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Author Topic: Time to get some new headphones. What's out there?  (Read 16249 times)

g'bye, Dick Rees

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Re: Time to get some new headphones. What's out there?
« Reply #20 on: February 06, 2013, 02:25:40 AM »

Dick, I have six HD 280's in my studio and find that the isolation is quite good. They advertise 32db down from outside noise and I believe them. For live mixing, I like the isolation they provide. Not as good as Grado's, but still quite good for the money.

Just my .02.

Mark....

They'll have 32 dB down at some selected frequencies, but not over the broad spectrum.  Numbers get thrown around a good bit, but owning and using both the 280's and Ultraphones I can say without fear of contradiction that the Ultraphones have double the isolation at a minimum, likely more.  I can't give numbers, just a direct comparison from use. 

The bottom line is that the Ultraphones will give me performance that the better sounding 280's cannot.  If you believe the 32 dB spec, then the Ultraphones will give at least 10 dB better isolation at the same frequency.  While the 280's will probably work fine in a studio setting, I believe the OP is looking for something with isolation for working in a high SPL environment with a full mix in the cans, not just an individualized recording mix.

I'm working hard here to keep it "apples to apples".  Have you ever tried any true isolation phones? 
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kristianjohnsen

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Re: Time to get some new headphones. What's out there?
« Reply #21 on: February 06, 2013, 05:01:13 AM »

Note: This is NOT a "What's the best kick drum mic?" topic.

I need to replace my ancient beat up headphones. I figure ~$125-$150 should be able to net me something decent. The 2 factors I am looking for besides budget are isolation and accurate reproduction, not necessarily in that order. I definitely DO NOT want some hyped-up low end dj-esque cans that tell you nothing.

I am also looking for a decent "budget" pair (~$50) with the same qualities, with isolation a key factor.

What's out there?

Go onto Youtube.com and type in Dave RAt HEadphone Test for an interesting hour...

I bought the Shure cans he recommended.  Very happy with them.
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g'bye, Dick Rees

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Re: Time to get some new headphones. What's out there?
« Reply #22 on: February 06, 2013, 02:26:35 PM »

Go onto Youtube.com and type in Dave RAt HEadphone Test for an interesting hour...

I bought the Shure cans he recommended.  Very happy with them.

Kristian.....

Ever try a set of these?
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Mark McFarlane

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Re: Time to get some new headphones. What's out there?
« Reply #23 on: February 06, 2013, 02:46:41 PM »

Go onto Youtube.com and type in Dave RAt HEadphone Test for an interesting hour...

I bought the Shure cans he recommended.  Very happy with them.

I bought the Denons, flat down to 20Hz (if I remember right).
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Mark McFarlane

George Friedman-Jimenez

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Re: Time to get some new headphones. What's out there?
« Reply #24 on: February 06, 2013, 11:01:18 PM »

I also got the Denon AH-D2000 and they are great. Sadly they have been discontinued and seem to be unavailable at any reasonable price. They do have very low distortion bass as DR shows on his oscilloscope, have flat clear mids and highs and are well bulit. I hope they start producing them again. Of the headphones I have seriously used, I would rank the sound quality: Denon AH-D2000 > Sennheiser HD600 (open back not for live sound) > Sennheiser HD25-II > Ultrasone HFI680 > Sennheiser HD280 > Sony 7506. All but the 600s work fine for moderate SPL live mixing. None of those isolate adequately for loud live situations but I have not found anything with better sound quality. I tend to use in-ears (Shure E3C) for loud live sound gigs, but it is always annoying to take them out and put them back in. I have used the Denons in moderate SPL live performances and they work great. I don't like to bring favorite irreplaceable gear to gigs, so I now use them for tracking, checking mixes and pleasure listening in my rehearsal / project studio. The 5000s are also not readily available.
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Dave Rickard

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Re: Time to get some new headphones. What's out there?
« Reply #25 on: February 07, 2013, 12:24:33 AM »

Very happy with Shure SRH840's. Replaced my aging Sony 7506's with them.  Never going back.
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Mark Gensman

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Re: Time to get some new headphones. What's out there?
« Reply #26 on: February 07, 2013, 02:55:31 PM »

Mark..... 

 I'm working hard here to keep it "apples to apples".  Have you ever tried any true isolation phones?

I've used Vic Firth and Direct Sound extreme isolation phones. Didn't really like the sound compared to my HD280's but they did provide more isolation. Never thought the 280's were the best for isolation, but as a compromise they worked best.
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g'bye, Dick Rees

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Re: Time to get some new headphones. What's out there?
« Reply #27 on: February 07, 2013, 03:31:18 PM »

I've used Vic Firth and Direct Sound extreme isolation phones. Didn't really like the sound compared to my HD280's but they did provide more isolation. Never thought the 280's were the best for isolation, but as a compromise they worked best.

The bottom line for me is isolation.  It doesn't matter to me if it's audiophile quality in the cans if I have to run them up to a painful level to get them over the ambient noise level.  I can easily learn to compensate for any sonic anomalies of a set of headphones, but I won't be able to distinguish the sonic relationships between the elements of the mix if I've trashed my ears by running great sounding headphones 10 to 15dB hotter than my isolation-phones.

When I'm using them, I'm "in the cans" for the entire time, either live recording, live broadcast or the like.  If I'm doing live sound, I'll often put them on for hearing protection if I've had to locate too close to the stacks.
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Scott Helmke

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Re: Time to get some new headphones. What's out there?
« Reply #28 on: February 07, 2013, 05:33:37 PM »

Very happy with Shure SRH840's. Replaced my aging Sony 7506's with them.  Never going back.

I also replaced my 7506's with the Shure 840's, though I'm not throwing my 7506's away.  If you have ones with worn-out ear cushions, go ahead and spend the $20 to replace the cushions.  Bad cushions will significantly affect the bass response.
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Doug Fowler

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Re: Time to get some new headphones. What's out there?
« Reply #29 on: February 07, 2013, 06:15:17 PM »

I'm surprised no one has mentioned the new Heil cans.  Void has a set and apparently is really enjoying them.

http://www.heilsound.com/pro/microphone-accessories/pro-set-3

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ProSoundWeb Community

Re: Time to get some new headphones. What's out there?
« Reply #29 on: February 07, 2013, 06:15:17 PM »


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