Headphones for production

[kmc310]

Hi everyone,

Im looking to buy a pair of headphones to use for music production and I was wondering what the best over ear headphones are for $150 or less? Ive been looking at the KRK KNS6400 and Sennheiser HD-280?

Thanks in advanced for any responses!

[shieox]

My friend swears by the Sennheiser HD-280's. They look comfortable too, which is good for long studio sessions.

[Daily Crisis]

Sennheiser HD-25 II.

[Djluffy]

Yes Sennheiser HD-25 II

[TCMuc]

Sennheiser HD-25 II.

No, no, and no.


Absolutely great headphones for DJing. I've tried many other models and always came back to these.


They're just not good for production. First of all, they are everything but linear/neutral sounding, which is great for monitoring when DJing, but really makes your life a lot harder in production.
Then they tend to be really uncomfortable when you wear them for longer periods of time. Long studio sessions with these cans can get really painful.
Last but not least, they are closed back headphones, which makes them less suitable for production purposes (for a quick introduction into the difference between closed- and open-back, look here.

My best advice for you would be to try find some headphones in your price range via tests and reviews online and the go to a store to check them out to see which ones suit you best.

[AllDay]

Definitely go and try some headphones out. Ultimately it's your ears that will be listening to them day in day out.

Biggest thing is to look for a good freq range. from about 40hz-16000Hz is ideal and try to not get an amplified headphone as what you'd be producing would sound better in your headphones then what is actually going on.

[shieox]

No, no, and no.


Absolutely great headphones for DJing. I've tried many other models and always came back to these.


They're just not good for production. First of all, they are everything but linear/neutral sounding, which is great for monitoring when DJing, but really makes your life a lot harder in production.
Then they tend to be really uncomfortable when you wear them for longer periods of time. Long studio sessions with these cans can get really painful.
Last but not least, they are closed back headphones, which makes them less suitable for production purposes (for a quick introduction into the difference between closed- and open-back, look here.

My best advice for you would be to try find some headphones in your price range via tests and reviews online and the go to a store to check them out to see which ones suit you best.

+1

Yes, I have the SD-25mkII's for DJing... I use them occasionally when I can't crank my ADAMs, but I don't really think they have helped my production much, in fact a lot of the time I go back into tracks and listen to the mix on my monitors and it sounds crap...

That and they're uncomfortable as all buggery!

[soundinmotiondj]

The advice in the Shure link about the open -v- closed back is reasonable. BUT, it came with an important caveat...open back headphones are not appropriate for monitoring while recording. Open back headphones are essentially tiny room speakers you wear on your ears. The sound can be hear by other people (and microphones) in the room...even at reasonably low levels. So, will you be recording vocals and using the headphones to monitor (or listen to the track)?

If a closed back is what you need....Sony MDR-7506's. Near flat. Reasonably comfie. Over ear, closed cup. Will last a lifetime.

[TCMuc]

The advice in the Shure link about the open -v- closed back is reasonable. BUT, it came with an important caveat...open back headphones are not appropriate for monitoring while recording. Open back headphones are essentially tiny room speakers you wear on your ears. The sound can be hear by other people (and microphones) in the room...even at reasonably low levels. So, will you be recording vocals and using the headphones to monitor (or listen to the track)?

Since we're talking about (electronic) music production, I think it's safe to assume vocal recording won't play an important role. Even if he should need to record vocals every now and then he can still use any pair of headphones as long as they're closed back, and get a decent pair of open back headphones that are better suited for the work he will be doing 99% of the time.

[kmc310]

will you be recording vocals and using the headphones to monitor (or listen to the track)?

Im planning on recording some vocals, but I'm not to worried about the mic picking up audio from the headphones. Like TCMuc said, I could just use different headphones for monitoring. In terms of accuracy and sound quality, are open back better than closed back?