Headphones to match without EQ, Neuman KH80 DSP or 120 or Genelec equivalent.

[FrantzM]

Hi

Asking for your recommendations. Small Recording Studio. Mostly will record voices. Music is secondary but they may mix narration with music... Nearfield speakers to be Neuman KH 80 or 120. Need neutrality out of the box and sonic signature similar to the aforementioned speakers.. No EQ, No VST plug-in.. Just out of the console, perhaps an Amp or a splitter , plug the headphones and ...
Closed preferred but open to open
Must be durable and support a bit of rough handling: Young people at the helm/
Budget up to $300

Thanks in advance

 

[markanini]

AKG K371 if you are able to get a good fit.

 

[FrantzM]

AKG K371 if you are able to get a good fit.

Could have been my choice too... it does look flimsy however and there are numero tales of breaking ...

 

[matt3421]

the closest would be the Sennheiser HD 560s or the HD 600

 

[3125b]

there are numero tales of breaking

And those are true. Definitely a headphone that has to be treated carefully.

The Shure SRH440 could be an option, it's very close to the Harman target curve, can stand up to some abuse, replacement ear pads are available and it is very easy to drive. There are downsides of course, despite the good FR overall sound quality is not the greatest in the world, the non-replacable pleather headband won't last forever and I don't find it very comfortable (although definitely wearable). But it only costs 69€ (not sure about US pricing, porbably even cheaper), if you are looking for a studio headphone it's a great choice.

If open back is an option, HD 600 (or 650), Audio-Technica ATH-R70X and HiFiMAN Sundara (new version) come to mind when looking for something realistic without EQ.
I don't know too much about the R70X in terms of comfort and durability, the former seems to be varying from person to person due to the small pad diameter, the latter seems to be limited by less than ideal replacement parts availability (in Europe anyway).
The Sundara has, like many HiFiMAN models, a in my eyes deserved reputation for shoddy quality control, although that may have improved ofver the last few years. Unlike most of their earlier models it doesn't seem very servicable.
The HD 600 family has a leg up in my book, very easy to service and mod with (all manner of, not just original) parts readily available. It is, however, not overly durable in a "throw on the ground and stump on it"-way being made almost completely out of plastic and with especially flimsy mesh on the cups.

 

[markanini]

I don't know about breaking, I lugged mine around in a gig bag pouch stuffed with pedals and cables for over a year and it was fine.

 

[FrantzM]

I don't know about breaking, I lugged mine around in a gig bag pouch stuffed with pedals and cables for over a year and it was fine.

What headphones?

 

[markanini]

What headphones?

AKG K371.

 

[JohnYang1997]

Open Hifiman Sundara/Ananda
Closed Shure SRH840

 

[Ashimaru]

Open Hifiman Sundara/Ananda
Closed Shure SRH840

What about HD600, John?

 

[JohnYang1997]

What about HD600, John?

It's good. But I like to tame the 3khz a bit with eq. Another thing is hd600/650 sounds closed in. But you can certainly enjoy music on them.

 

[Ashimaru]

It's good. But I like to tame the 3khz a bit with eq. Another thing is hd600/650 sounds closed in. But you can certainly enjoy music on them.

Then why do you like the Shure SRH840, John?
I saw a review from Oluv's, he didn't like it