Headphones

[DuncanCE22]

Recently I have been spending most of my practice time playing through headphones, thanks to the neighbours having small children and not getting back from work till after their bedtime. I was using a pair of senheiser headphones that have been pretty average in terms of sound quality, but unfortunately something inside them has given up as now they sound awful. everything is distorted and fuzzy. So I'm on the hunt for some decent headphones I can plug straight into my amp and practice with. I have looked at a few different AKG and Beyerdynamic sets but the main problem I'm having is I don't really know what I'm looking at. All these websites talk about the different frequencies and impedances it gets a bit confusing as to what I actually need so I was hoping someone here with much more knowledge of the subject could point me in the right direction. I'll probably be looking to spend around the £100 mark, unless that's wildly wrong and I'm not going to get anything decent for that money.

Thanks in advance.

 

[Alan Manning]

I bought some Sony MDR-ZX110's last Christmas about £75/80 quid there not bad. Might be right up your alley Duncan!!!!

 

[Ovibos]

I buy Sony Studio Monitors b/c they're:
1. Cheap
2. Reliable
3. What I've used back in the day when cutting vocals in other ppl's studios.

 

[Deleted member 2284]

The ATH M50x gets good reviews from many places, and should be around your price range. Mind you, these are closed back, which typically don't give you the flattest response - but on the plus side, they don't let in a lot of noise either (such as the direct/acoustic sound of the strings being strummed).

 

[Dusty Chalk]

You can definitely get something decent for that range. I'm fond of Sony's MDR-7506/-V6.

You can also check the Inner Fidelity website.

 

[Kazz]

I use Sony MDR-7506s too, and I think they're a good choice in that price range. They're lighter than others I've tried, but still good quality.

The only thing I've had a problem with is the covers on the foam around the ears deteriorating over time, but you can get replacements. Maybe even replacements made from a tougher material if you want.

They sound pretty good though, and as has been mentioned they're pretty common in studios/etc. from what I've heard.

 

[sergiodeblanc]

Another vote for the Sony's here, they're cheap, tough, and loud.

 

[charliefrench]

The ATH M50x gets good reviews from many places, and should be around your price range. Mind you, these are closed back, which typically don't give you the flattest response - but on the plus side, they don't let in a lot of noise either (such as the direct/acoustic sound of the strings being strummed).

I bought a set of ATH M50x recently and I use these with the guitar amp, laptop and everything else. Really good sound quality. My only complaint is after prolonged use they began to feel tight on my head. To remedy this I spread them over a cushion overnight to relieve some of the tension. Little better now.

 

[Dusty Chalk]

I use Sony MDR-7506s too, and I think they're a good choice in that price range. They're lighter than others I've tried, but still good quality.

The only thing I've had a problem with is the covers on the foam around the ears deteriorating over time, but you can get replacements. Maybe even replacements made from a tougher material if you want.

I too, have corrosive skin oils.

 

[CoreyT]

Yet another vote for the MDR7506.

http://www.amazon.com/Sony-MDR7506-...1&redirect=true&ref_=oh_aui_search_detailpage

I use them with my iPod, Yamaha THR10X When I play at 0 dark 30.
I have also plugged them into the rear of my Mesa Mark Five 25 with great results.

 

[Roger Roy]

If you can spend a little more check out the Blue Mofi. I use them for practicing with my Line 6 Helix. Great set of cans plus they have a built in power amp if you want to use them with portable devices. Lots of cool features on them and very well made

 

[DuncanCE22]

So the Sony's seem popular. What is the length of the cable like? I like to stand up and play and my amp sits on the floor with the headphone output on the back of it so I need a decent length cable.

 

[Alan Manning]

The cables aren't very long but I got a 5m ext off amazon.very good.
If you cant find one Pm iv'e got a spare I can send you UK no problem.

