I've got two superb sets of headphones good enough to use in mixing/mastering, one planar, and one with traditional diaphragms. There are also several other sets here that are perfectly fine for tracking when musicians come in to lay down parts.
In the 32 years I've been in the studio biz, I've never used a dedicated, reference headphone amp at the mix position. Didn't know I needed one!
At my old studio with its separate recording booth, I had a headphone distribution amp with satellite units for the musicians, so they could control their own volume levels. It worked well, but didn't sound appreciably different from the outputs that came on my gear. Maybe it was a little louder.
However, after I got my planar headphones, I became interested in trying one of the 'reference quality' headphone amps after reading a few review articles suggesting that you need one to get the most out of them. However, my attention was drawn by other shiny objects (like...oh...that DGT).
Fast-forward:
This morning I installed a reference headphone amp. I figured the difference would be subtle. I'm all for incremental improvements, so it was worth a shot.
Well, it isn't subtle.
Before trying it, I plugged my headphones into the UA Apollo's headphone jacks to get a baseline reference. Everything sounded pretty good. exactly what I'd gotten used to.
Next I tried the traditional set with the headphone amp. The headphones were transformed. I had no idea how good they were! I already liked them and have mixed national ads (both music and audio post) with them during remote mix sessions with clients. These were not cheap headphones.
The same thing happened with the planar headphones, maybe even more so. It literally brought them to life. Didn't know how good the planars were, either!
I'm hearing more powerful dynamics, more 3D realism, more accurate/tighter/less woolly bass, better left-right separation, no phase incoherence (didn't even realize how much I had previously!), clearer and more open highs and midrange. In other words, everything I listen for sounds better and more lifelike.
To be able to use headphones that sound like expensive studio monitors that are properly set up in an acoustically treated room? It is ear-opening. It's uncanny (you see what I did there)!
Another surprise was that the headphone "mix room" plugins from Waves, Dear VR and Plugin Alliance went from 'decent secondary reference approximations' to 'holy sh!t this...sounds...like...a ...ROOM'!
As I said, this isn't a matter of incremental improvement. It makes a big difference if you have high quality headphones. Those of you who are audiophiles or studio rats like me who've got one of these already know the score, and I'm preaching to the choir.
When I left the studio, I said to my wife, "It's like hearing my headphones for the first time."
In the 32 years I've been in the studio biz, I've never used a dedicated, reference headphone amp at the mix position. Didn't know I needed one!
At my old studio with its separate recording booth, I had a headphone distribution amp with satellite units for the musicians, so they could control their own volume levels. It worked well, but didn't sound appreciably different from the outputs that came on my gear. Maybe it was a little louder.
However, after I got my planar headphones, I became interested in trying one of the 'reference quality' headphone amps after reading a few review articles suggesting that you need one to get the most out of them. However, my attention was drawn by other shiny objects (like...oh...that DGT).
Fast-forward:
This morning I installed a reference headphone amp. I figured the difference would be subtle. I'm all for incremental improvements, so it was worth a shot.
Well, it isn't subtle.
Before trying it, I plugged my headphones into the UA Apollo's headphone jacks to get a baseline reference. Everything sounded pretty good. exactly what I'd gotten used to.
Next I tried the traditional set with the headphone amp. The headphones were transformed. I had no idea how good they were! I already liked them and have mixed national ads (both music and audio post) with them during remote mix sessions with clients. These were not cheap headphones.
The same thing happened with the planar headphones, maybe even more so. It literally brought them to life. Didn't know how good the planars were, either!
I'm hearing more powerful dynamics, more 3D realism, more accurate/tighter/less woolly bass, better left-right separation, no phase incoherence (didn't even realize how much I had previously!), clearer and more open highs and midrange. In other words, everything I listen for sounds better and more lifelike.
To be able to use headphones that sound like expensive studio monitors that are properly set up in an acoustically treated room? It is ear-opening. It's uncanny (you see what I did there)!
Another surprise was that the headphone "mix room" plugins from Waves, Dear VR and Plugin Alliance went from 'decent secondary reference approximations' to 'holy sh!t this...sounds...like...a ...ROOM'!
As I said, this isn't a matter of incremental improvement. It makes a big difference if you have high quality headphones. Those of you who are audiophiles or studio rats like me who've got one of these already know the score, and I'm preaching to the choir.
When I left the studio, I said to my wife, "It's like hearing my headphones for the first time."
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