Can anyone recommend a good pair of studio monitor headphones?

[Mav451]

I also have to put in another recommendation for the Sony MDR-V6s. Not only do they sound great, but the are very efficient and easily driven, so you will have no problem using them with any portable player and you will not need a headphone amp. BTW, the MDR-7506 are identical except for the gold plated connector. Don't waste your money on them, as the original V6s can still be had for significantly less. You will not be disappointed with these phones. They're also extremely rugged (hauled mine all over creation for 15 years now), and fold up, but the only flaw is the thin black "leather" coating over the ear foam will eventually flake off, but it's not a show-stopper and you can get replacement ear foam from beyerdynamic phones that fit if you really need to. Don't be fooled by other Sony headphones with similar model numbers, many of them, even some with higher price tags, are really quite bad and completely different animals.

And if I didn't already mention, I too use a MDR-V6. My first, and last head-fi phone. I got a refurb for $40. Great bass response, not necessarily of Senn quality, but for $40? I'd take it.

Great for gamers/overall music listeners. If you wanna specialize, its going to cost you.

 

[MacHarne]

Sorry to burst anybodys bubble but, bose is trash.

I'm glad you have a strong opinion. Next time, though, to better articulate a thought or purpose, it's best to not rant with name-calling. The poster, elevenpower, asked for good headphone recommendations and not people's least favorite brands.

Anyways. I own a pair of Bose Triports and they are fantastic; their sonic range and reproduction is superb. Timbres are matched wonderfully with true-to-life responses, particularly with orchestral or jazz tracks where the quality of the music is of upmost importance. Although, for studio use I don't see a need for that specific model. When I was in radio, we used Sennheiser; I can't recall the model but they were comfortable for taking on and off frequently and put out great sounds in the humanly audible range. Sennheiser isn't that competitive in performance characteristics with brands like Beyerdynamic or the nice Shures that are out there, but Sennheiser makes quality, inexpensive headphones.

My recommendation would depend on your specific use. One feature, never to forget, is how flexible/rigid they are; you may, as I was, be removing and putting on these headphones frequently and would like something that doesn't show signs of fatigue.

 

[Mav451]

I'm glad you have a strong opinion. Next time, though, to better articulate a thought or purpose, it's best to not rant with name-calling. The poster, elevenpower, asked for good headphone recommendations and not people's least favorite brands.

Anyways. I own a pair of Bose Triports and they are fantastic; their sonic range and reproduction is superb. Timbres are matched wonderfully with true-to-life responses, particularly with orchestral or jazz tracks where the quality of the music is of upmost importance. Although, for studio use I don't see a need for that specific model. When I was in radio, we used Sennheiser; I can't recall the model but they were comfortable for taking on and off frequently and put out great sounds in the humanly audible range. Sennheiser isn't that competitive in performance characteristics with brands like Beyerdynamic or the nice Shures that are out there, but Sennheiser makes quality, inexpensive headphones.

My recommendation would depend on your specific use. One feature, never to forget, is how flexible/rigid they are; you may, as I was, be removing and putting on these headphones frequently and would like something that doesn't show signs of fatigue.

As much as I like people to discuss freely here, I can't let it go by that Bose is (implied) better than Senn.

Apparently you've never tried the 600's/650's. I'll leave it at that. Try a real headphone before you make quick/sweeping judgement about an ENTIRE line of headphones.

*edit*
LOL. If you are recommending the Triports (the same headphone they have in most Apple Stores), you have GOT to be joking. That is one of the worst headphones I have tried. Even Grado SR60's are better (and this is coming from a SR225 user). If I wasn't as knowledgeable about the significance of amps/sources, then I would have judged the iPod wrongly b/c of those horrible headphones.

Fortunately, having listened to my friends iPod (lossless DMB songs at that) with an amp + E5's, I know better.

 

[vga4life]

Beyerdynamic DT-250. Closed ear (no spill), circumaural (very comfortable), and practically indestructable. About $180 and worth it.

If your budget is tight and you can get used to their response, i second the Sony MDR-7506, but I find the beyer's much more comfortable for long-term wear. If you're going to be using these phones in a studio for hours on end, it pays not to cheap out on uncomfortable gear.

(Open ear phones are no good in a studio setting, obviously. And I wouldn't recommend Bose in any setting.)

-vga4life

 

[Mav451]

The 250's look awfully alot like the V6's...is the padded headpand (in terms of comfort) the biggest difference? The earpad/shape is almost identical, from the pictures anyway.

 

[quackattack]

...this is why you DON'T want to go to head-fi.org

You either meet a fanboy or you meet a hater. Ultimately, while that place is resourceful, alot of people are reluctant to suggest anything other than their favorite brand.

