Are these good headphones?

[DorphonDalfir]

I've just sold all my guitar gear to buy a MIDI controller and a pair of good headphones for monitoring Psytrance tracks.

 

Which other Sennheisers would sound good for monitoring and iPodding?

 

I'm looking at these Sennheiser HD280 Pro

 

http://www.soundz.co.za/ProductInfo.aspx?productid=SEHD280PRO Is there a big difference in high quality headphones made for enjoying music and high quality headphones made for studio work?

 

Will Monitoring headphones sound better than mainstream headphones in terms of listening to music for entertainment and not monitoring?

 

Also, would I (even with an untrained ear) easily be able to pick up on problem areas when monitoring through a good pair of 'phones?

[philbo]

I'm not familiar with this model.

 

I have found significant differences between what I hear from monitors in a tuned room and headphones.

 

One thing that will not be detectable with headphones is phase problems. Two separate drivers, each with it's own ear, are not sensitive to phase cancellation - - you need speakers, or a phase monitor, or a way to sum the two channels to mono & then listen to the mono result, to do that.

 

Another thing I've found with phones is that the low bass and high treble response is quite variable depending on how you wear the phones (how tight they fit, whether your hair gets between the phone & ear, etc.)

[DorphonDalfir]

Ultimately, I'm planning on sending off my tracks to a friend who's a professional sound engineer who's offered a very good deal on mixing and mastering services for a very sweet price. I'd just like to have a better idea of what my stuff is sounding like than my 5.1 setup allows.

 

Would listening to music leisurely with studio 'phones really not sound all that incredible?

 

Also, in terms of MIDI controllers I see that the M-Audio Oxygen8V2 is the same price as the Oxygen49 (which is of course larger and a bit less mobile)

 

Which one should I go for, keeping in mind that I plan on doing a lot of small, live performances at alternative venues. I'm leaning towards the V2, but I figure that the same price for something more can never be a bad idea.

[nat whilk II]

Opinions about use of headphones in studios varies wildly. By and large I hear studio pros say that they use headphones for limited purposes, like checking stereo placements and other details. For overall mix purposes, headphones are very very different than monitors.

 

If you're listening on a home entertainment 5.1 setup, sure the headphones would be helpful. But in your situation I would also listen to the tracks through other playback systems like your car stereo, a boombox or regular old home stereo, computer speakers...

 

In other words, you're not going to hear things accurately through any of your resources, so you should listen to a variety of resources in order to get a general idea of what the tracks contain overall.

 

nat whilk ii

[flutegirl]

These are excellent

[RobRoy]

I saw your thread and wondered if those were the very phones you were talking about. I own the old version and absolutely love them. I recommended the new version (the ones you are talking about) to a friend a couple of years ago for his recording studio and he came back to me and said he had bought them, and after several months thanked me for the advice. He loved them.

 

Beyond the sound quality, the two things I really like are first, that they cut out unwanted noise and second, because they rest around, and not on, the ear, I can wear them for hours. There can be a sweat issue though...

[gruvjack]

 

I can wear them for hours. There can be a sweat issue though...

 

 

 

Ear infections suck. If you get a chance, check out Ultrasone heaphones. I've read great reviews about them. Pricey but worth the money is what they say.

 

V.

[RobRoy]

 

Ear infections suck. If you get a chance, check out Ultrasone heaphones. I've read great reviews about them. Pricey but worth the money is what they say. V.

 

 

The sweat is just where the vinyl touches my head around the ear. It really is only a problem if it is hot and I wear them a long time.

[philbo]

 

Ultimately, I'm planning on sending off my tracks to a friend who's a professional sound engineer who's offered a very good deal on mixing and mastering services for a very sweet price. I'd just like to have a better idea of what my stuff is sounding like than my 5.1 setup allows. Would listening to music leisurely with studio 'phones really not sound all that incredible?

 

 

Oh, don't get me wrong - - headphones can have a wonderful sound, there's nothing else like them; it can be an awesome auditory experience.

 

But that's different than getting an accurate idea of what a mix sounds like - - sort of like the difference between enjoying the beauty of a sunrise versus using a spectrometer to analyse the frequency mix to the light.

 

I started out, before I had decent monitors, by making my best effort at a mix, burning a CD (actually, back then it was cassettes), and going around listening to it on a variety of playback systems - - ranging from AM radio speakers to car stereos to hi-fi systems at audiophile stereo stores - - and I made careful notes for each. Each one gives a slightly different view of the whole.

 

When I went home, I'd reconcile the notes and find where they agreed something needed improvement (which I'd do as best I could, even if I couldn't immediately hear the difference on my system), and which notes disagreed, which I'd think about for a while and maybe make more minor corrections. Then I'd wait a couple days to regain objectivity, make another copy, and go do it again. Quality takes time and effort.

 

Actually, even with a good room & speakers, doing this is still a good idea. No room is perfect, nor are any speakers.