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I'd like to spend up to $100 for a set of headphones for mixing BIAB music and vocal tracks. {In case this is pertinent, all songs are lyric driven, important to be able to follow them - stories; rarely a hard R&R song, mostly country/folk, snare/sidestick, not much HH/cymbals.}
Are there any recommendations? Thank you.
Windows 8 and Windows 10
64 bit
Scarlett 2i2 interface
BIAB 2017 Ultra
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Nectar 2
Andy
BIAB 2017 Ultra
Windows 8 and 10
Scarlet 18i8
Reaper and Mixpad
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90dB has a good suggestion above. Another option: While I prefer the M40f/s (no longer available) the M40x are quite similar - https://www.sweetwater.com/store/detail/ATHM40xWith headphones one thing to consider is how they fit on your head (comfort). If you have somewhere nearby to try out and try on headphones, it may be worth the trip. /in my opinion I wouldn't pay more for the M50s, to my ear they are deceiving (enhancing)
Make your sound your own!
.. I do not work here, but the benefits are still awesome
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I agree about the M50's, they have a slightly boosted low & high end. Most every review states this, and listening to them confirms it. The M40x has been my go-to headphone since they came out, and before that the M40fs. To MY ears they are the flattest in freq response of all the phones I have tried, and I tried a LOT.  The Mids are what got me, not piercing at all, but every instrument & vocal line clear as a bell, every reverb tail & EQ move absolutely audible. BUT I find them uncomfortable after 1 1/2 -2 hours, to the point of being done for the day. The ear cups are an oval shape, and they fit slightly on the entire circumference of my ear, not around it.  My good ol' AKG240's are THE most comfortable I have ever wore, but they are far from flat...I would not trust a mix done thru them like I would the M40x. The biggest complaint I have about most all headphones is that they are collapsible...I HATE that "feature". I remove mine often to check the tracks on my monitors (Fostex 641's, PMO.4's, and 6031) and they are ALWAYS collapsing on one side or the other, making quick adjustments a pain!  As rharv says, it IS worth the trip to wear as many as you can, to really "feel" them on your head, the pressure they apply to your ears is everything IMHO...just take some sanitary wipes with ya, to be on the safe side... 
i5 3.20GHz, 32gb RAM, 1tb SSD OS, 12tb HDD, 4gb gForce vid card, 32" monitor, Audient id44, Win10 x64, BiaB/RB 2023, Reaper 6,IK Multimedia Total Studio 3.5 MAX, Waves 10
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I picked up a pair of M40f/s on sale, and thought they were bass-heavy. Later I realized I was mixing my bass too hot through the Sennheisers!  Regards, Bob
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Thanks, guys. Great suggestions.
My hearing blows, but I need a 3rd pair so thought I'd ask the experts.
And I'm SO glad you mentioned the collapsible feature, JCS. I despise that feature! I'm irritatable enough as it is. I'm going to have to buy others. I returned a pair. I wear them for hours and hours and they hurt as well.
I'll go try some on first. Hopefully I'll find the HD20 Pros to try on. If not, I may ask for options on the options.
Greatly appreciated!
Andy
BIAB 2017 Ultra
Windows 8 and 10
Scarlet 18i8
Reaper and Mixpad
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I don't 'collapse' mine .. but the ability to 'spin' one side has been an appreciated feature here, especially for vocalists.
Also as 90 dB mentioned, if the M40's sound like something is 'off' (too much bass in his example) it likely is true.
To me they are pretty dang trustworthy/true and reliable.
For $100 I'd start with these.
The funny part is that the older 'f/s' designation means Field Serviceable, but I've never ever needed to, even after years of use.
/jcspro40; yeah I miss my AKG 240s too, but the ATH 40s are a nice thing to have in their place.
//I once traded with a forum member here; he got my M50 set and I got his M40 set .. both sides were happy afterwards. Dollar-wise I lost, but I guess it's all in how you see/hear things. To this day I think I won.
Last edited by rharv; 01/22/17 09:17 AM.
Make your sound your own!
.. I do not work here, but the benefits are still awesome
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The first question is, open or closed?
If you are using them for tracking (recording) a vocal or acoustic instrument while monitoring a backing track, you need a closed headphone.
If you are mixing, either will do although open is often lighter and more comfortable for longer sessions; closed is better if you have a noisy environment or don't want to annoy others.