The BEST way is for you to try out the headphones yourself. Grado? AKGs? Senn? These are just names unless you try them out. Some places, depending on city vs. urban, you can actually find brick & mortar stores that have these phones. That would be the best way for you to decide.

Take in your iPod and try em out. Obviously amp vs. unamp will be a factor, but that's up to you if you want to factor that in.

While I agree that their are alot of "haters/fanboys" at Head-Fi, I still think it is a great resource. It is a great place to discover new phones, It is a great place to get an education. I didn't even know what an headphone amp was until I started hanging out over their.

I do agree that you really should try and listen before you buy. Unfortunatlely depending on your location this can be hard to do. Guitar Center has a few Senns, BDs, and AKGs. Grados are near impossible to find in a store. Headphone.com has a great return policy, but you want to be careful not to abuse it.

This is why I suggested Head-Fi. They can help you narrow down what you are looking for and give you a short list of phones to try. Also they know alot more about this stuff than us macrumors cats (sorry guys).

 

[quackattack]

SHURE E5 - this is way out of your price range, but if you can, try them out.
http://www.shure.com/psm/earphones/default.asp

These are great phones, but I don't think this is what he was looking for. They are VERY expensive, and they are canal phones. This isn't ideal for a studio monitor.

I have the E2C, they are worth checking out if you want to lookk at canals. They are in the price range, and have great sound. A great value in my opinion!

 

[RAS admin]

I recommend the Sennheiser HD280 Pro mentioned earlier. I use them for my iPod and G5. This same model is featured in a recent review of various headphones. http://arstechnica.com/reviews/other/HiFiHeadphones.ars

 

[quackattack]

Beyerdynamic DT-250. Closed ear (no spill), circumaural (very comfortable), and practically indestructable. About $180 and worth it.

If your budget is tight and you can get used to their response, i second the Sony MDR-7506, but I find the beyer's much more comfortable for long-term wear. If you're going to be using these phones in a studio for hours on end, it pays not to cheap out on uncomfortable gear.

(Open ear phones are no good in a studio setting, obviously. And I wouldn't recommend Bose in any setting.)

-vga4life

Thanks for the info, this is a phone I have been wondering about for a while. How well does it isolate? Would it compare to the Senn 280?

Also Mav, how do you like your SR-225? This is another phone I have been strongly considering.

 

[Mav451]

I'm going to be honest with you.

The SR225's were not comfortable to me. For 30min-1hour, yes. But if you are watching a movie (2hours), it starts to hurt. Again, however, you must try them to see what I mean.

Sound? It is very nice for guitars/live performances. Shallow/Deep soundstage is meaningless until you hear the 225's. Grado's, in general, are all "shallow". By shallow, it means that the sound is literally IN FRONT of you (vs. 20-30feet away, ala concert hall).

The bass is also not boomy. If you have flat pads, my god, these things rock. Very, very crisp bass--you're ears will bleed if you turn it up too high

 

[nutmac]

Bose

Regarding Bose, its headphones aren't stinkers. While there are countless technical documents, reviews, and tests that point out how bad Bose speakers are (particularly considering premium price), their headphones are okay. Overpriced, yes. But they are not terrible. Are they studio quality? No. But they are pretty good phones for casual listening. Of course, it doesn't help that they are priced at the level where you can get significantly better phones (e.g., Grado, Sennheiser), but that is the price of ignorance and/or personal preference.

 

[vga4life]

Thanks for the info, this is a phone I have been wondering about for a while. How well does it isolate? Would it compare to the Senn 280?.

The beyers isolate very well - feels subjectively like about 15db. I'd rate it much better than the "active noise reduction" junk from Sennheiser, Bose, et al.

Do note that the DT250 comes in 250 ohm and 80 ohm versions. I can't tell much difference between them, really, except that the latter version is efficient enough to be driven well by my ipod without an amp.

I don't know how they compare to the Senn HD280, having never tried them; I would note that I prefer the velour pads on the beyers to the pleather pads on other circumaural phones i've tried. Pleather makes my ears hot and sweaty after a few hours. OTOH, the Senn's about $70 cheaper.

-vga4life

 

[quackattack]

Regarding Bose, its headphones aren't stinkers. While there are countless technical documents, reviews, and tests that point out how bad Bose speakers are (particularly considering premium price), their headphones are okay. Overpriced, yes. But they are not terrible. Are they studio quality? No. But they are pretty good phones for casual listening. Of course, it doesn't help that they are priced at the level where you can get significantly better phones (e.g., Grado, Sennheiser), but that is the price of ignorance and/or personal preference.

I agree with this. They aren't bad phones. They are lightwieght and comfortable. They do break easily however.