 

[Huggy Love]

Wow, interesting results here on the suggestions.
I had a set of the Sony MDR and although they had a nice sound to them and had a decent bass, I felt it was a step up when I went to Sennheisers. The clarity was night & day to me.
I use it more for monitoring and mixing, rather than just home jamming at night so maybe the lush sound of the Sony's is more enjoyable for that purpose. Also, Sennheiser has several models and the quality/performance varies on what model and how much you spend.

As far as tech tips on headphone purchases, pay attention to the "frequency response" in hz ratings, this is the range of tone they can produce, you want the low number to be as low as possible and the high number as high as possible.
For example:
-Sennheiser HD25 16hz - 22000hz approx $150.
-Sennheiser HD8 8hz - 30000hz approx $350.
The more expensive model has a wider range and will produce better lows and clearer highs, another case of "you get what you pay for".

 

[Deleted member 2284]

I think flatness is more important than the outer limits - if you have a big boost at 2-4 kHz it can get nasty quick.

 

[Mikegarveyblues]

I have some Audio Technica ATH M40X phones.

I paid £70 UK.

Totally flat response and stunning sound quality.

Comes with detachable coiled and straight cables and a pouch.

Oh... And I've used them with everything from my PC for mixing (Why I bought them), with my POD, my phone for mp3's and my TV for late night movies. Sounds great in all applications.

Avoid phones that emphasise the lows and highs.

 

[Huggy Love]

I have some Audio Technica ATH M40X phones.

I paid £70 UK.

Totally flat response and stunning sound quality.

Comes with detachable coiled and straight cables and a pouch.

Oh... And I've used them with everything from my PC for mixing (Why I bought them), with my POD, my phone for mp3's and my TV for late night movies. Sounds great in all applications.

Avoid phones that emphasise the lows and highs.

Those are nice cans for the price although (to me) they lack bass, the ATH M50x is a little nicer sounding, one of my singers has a set.
Also what you and Michael DK mention about "flatness"(transparency) is very important, especially in mixing, but the last statement about avoiding a wide frequency response is just not accurate.
You want the best of both(flatness & response), but don't take my word for it, talk to an audio pro.

 

[László]

If you can spend a little more check out the Blue Mofi.

I use these a lot in my studio as well. A little ripe in the bass, but that helps when tracking, and the rest of the frequency response is very accurate. And as a plus, they don't fart out on the bass as some other cans will, and they reveal a ton of lower end detail.

The Beyer DT-770 are another set I use for tracking guitars especially. The Beyer 880s are similar open phones, and sound more accurate, but are more expensive - I don't know if that's a concern.

Others I recommend are the Grado phones - the cheapest ones are an absolute steal - and the A-T 50x.

I find the Sony cans truly irritating/fatiguing to work with for a long time. But we all have a different set of ears, and with headphones, the anatomy of one's head matters. A lot.

In my studio, most of the talent I bring in to do sessions seems to prefer the Beyer DT-770s over some of my other headphones. When tracking talent, I listen on the Blue cans, so they don't get that choice (call me selfish). I had the Sony cans for talent for a long time, but they sat unused, so I gave them away.

 

[Dusty Chalk]

I think flatness is more important than the outer limits - if you have a big boost at 2-4 kHz it can get nasty quick.

I was ready to completely disagree -- you can't replace what isn't there, and there is no such thing as truly flat -- but then I realized this isn't for mixing, mastering, or audiophile listening, this is for practicing guitar, so...yes, in this case, I agree.

Others I recommend are the Grado phones - the cheapest ones are an absolute steal ...

Ooh, forgot about these -- yes, absolutely. I really like the iGrados.

 

[Deleted member 2284]

I was ready to completely disagree -- you can't replace what isn't there, and there is no such thing as truly flat -- but then I realized this isn't for mixing, mastering, or audiophile listening, this is for practicing guitar, so...yes, in this case, I agree.

I'll still stand by my original post I'd much rather have a flatter response with a leaner bass than an extended bass response but any excessive peaks or valleys in the freq. response IF I HAVE TO CHOOSE. It's headphones - you want to check your mix on real speakers for the bass anyway, more often than not, no matter the quality of the headphones.