Please recommend headphones for music production mixing under £500

[dickiefunk]

Hi,

I've been using a pair of Beyer DT880 Pro's for a few years. When I tried bought these I also tried the following headphones :-

Audio Technica ATH-M50x
Sennheiser HD-380
Sennheiser HD-650
AKG K701
Sony SRH 840
Beyer DT1990 Pro

Of these my favorites were the Beyer DT880's and the Sony SRH840 followed by the Beyer DT1990 Pro.

I would like to upgrade my DT880 Pro's for something that translates even better and am wondering what you would recommend for around £500?

 

[DVDdoug]

Probably the most important thing is comfort.

The pros will tell you not to use headphones as your main monitors. If you are going to do it, it's probably up to you to learn how they translate.

Here are some excerpts I've collected -

This is from Recording Magazine "Readers Submissions" where readers send-in their recordings for evaluation:

As those of you who have followed this column for any length of time can attest, headphone mixing is one of the big no-no's around these parts. In our humble opinion, headphone mixes do not translate well in the real world, period, end of story. Other than checking for balance issues and the occasional hunting down of little details, they are tools best left for the tracking process.

And this is from a mixing engineer, also Recording Magazine:

Can I mix on headphones?

No. But in all seriousness, headphones can be a secret weapon and it really doesn’t matter what they sound like…

Over time, after constantly listening back to my work from different studios on those headphones I really started to learn them. They became sort of a compass. Wherever I went… It became a pattern for me to reference these headphones to see if what I was hearing was “right”…

I learned them, I knew them, I trusted them. It didn’t matter whether or not I loved them…

So, can you mix on headphones? Probably. I just think you really need to put some time into learning them first…

This is from Floyd Tool's book, Sound Reproduction

Headphones entertain masses of people. Professionals occasionally mix on them when conditions demand it. Both rely on some connection to sound reproduction, that is, loudspeakers in rooms, because that's how stereo is intended to be heard. Stereo recordings are mixed on loudspeakers.

This is from Ethan Winer's book, The Audio Expert:

(Headphones) are not usually recommended for mixing music because you can hear everything too clearly. This risks making important elements such as the lead vocal too soft in the mix. Mixes made with (headphones) also tend to get too little reverb, because we hear reverb more clearly when music is played directly into your ears than when it's added to natural room ambience...

...It is good practice to verify edits using (headphones) to hear very soft details such as clicks or part of something importing being cut off early.

 

[staticV3]

Since you've tried and experienced the difference between closed- and open-backed headphones already, it would be useful to know which type of headphone you're looking for.

 

[dickiefunk]

Thanks. I should also have mentioned I own a pair of Neumann KH120’s and an EVE TS108 sub which I do my main mixing on. The headphones are for doing the odd checks here and there mainly. I would also use them for doing quick mixes when I’m away but not for serious releases.

 

[dickiefunk]

Since you've tried and experienced the difference between closed- and open-backed headphones already, it would be useful to know which type of headphone you're looking for.

I tend to prefer the sound of open backed headphones.

 

[staticV3]

I tend to prefer the sound of open backed headphones.

In that case, I would shortlist the Sennheiser HD 490 Pro and Focal Hadenys.

 

[Blumlein 88]

I have done a little recording, and mixing on phones. I don't recommend it either. I have the older DT880's. I suggest the AKG 371 phones. Far better translation. I find you need a little crossfeed for ensuring your mixing isn't good on phones lousy on speakers. Something like 15%. Even then, you are much better off checking on some speakers. Don't know your situation, but some JBL LSR 305 mkII's are very good, as cheap as headphones ($298 per pair) and not terribly large. Better choice for mixing if you can use them.

EDIT, just saw your comment on open back phones. The AKG 371s are closed back.

 

[XaviMartinez55]

I would not mix on headphones (although I do it all the time). Specially bass frequencies and instrument imaging end up being a mess.

What I do is to start a rough headphone mix, but the minute I have my levels up, I change to my old trusty ESI Near 05 monitors (even my crappy Logitech laptop speakers...if you get your bass heard through those, you know your mix will be fine)

Plus, long mixing sessions will take a toll on your hearing , after 2 hours you'll no longer know what you are hearing.......

I use a pair of DT770's for mixing......but again...don't do it if you can avoid it.

There's also software like the ARC, that theoretically allows you to mix using headphones, it has presets by headphone brand and model, kind of recreating how would the mix sound on monitors (but using the headphones).