I started going down the headphone rabbit-hole and realised my lack of expertise could probably be guided by the knowledgeable folk on here.
I understand there are a lot of variables at play here, but I don't have a huge preference for either open or closed back. I'll be using them for 1-2 hours at a time max, mostly for silent playing. Will be doing a little bit of amateur recording/mixing.
From a recent search the Beyerdynamic DT770 or 880 Pro's seem to work at this price-point. Can anyone attest to this, or have reason to recommend otherwise?
Cheers!
Comments
I think that you first need to decide whether you want open or closed back. Generally speaking, open backed are more accurate (have neutral sound) but they ‘leak’ and so are no good for quiet listening, i.e. not disturbing anyone else, or tracking on a mic. I also find that, when playing guitar, I can still hear the acoustic sound of the guitar quite clearly. This is an issue if I’m trying to set up sounds whilst playing a hollow body or even semi hollow. I have to record the guitar, listen back, then make tweaks.
Closed back will give you the isolation in both directions but they won’t be as accurate as open backed. I don’t find them as comfortable as open backed and I wouldn't use them to mix on.
I have a pair of AKG K702’s (open backed) and an ancient pair of Beyerdynamic DT250’s for tracking.
It's a shame Oppo discontinued the PM-3, those were great, and you can sometimes find them second-hand.