR60i because they say it's a lot of bang for your buck and at the same time it doesn't have a very strong bass, which if I have understood correctly, is a good thing for producing. Am I on the right track? Or would you recommend against it?

Ayatollah wrote:Thanks mate. The site's great reading and now I'm considering the Grado SR60i because they say it's a lot of bang for your buck and at the same time it doesn't have a very strong bass, which if I have understood correctly, is a good thing for producing. Am I on the right track? Or would you recommend against it?

i wouldn't excessively read into it as it has more an audiophile spin than studio applications and twinge to it, but should explain somewhat the signal chain to you
the umm not this month but either last month or month before sound on sound had a whole feature on headphones and reviews

deadly habit wrote:dt770s are the bees knees

my thoughts exactly, i had a bit of spare cash and thought i deserved a treat and bought a pair!

had them for a day and im loving them already!

This thread is making the decision much harder.. Too many options i wish there was some magical answer to which headphones are best, but i know this is not the case.

Jharling wrote:This thread is making the decision much harder.. Too many options i wish there was some magical answer to which headphones are best, but i know this is not the case.

the more you know, the more questions there are, young jedi........

but just buy some akg k240 and be done with all that thinking about them, unless you want to drop some serious moneys.

daft tnuc wrote:

Sennheiser
HD-25 ~ €150
Pros: solid built, great for djing, good for producing by night if you have thin walls and neighbours on the other side.Cons: not suitable for mixdowns, some people complain they can't wear for more than a couple of hours (tho I have no problem after several hours).

HD 600 ~ £180
Pro's: Sound like sex. Comfortable, Frequency range is amazing goes all the way from 20-2000 Hz (and made my ears bleed at 15,000Hz !)
Con's: Expensive at around £180
HD 600 crew - get the HD650 cable, makes a very nice difference for only £20 or so

A cheap solution

Going to bag myself a pair of AKG240s on the basis that they're the sexiest motherfucker's I ever did see

For that kind of money you can get an Ultrasone or Grado. But AKG and Ultrasone are both great
for djing imo.

i can't decide between AKG K601 or 240 or 240mk2 (it seems i can find both online still)... i'll be using primarily with my Machinedrum, MPC, laptop... the 601s look awesome and seem like they'd be comfortable for extended tweak time on my Machinedrum.

Under the advice of this thread I got a pair of AKG 240s.

THEY ARE LUSH AS FUCK.

Also the most comfortable headphones I've ever worn.

Yeah the 240's are a great bang for the buck. In a lot of ways I think they have even truer sound then some of the high end cans because the high end extention is almost unnatural, like nothing you will here on speakers. Some like that though. I might have mentioned in this thread ages ago but my 240's are from around 1980 and they sound a little better than the new ones and half the price.

Grados for some reason don't get used much in pro audio although they were originally designed to be studio cans. A friend of mine has 3 sets lol. I have only heard the one pair Whig was the lowest on their line and I have to tell you I was impressed. If they catch your fancy why not?

hayze99 wrote:Going to bag myself a pair of AKG240s on the basis that they're the sexiest motherfucker's I ever did see

They are sexy and sound lush as. But I always end up over cooking the bass on them dammit. When I go give it the car test just end up drowned in subs...which isn't a bad way to drown but be better to not drown at all.

They are sexy and sound lush as. But I always end up over cooking the bass on them dammit. When I go give it the car test just end up drowned in subs...which isn't a bad way to drown but be better to not drown at all.

Exact same happened to me today!

Wonderful headphones but do lack the bass.

How do you reckon get around it? Maybe using analysers, and just try not to have the sub towering over everything else. Sort of goes against what you think you should do though. Maybe I'll start mixing down in my car haha.

They actually don't lack bass. That is what flatish frequency response sounds like. Try out some 500 dollar cans and you will see they don't have that bass you think you need. You need to read up on gain staging and stuff like that. Plenty of threads on that subject up in here. Or you could try mixing on some beats by dre but you will probably end up with a really weak sounding mix.

They don't lack bass? Really? They do have a flat-ish frequency response (why I love them) but compared to mixing on decent monitors with a sub the difference is really noticeable. They don't carry the bass weight for lack of a better descriptor. I mean they say 15hz to 25khz, which I just don't believe. When I'm playing subs (which I admittedly like really low) around 35-45hz there is a noticeable drop off not just attributable to Fletcher Munson (which I only know about to a very rudimentary level). But yeah I'm sure I could improve my mixing skills along with everything else to do with music, guess that's the joy of it.

i like the shure SRH840's, or the MDR7506's if your in a cash pinch.

recently purchased the akg k44 and think their defo worth a look at it your just starting out.