BUT... They are way overpriced, like you said. If they were $50 I would strongly consider them. At $150, no way. You can do much much better.

 

[quackattack]

I'm going to be honest with you.

The SR225's were not comfortable to me. For 30min-1hour, yes. But if you are watching a movie (2hours), it starts to hurt. Again, however, you must try them to see what I mean.

Sound? It is very nice for guitars/live performances. Shallow/Deep soundstage is meaningless until you hear the 225's. Grado's, in general, are all "shallow". By shallow, it means that the sound is literally IN FRONT of you (vs. 20-30feet away, ala concert hall).

The bass is also not boomy. If you have flat pads, my god, these things rock. Very, very crisp bass--you're ears will bleed if you turn it up too high

This confirms everything I have heard. I am looking for some fun, rock phones. I have been looking at the Grado's, but I am worried about comfort. I guess I will have to try and find a pair to audition. Thanks for your input!

 

[quackattack]

The beyers isolate very well - feels subjectively like about 15db. I'd rate it much better than the "active noise reduction" junk from Sennheiser, Bose, et al.

Do note that the DT250 comes in 250 ohm and 80 ohm versions. I can't tell much difference between them, really, except that the latter version is efficient enough to be driven well by my ipod without an amp.

I don't know how they compare to the Senn HD280, having never tried them; I would note that I prefer the velour pads on the beyers to the pleather pads on other circumaural phones i've tried. Pleather makes my ears hot and sweaty after a few hours. OTOH, the Senn's about $70 cheaper.

-vga4life

Thanks. I currently have the 280's, I love them but they can be a little bulky. I was hoping to get something with good isolation that was more portable. Like I said in my last post, I may have to just try and find a pair. These things are hard to find! Guess I will keep looking.

 

[840quadra]

Sorry to burst anybodys bubble but, bose is trash. Just a name with a huge markiting budget, and a world full of suckers to prey on. It's all smoke and mirrors. Google this "bose is trash", don't take my word for it.

But for a good set of cheap cans go here.
Headphonez

These guys are pros and not afrade to bash the very same products they sell, they also offer price matching.

I went on a trek for one weekend trying to find comfortable, and high quality headphones for listening to music at work. I listened to multiple headphones before going to Bose to listen to the Triport and others. I have had (and still do own) multiple pairs of Sony high end headphones.

1 pair of Sony headphones I purchased last year are good headphones, but the drivers are bulky, and they actually have an odd buzz to them already. I liked the new MDR-V700DJ from Sony, but again the size was a bit big for wearing at work. I also looked at a few Yamaha models, but didn't like the feel or how weak the mids sounded.

I ended up being totally surprised by the Bose Triport headphones. They were real light, and had as good of sound quality as the MDR-V700DJ, with the exception of having slightly more muffled highs. For the price I couldn't go wrong for the Triports, as they were $100 on sale, and after rebate. I would not consider paying $150 for them though

My biggest gripe with the Bose headphones is the cheep plastic housing. I hated the noise canceling Bose headphones, they were too "boomy" and had terrible frequency response. I couldn't believe that you were not able to turn off the noise cancel feature, and the headphones will not work without the battery!!

Yeah the name is big, and becomes an easy target for naysayers, most likely similar to apple outside of the apple community.

 

[el greenerino]

Grados are very nice.
http://www.gradolabs.com

Don't leave my iPod without my Grado SR-80s. They cost $100 but sound like headphones that cost $200.

The kind of people who buy Bose headphones are the kind of people who buy a powermac and only use Mail App.

 

[Chappers]

Ok so Bose are not very popular with audiophiles- but I listened to a pair in the Apple store and they sounded good.

I will not buy them because I realise you can get better for less, but are they that bad?

 

[el greenerino]

Ok so Bose are not very popular with audiophiles- but I listened to a pair in the Apple store and they sounded good.

I will not buy them because I realise you can get better for less, but are they that bad?

They're not "bad", but considering the triports cost $150, they are a terrible value. Then again, that is argument some people make for why "macs suck". Only difference is they're wrong about macs and we're right about bose

 

[thecow]

This confirms everything I have heard. I am looking for some fun, rock phones. I have been looking at the Grado's, but I am worried about comfort. I guess I will have to try and find a pair to audition. Thanks for your input!

The Grado headphones feel really weird at first, but after about a week, the foam gets softer and kind of molds to your ears. Also since the headband is metal, you can bend them to any shape you want. They will feel a bit uncomfortable when they are new at the store. The store that I bought them at had speakers that were $5,000 each and the owner let us listen to them. He had really good classical music and it sounded like we were at a concert hall. http://www.bwspeakers.com/index.cfm/fuseaction/products.models/label/Model Nautilus 804


Why can't I use the insert hyperlink button? It doesn't work.