I have recommendations for both types at the $100 price point: Grado (open) or SONY 7506 (closed).
BIAB 2024 Win Audiophile. Software: Studio One 6.5 Pro, Swam horns, Acoustica-7, Notion 6; Win 11 Home. Hardware: Intel i9, 32 Gb; Roland Integra-7, Presonus Studio 192, Presonus Faderport 8, Royer 121, Adam Sub8 & Neumann 120 monitors
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Sennheisers in that price range used to hav replaceable cables. The AKG 240 series used to have a switch that would turn the phones off when taking them off of your head which was nice to avoid unnecessary bleed into microphones when not in use.
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The funny part is that the older 'f/s' designation means Field Serviceable, but I've never ever needed to, even after years of use. The only trouble I have ever had out of any AT Headphones I have owned is their ear cup cushions, I ware out 2 sets in a year, and I have 3 pairs of ATH's! They start flaking....basically disintegrating. This is on the "high-end" ones & my 2 pairs of cheapo closed back ones for tracking & practicing! The M40fs/ and M40x also came with 3 cables that attached to the phones themselves, straight, coiled, and a straight-coiled one, all about 6' in length, but none of these ever went out on me. And I never purposely collapse my phones, taking them off, then picking them up causes the cups to either fold inward, or collapse like you are placing them in storage....VERY aggravating when this happens every other time you pick them up in a session! I solved this on one pair by wrapping a piece of gaffers tape around the joint where they fold. If you have long hair that is a pain, and if you have short hair it seems to really hold the heat from your head, creating a hot spot above each cup section...I am looking into a small drill bit & screw, but with my luck I will drill thru the driver! 
Last edited by jcspro40; 01/22/17 07:16 PM.
i5 3.20GHz, 32gb RAM, 1tb SSD OS, 12tb HDD, 4gb gForce vid card, 32" monitor, Audient id44, Win10 x64, BiaB/RB 2023, Reaper 6,IK Multimedia Total Studio 3.5 MAX, Waves 10
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Thanks, guys. I couldn't find any of them locally (really nearby), but Amazon Prime/free returns, so I ordered the HD20 and SONY 7506 (thanks, Matt) and will be able to do side x side testing.
I think closed is the way to go for me, Matt, but I really appreciate you giving that explanation for each. I'd never seen anything definitive for one vs the other. For me, mixing, definitely. (I used to mix with monitors, but some nice person here suggested headphones and my god the difference!)
Sometimes when tracking, I'll only wear one cup, but it seems to take a little experimenting from song to song.
I'm sure investing a lot (all things being relative). You guys are turning me into a junkie~!
Andy
BIAB 2017 Ultra
Windows 8 and 10
Scarlet 18i8
Reaper and Mixpad
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jscpro40
your reply reiterates how important comfort is .. which is obviously very personal, or variable, which is why being able to try them on and use is important.
My cups show signs of wear years later, but not 'disintegrating'.
Obviously environment, care and other factors come into play; but have you had an issue finding replacements? I haven't had to look yet .. so curious.
Make your sound your own!
.. I do not work here, but the benefits are still awesome
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Andy, you are wise to ask for help since it seems you may be inexperienced with this. One comment about using headphones to mix: you must test a mix on everything you possibly can, including headphones (cans), speakers (monitors), boombox, iPod, car etc. The 'normal' method is to mix with nearfield monitors, then check using headphones, then test on all other places. The headphones will reveal problems in the stereo field, especially phase cancellation, but headphones ONLY is a bad idea. Let me know if any of these terms or concepts need elaboration.
By the way, as was just mentioned, the ear cups can wear out. I've ordered replacements for my 7506 several times.
BIAB 2024 Win Audiophile. Software: Studio One 6.5 Pro, Swam horns, Acoustica-7, Notion 6; Win 11 Home. Hardware: Intel i9, 32 Gb; Roland Integra-7, Presonus Studio 192, Presonus Faderport 8, Royer 121, Adam Sub8 & Neumann 120 monitors
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Wow, you guys must really wear cans ALOT! I purchased 8 sets of AKG K240s phones in about 1993 or so for use in a portable listening setup for automotive sounds. Over the 15 years I worked at that location, while some pairs sprouted legs, not a single set of earcup pads wore out.
