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Need help comparing monitoring headphones, CANNOT try them in the store I need help!
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| lp026713389 |
Hey everyone,
I need some urgent feedback and help on choosing between 5 headphone monitors, and since the local vendors don't actually have these models, I'm having it shipped and so I can't try any of them till I actually buy them. I HAVE done quite a bit of research, and I have narrowed it down to these 4 - 5 models.
The Sennheiser HD 280's , HD 380's , the AKG K 240 MK II's, the AKG K 141's, & the AKG K 121's.
The headphones monitors will be used for HOME production of electronic dance music (trance) and will barely be used for personal audio or DJ'ing. I have a few criteria/conditions which might help you guys narrow my search down:
- I need headphone monitors that are worth their money without need of amplification/volume attenuation.
- I don't know whether the headphones I need for the mentioned purpose should be closed, open, or semi-open.
- The headphones WILL be used occasionally for long production sessions of up to 6 hours at a time, so comfort is important but not as important as the other conditions.
- I need the headphones with the FLATTEST frequency response (across the spectrum), so that what I hear is what it actually sounds like and what it would most likely sound like if played on club speakers.
All I have to go on is your feedback guys. Kindly keep your responses specific to the models I just mentioned, unless there is a better monitoring headphone I am missing out that is either AKG or Sennheiser (I narrowed it down to those 2 brands for sure) that is below $145ish (that's my budget).
Some notes from various reviews I read:
HD 380's: Have a good "audio/sound stage" but produce some kind of hissing sound...and need a volume attenuator and/or a headphone amp to take care of that problem...can anyone verify that? I'm on a limited budget, so if I buy the 380's I won't have any/enough cash left to buy any extra stuff like the amp or the attenuator. Also, closed headphones, so some sound stage is lost? But better than the HD 280's?
K 240's: Semi-closed so there is some leakage involved, and so you don't hear everything you're supposed to. Also read that they tend to give a boosted bass response, which tends to muffle some of the mids. I've been getting a lot of feedback that AKG headphones in general and especially the K 240 MK II's need a headphone amp to work properly, but as mentioned I won't have enough cash for accessories like that...is this true? Also, if I get the K 240 MK II's @ 55 ohms (low impedance), would that diminish/eliminate the need for the headphone amp if it is needed in the first place?
K 141's & K 121's: Aren't as comfortable as the 240's and response isn't as flat and sound stage isn't as wide as the 240's.
I know about the AKG K 271's, but unfortunately I can't afford them :(
Help?! Thanks in advance people! (Please use simple terms guys :P) |
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| lp026713389 |
| quote: | Originally posted by CalvP
You need to further explain this; have you not got an interface?
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I have a Creative X-fi external sound card, bought it before I got into producing, I know it's not good for producing, and it boosts/diminishes and decolors certain frequencies, but can that problem be overcome if I bypass all it's EQ settings?
Also, I have a Zoom G2.1u guitar effects processor, connectable via USB, and it serves as an external audio codec/interface/driver as well (works on ASIO driver). I have connected headphones to it before, and it DOES boost the audio signal from the laptop. I could reach considerably higher volume levels with it than if the same headphones were connected directly to the laptop headphone port.
| quote: | Originally posted by CalvP
Don't mean to be an arse, but no headphone in the world will give you that:p
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Agreed, I'm just looking for something that'll give me as close to a sound to that from the options I mentioned above. I'm ruling out the Sennheisers, since they're closed back, so it's down to the AKG 240 MK II's the AKG 141 MK II's, and the AKG 121's...they're all semi-open, but which one do you think is better considering what I just said above about the interfaces, and that I'll have to do without headphone amps for now?
Thanks for the reply man! |
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| lp026713389 |
| quote: | Originally posted by CalvP
The x-fi is definitely not suited for production; it's a consumer card designed for the masses, therefore not suitable for recording or playback with any degree of accuracy/neutrality. The DAC is the DAC; no amount of EQ'ing will solve that i'm afraid!
From what i can see, this is a guitar pedal with a headphone output designed to offer a silent option for practice. The two questions you need to find the answer to are...
1. Can you bypass ALL effects before the output stage.
2. Will the inbuilt headphone amp have enough juice to power the headphones.
I really think you're trying to run before you can walk. Put your money into a proper audio interface like the focusrite saffire 6; it doesn't have to be expensive! what it will offer you is twofold: a good quality DAC & clear preamps & a headphone amp which will be able to drive a good pair of cans ACCURATELY.
There's no point in trying to buy any of your options, if your source is poor...shi*t in=shi*t out;) |
Lol thanks for the reply man...btw I checked with my vendor, and actually the 600 ohm K 240's are out of the question now, it's between the 55 ohm K 240 MK II's, the 55 ohm K 141 MK II's...do you have any idea which is better? keeping in mind the criteria I mentioned in my original post :) They're both semi-open, although the K 141 MK II's are newer (2008 or 2009) while the K 240 MK II's are from 2002 I think, but the 240 line has been around for 40 years from what I've heard. So it really comes down to which headphone delivers the better and flatter response and sound stage etc... |
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| PlasticSoul |
This is the best site about headphones imo, and its not biased.
And more important: you have the frequency response of each headphone...
It must be flat/plain for accurate mixing...
http://www.headphone.com/selection-...-and-studio.php
Good luck.
(I'm using my Sennheiser hd-280 right now... :D ) |
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| costizzle |
I got the Beyerdynamic DT880 Pro's. They are currently on my head right now. I needed them for my trip to Greece this summer where I could not bring my studio monitors and I needed good producing headphones as well as mixing headphones.
THESE ARE THE ! I think they are better than many monitors. The bass isnt super strong but then again it is very clean and allows you to mix better. A little referencing will help you know where to fit it in in a mix. So I recommend these headphones for you mate. 9.5/10 |
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