Studio headphones reproduce the sound as accurately as studio monitors, but the bass on headphones is... different. Some headphones do okay with bass in terms of accuracy but it's just not the same as a real sub or a set of good monitors.

However, crappy monitors without a sub won't help you there either, so keep that in mind. For a max budget of $400 I wouldn't bother with monitors at all since you just can't get really good ones at that price.

Headphones are also going to create more listening fatigue, and you have to keep in mind that no matter how good your headphones are, most people are going to be listening on speakers which will sound different.

What you and every producer should really be doing is using several sets of outputs and switching between them fairly frequently. That really isn't necessary at the "noob" level though - focus on the arrangement first, worry about the sound quality later.

___________________
My party schedule:
2009-02-21 - DJ Attention @ I'm So Popular
2009-06-18 - DJ Annoying @ People Need To Know Where I'll Be
2012-11-32 - DJ Insufferable ɸ Or At Least the Stalkers I Complain About
2048-06-66 - Spastic & Whocares ¶ Although I'm Actually Flattered
9999-45-81 - Tweaker Gimp ☼ I Probably Won't Even Go To This But I Have To Make Sure I Fill Up All The Available Space Here

I would go for both if you can get them. Monitors for your main mixing/eqing/mastering etc and the headphones as a secondary source. It's always good to have another reliable output to compare on.

When i asked some sound engineers about this topic they said we use sometimes headphones to mix with when we work outside our own studio as the sound output is different so to make sure that everything stays same we use headphones

Wut do u think guys about this?

___________________
Stooped Cat

quote:

Life is to short to listen to something else than Trance

Doesn't really matter once you get used to how the headphones/monitors sound and compensate accordingly. Stereo separation and panning sounds way different on headphones than it does on nearfield monitors because the sound reaches your ear faster on headphones. Which makes sense as both the low and high frequency driver is right up against your ear.

Then again, stereo separation and panning can sound weird if you use nearfield monitors off axis so what the hell. Nothing you can't learn your way around.

I use headphones when my neighbors complain about the noise. When nobody else is home, I crank up the BM5as and let rip.

I got the AKG 240's (nice) but Im sorry guys all I will be able to afford for Reference Monitors for a whil is th LItle KRK Rokit 5's $369/pair maybe 6's for $489/pair if available unless somewhoe can talk me out each?

___________________
The Matrix is everywhere, it is all around us, even now in this very room. You can see it when you look out your window, or you turn on your television. You can feel it when you go to work, when you go to church, when you pay your taxes. It is the world that has been pulled over your eyes to blind you from the truth.

I personally hated those KRK rokit monitors so if you were me, I wouldn't need alot of convincing not to buy them anyway.

quote:

I noticed quite the debate on another thread as to the Self powered studio monitor suggestions. Is there really that much of A difference? I means yes I can tell the difference between $100 pair of speakers from BestBuy vs those $3000 B&W’ bad-boys I inherited from my father if I crank them up!!. But can you guys really tell the difference in those 5” or 6” series of Studio Monitors? ! I guess the speakers I have already are not really for this purpose?

I think at some point you should buy a decent pair of headphones, but for now a 2.1 setup is the way you need go. It’s very hard to get the bass right on headphones espescially with electronic music. Reverb is even more difficult to gage and get to translate right. What you need is an honest open sound field with good low end response in a near field setting. Despite what many of these people think, many high fi speakers over $1500 are more neutral, responsive, and acurate than any self powered monitors under $1000. I am aware that not everyone has a lot of money to spend on this kind of stuff. So you need to get the most for your money. In a near field setting do not worry about 5, 6, 8inch drivers. Your low end in a smaller enviroment will translate much better if you have a sub. There are a couple of options



plus this


or this

plus this


Now all of these are under $550 and I think will satisfy you performance and translation wise alot more than any 2 speaker system under $1000. I recomend the Blue Sky System and challenge you to find a negative review of it any ware on the interent.
Now if you really want to hear things in your music that you could not hear before these will give you a spirtual awakening











plus

Last edited by djverne on Feb-06-2007 at 17:27