The 's' model were closed back, had two drivers per cup, and had the switch I mentioned above.
I don't believe that they sell that particular model any longer.
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Right on. Listening on multiple devices. (Worst quality I hear is in the car. That's got to be a real art and going to be another beast to tackle at some point for me. But right now, just me and SoundCloud, other sites. I planned on searching for forum for car stereo tips on that and it's whole other subject, I'm sure.)
My initial issue is that, and I'm sure everyone's tired of me saying it, my hearing is awful. No just saying it, like audiologist awful. Aides. Not deaf, just portions of spectrum I cannot hear. And hearing aides and speakers/headphones are very difficult manage. Squeals and feedback. Somehow, live I get away with it or everyone is too polite to say anything, but when it's digitized and kinda carved in stone, it was very difficult for me to get a consistent read on what I have. I was really straining in mixing (and then trying to steer my voice when recording).
I like the closed phones I have, not 1 year old yet Behringers, but they cost about 12 cents and now that I'm getting a little more experience in mixing, stuff is popping out to me, DAW features, plug-ins, and I want to drill down a little more.
Andy
BIAB 2017 Ultra
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Scarlet 18i8
Reaper and Mixpad
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Good explanation; your questions make good sense given your hearing.
I'm wondering if you have considered getting a good equalizer (hardware) or at least an EQ plugin. You could use it to boost the frequencies you don't hear as well, to bring you back to 'normal'. This is just thinking out loud. I know there are some much more knowledgeable folks on this forum about hearing.
BIAB 2024 Win Audiophile. Software: Studio One 6.5 Pro, Swam horns, Acoustica-7, Notion 6; Win 11 Home. Hardware: Intel i9, 32 Gb; Roland Integra-7, Presonus Studio 192, Presonus Faderport 8, Royer 121, Adam Sub8 & Neumann 120 monitors
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Hmmmmm...food for thought, Matt .
Good night to you all. Thank you for your cotinued hel9.
Andy
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Andy, I used to work for a company that specialized in products for hearing and hearing enhancement. Our controller at the company had hearing loss in both ears; one side worse than the other. I was able to make a custom listenening system for him using stacked graphic equalizer VST plugins in a DAW, that somewhat compensated for each ears' HL curve, with custom in ear monitor playback. In ear monitors could also be an option for you. I was able to save songs for him using these new EQ curves and he absolutely loved these recordings that he would listen to with his in ear monitors instead of his hearing aids. I had to stack EQ plugins because his loss was pretty severe. I used the EQ to just make the music have what would be 'flat' fo his unique HL per ear.
I'm not going to lie, it was a lot of work to convert even just one or two CDs of material, but this might be something for you to consider, for your own personal enjoyment. Care should be taken with this approach to avoid playback so loud that it could further damage remaining hearing capability.
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Wow! That's really an incredible story. A life-changer for him!
I have what is generally the loss most folks have, in the middle frequencies. It's a dipping bell curve. For example, pre-aides, I'd never had to ask a guy to repeat what he said (low), but young women (high) could stand right in front of me in a whisper-quiet office environment and I couldn't understand a syllable, repeated many times. Now I hear them crisply, but don't know what they are really saying, young or old.
I limped along for years, then 2 years ago bit the bullet. I could NOT believe what I had been missing, especially singing. It was like the first time I got glasses. I had no idea anyone could see that far. Modern aides are pretty spendy, lots of adjustments can be made by the doc, so they are dialed in as well as can expected, I control them with a smartphone app. And they are hidden behind the ear, ...no one even knows I wear them.
In reality, they are really just microphones and speakers. Just really complex, micro-circuity equipment. But we all know that mics/speakers have limitations in the real world. I don't really need to wear them all the time, though I do. But I can't cover them with ear cups or they feedback. But, even the 12 cent headphones I use now are pretty awesome for me. I am looking forward to getting the new sets to do the Pepsi challenge with.
Thanks, again, to all of you guys.
Andy
BIAB 2017 Ultra
Windows 8 and 10
Scarlet 18i8
Reaper and Mixpad
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I just bought the ATH-M70x headphones from Sweetwater, $299.00 but I can make 24 payments with their credit card, no interest, been using Sweetwater for years. Very flat response, check the specs, they are I think better than my VXT 6 monitors.
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