Headphones vs. Studio reference monitors: is it worth it for me?

Performance & Techniques Music Production
1

Headphones vs. Studio reference monitors: is it worth it for me?

Hey guys,

Thus far I have been doing all my work on a pair of Sony MDR-7506 headphones and to be honest, I have been quite happy with the results. Everything is crisp and clear, and when testing the mixes on other speakers there are no obvious EQ issues.

That being said, conventional wisdom states that mixing on headphones is a bad idea. I’ve done a lot of googling on the topic and, like anything really, opinions are varied. Some say you can get away with mixing on headphones, but almost everyone seems to think that this should only ever be your 2nd option. So in light of this I’m starting to consider getting a pair of monitors.

Some things to consider:

  1. I most certainly do not have a properly treated room, but it could be worse in terms of acoustic treatment as far as normal rooms go.

  2. I’m only looking to spend around $400 for the pair

In light of this, the question is simple: am i likely to find anything in that price range that would give me better results than the headphones i’m currently mixing on? Or is it simply not worth spending the $?

A quick search at Ye Olde Music Shoppe reveals the following around that price range from lowest to high:
at $160 each Behringer B1030A, then KRK RP-5 G2, Yorkville Sound YSM5, Behringer B2030A, Alesis MONITOR ONE MK2 (these are actually $200 for the pair), Yamaha HS5, Behringer B1031A, and finally KRK RP-6 G2 at $230 each, thats about as high as i want to go

Does anyone have any experience with any of these they would like to comment on, good or bad? Or again, are these simply not worth spending the money on vs. my cans?

2

Go for the Alesis M1 MKII’s if you can, especially at that price. Really decent monitor for the money, and I for one think it will make a ton of difference in how you work. Very hard to judge space and depth in headphones, for me at least.

3

Ok excellent, thanks for the input :slight_smile:

4

I agree with Tarekith. Panning & working with space (reverbs, etc.) is a lot easier on monitors. You’ll also have less ear fatigue, which means you can work longer without having to take as many breaks.

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Agreed, this is also a big reason why i want them. As soon as i put those phones on it doesnt take long for fatigue to kick in and i’m not mixing at high volumes at all.

6

After looking at the specs my only issue with the Alesis monitors is that the website says they are 15" in width, that can’t possibly be right, theres no way those are fitting on my desk if that’s actually the case. I think they got the heigh and width mixed up says “WxHxD = 8.5x15x9.25” These things cant possibly be 8" high and 15" across can they? lol

7

?

That ways 8.5" width, 15" height, 9.25" depth.

8

right, i looked it up and it appears to be a typo on their website after all :stuck_out_tongue:

9

I think krk monitors are solid! Alot of people have them (including myself) and it must be a reason! Because they’re good!

10

Listened to KRK’s and Yamahas side by side.. Yamahas put out a MUCH better sound for only 20$ more each!
Just keep this in mind if you’re heading towards KRK’s :wink:

11

i decided to go with the Alesis ones, the reviews for KRK’s seem to be all over the map actually, some ppl love them others think they bottom out too soon. The Alesis ones appeared to have much more consistent reviews across the board as being very solid.

12

this is really what puzzles me, I’m close to purchasing something, but everytime I see the topic come up, I change my mind!

for me, this is between headphone mixing on Audio Technica ATH 50s, which I have seen recieve AMAZING scores accross the board in terms of help producing, both monitoring and mixing,

or

A pair of the Rokkits - which are more expensive and I don’t have a treated room.

I think the real answer comes down to preference after all, I have watched many different videos on Youtube etc which show some big name producers (flux pavillion) for example using the Rokkits in untreated rooms, and they can’t all be wrong if they’re producing world-class music can they?!

However this still doesn’t instill me with confidence as I am a research-aholic and keep changing my mind on what I would rather have.

I know this isn’t all that helpful for you, but I just wanted to point out that it’s obviously down to taste, and I have read amazing things about the ATH50s, being that they are near enough perfectly flat in frequencies, giving an accurate judge of sound which is perfect for mixing and producing

one thing to note is that you should never monitor with a sub - they are purely for enjoyment and make a “nice” sound, not one accurate enough to monitor.