Mixing headphones recommendations ....

hotpickups

I knew this would happen. I've now got set up with a home recording solution and soon began to realise that it's going to get very monotonous for the household with me looping areas I want to edit of a song over and over again. So suitable headphones is the answer methinks.

Looks like a 1/4 inch headphone jack going into my Focusrite 2i2 so what would you guys suggest/recommend for a set of decent headphones that ain't gonna break the bank etc?

octatonic

DT770 Pro's are my usual suggestion but they are not cheap.

hotpickups

octatonic said:

DT770 Pro's are my usual suggestion but they are not cheap.

These:-

https://www.andertons.co.uk/recording/headphones/closed-back/beyerdynamic-dt770-pro-closed-back-headphones-%2880-ohms%29


Price wise it’s what I would’ve expected tbh and in my budget I had in mind  

octatonic

Yup, that's them.

I have several pairs of them and they are reasonably hardy.
If you want something to give to talent then I'd suggest DT100's- they are stronger and have a removable cable and pretty much all the parts can be replaced on them.
They don't sound as good though.

https://sxpro.co.uk/beyerdynamic-dt100-16ohm-black

hotpickups

Do they have a 1/4” jack though @octatonic ?

octatonic

hotpickups said:

Do they have a 1/4” jack though @octatonic ?

Most headphones of this type have a screw on 1/4" adapter, as do these.
It isn't a problem- doesn't affect the sound.

"Straight connecting cable with mini-jack plug (3.5 mm) & 1/4" adapter (6.35 mm)"

hotpickups

octatonic said:

hotpickups said:

Do they have a 1/4” jack though @octatonic ?

Most headphones of this type have a screw on 1/4" adapter, as do these.
It isn't a problem- doesn't affect the sound.

"Straight connecting cable with mini-jack plug (3.5 mm) & 1/4" adapter (6.35 mm)"

Ah ok as long as it screws on I’m ok with that. Adapters I tend to lose otherwise  

Thanks again. I’ll order a set of those 

pintspiller

I have been using Shure 440 for a few years and like them

hotpickups

pintspiller said:

I have been using Shure 440 for a few years and like them

Well they are certainly cheaper  

PeteC

Sennheiser HD280 pro for a good quality budget option 

PolarityMan

I have DT880 pro's which seem pretty decent.

Danny1969

For editing I have an old pair of Philips which sound so warm and are so comfortable I can use them for hours. For mixing on a semi serious level there's basically nothing that will work unless you have some serious translating skills ... at least I can't mix properly on headphones anyway. It's a real skill, especially judging bass and guitar / mid instruments against vocal. A lot of mixes done on headphones will sound a bit iffy when collapsed to mono on a single point source like an iPad or BT speaker as there's nothing like the separation you get with headphones. 
At last count I had about 7 pairs, from seventies Philips to BD 770 ... some I got from boot sales for less than a fiver 

Nerine

Sennheiser HD600’s. 

WiresDreamDisasters

I find headphones good for checking decisions I've made on the monitors. I always test my mixes on headphones before deciding they're done, because headphones are nearly always going to be how someone is listening to our music these days. Well, that was true before covid anyway!

I'm sorta in the camp that says it's a bad idea to mix on headphones... but then, I've never really invested in a good pair of cans to try it for myself. I've had several pairs of DT770's over the years that I borrowed from the office. The problem was, they were all oldish and beat up and knackered, and you can hear distortion in the drivers, so they're not reflective of a real pair.

Seen a lot of love for the Sennheiser HD6xx series.

poopot

Andrew scheps uses these allegedly

 https://www.dv247.com/en_GB/GBP/Sony-MDR-7506-Professional-Monitor-Headphones-/art-REC0000388-000?campaign=GShopping/GB&ProgramUUID=5G_AqJarZwoAAAFl0FZyjI8V&gclid=EAIaIQobChMI84qD-tz87AIVGO3tCh2X2AOtEAUYAiABEgIHOvD_BwE

nowt wrong with his mixes.

I’m prolly wrong but as long as you listen to your reference on the same system you’re mixing on it should make bugger all difference to what you actually put on you head as long as they are fairly decent.

Bezzer

poopot said:

I’m prolly wrong but as long as you listen to your reference on the same system you’re mixing on it should make bugger all difference to what you actually put on you head as long as they are fairly decent.

This ^
Know what your mixing on, know what your comparing to.  And once you've done a mix you're happy with listen to it on different playback systems to see what jumps out.

By necessity I HAVE to mix on headphones.  I have to mix late due to my work and my house appears to be made of paper.  As I'm learning my headphones I think my mixes are improving to the point where I'm pretty happy with them now. Others may disagree!

Only comment I would make is that I think open back is a much better option than closed.  I find closed really tiring and boxy sounding compared to open back.  I'm using AKG Q701s and love 'em.

Mickeyji

If you're on a budget, I can recommend the AKG K 371's.They're fairly neutral and overall transparent and good sounding. Be aware that a lot of the Amazon reviews are for the model with bluetooth - not the same HP at all.

guitarfishbay

I prefer open back for mixing. Beyerdynamic are super comfortable, DT880 is fairly flat with some forward treble or DT990 has more low end but a slight relative midscoop.

What I’m using now is a set of Sennheiser HD6xx, which I prefer in terms of sound (they’re smoother up top) but they cost more than the Beyers.

Theoretically it’s more difficult to mix on headphones but it’s definitely doable if you get used to it. The hardest part is placing things in space, as your perception of centre vs sides is different on headphones. This is because you’re hearing only left signals in the left ear and right in the right, however in a room you’d hear some of each. I’ve found goodhertz canopener is a useful piece of software for simulating that.

BlueStrat

These audio technica mth50x work a treat for me. The blue ones are only £95 at the moment. 

I used to have the DT770s which are excellent but got fed up with the single length fixed in place cable, the audio technicas come with three cables

Audio-Technica ATH-M50xBB Special Edition Blue and Black Professional Monitor headphones https://smile.amazon.co.uk/dp/B071236L4G/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_fabc_dlC_FUJSFbVPM01TE?psc=1

thecolourbox

I have a pair of Sennheiser HD579 which seem alright, I got them for about £70 I think in a sale but I think if you can find them now they are more than that. I think the HD 599 were supposed to be better. I've no idea if the HD 579s I have are that great as I've not really had any others but they seem to have a nice clear sound and are quite comfy

Jazzthat

Sennheiser hd650 have great separation and wide and deep soundstage and if you can afford them they would be close to monitors in terms of instruments placement .