Headphones for the musicians

[solaris]

Hello there.
I need to buy headphones for tracking and I am wandering what do you guys and gals use.

I have been using beyerdynamic DT-770 Pro (100 pounds) and AKG K-271 MKII (65 pounds) and I had no complains about them. Do you think I should invest in something more expensive like:
beyerdynamic DT-250/80 LTD (189 pounds)
or
Sennheiser HD-300 Pro (151 pounds)

I only need them for tracking and not for mixing.

I will need to buy 4-5 pairs so there is a difference in price. Do you think it is worth it? What do you use for your clients?

Thank you very much in advance.

[N i g e l]

My k271s were getting old so I replaced them with these planar ones ..

https://www.soundonsound.com/reviews/fo ... ries-mkiii

I really like them, big sonic improvement and use them for everything. I havent changed the pads either, they are fine. IMHO of course because there are several different shapes & sizes of head.

If you are sharing sevaral pairs of headphones around, adjustability is probably a prime requirement.

[Wonks]

There's tracking and tracking. The closer the person's head is to the mic, the better the isolation/lack of leakage needs to be. For a bass player who's being DI'd or who's amp is being miked up, then isolation isn't so important. I like the Sennheiser HD 300 pros, as they do have very good isolation and sound good and balanced. But the isolation means they are quite tight fitting, so you wouldn't really want to wear them for hours on end. In the UK you can get them for around £100. If you are interested, it might be worth emailing Andertons about a price for shipping. https://www.andertons.co.uk/sennheiser- ... headphones

But you might also want some tracking phones that are a bit lighter and can be easily worn for longer for less critical applications.

Is there a store where you can try some of these out?

[Bob Bickerton]

I use Beyer DT770s and prefer them to the DT250.

In my view musicians will generally appreciate comfort provided the bases of isolation and reasonable sound are covered off.

Bob

[DC-Choppah]

These for the drummer: https://www.extremeheadphones.com/produ ... /ex25-plus

Everybody else is these: https://www.audio-technica.com/cms/head ... index.html

Well, that's what I use anyway.

Working well for me and I tried many others. Drummer needs lots of isolation just to even hear the cue mix in stereo, which these ex25's provide.

The other musicians do better when they can hear themselves directly a bit more, so less isolation is better for all of the non-drummers. IMHO.

[awjoe]

I use Beyer DT770s and prefer them to the DT250.

In my view musicians will generally appreciate comfort provided the bases of isolation and reasonable sound are covered off.

Bob

Mine aren't isolating any more, so despite the fact they tick the other two boxes, they have to go. Thinking about my next set of tracking headphones, I want them to be comfortable, because I think they have to be tight. The problem is that there's only one way to find out if tight headphones are comfortable, and that's to buy them. So that's why I'm following this thread. Lots of people here have tracking phones that tick all three boxes.

[Aled Hughes]

Following Wonks’ review and the good UK price, I bought a pair of the Sennheiser HD 300 Pro. So far so good- isolation is good, but at the expense of some comfort. Perfectly fine if not wearing for hours on end though.

I did a very quick comparison with my Sennheiser HD25, and first impressions were that the HD300 had slightly better isolation (though I have the velour earpads on the HD25, which apparently reduces the isolation somewhat), and the HD25 sounded marginally better.

I also like Beyer DT770 - comfortable, but perhaps a bit cumbersome on smaller heads. DT250 are also fine tracking headphones, but perhaps there are better options for the money these days?

[solaris]

I really like them, big sonic improvement and use them for everything. I havent changed the pads either, they are fine. IMHO of course because there are several different shapes & sizes of head.

They look interesting but I am a bit sceptical as it seems many people find them uncomfortable.

There's tracking and tracking. The closer the person's head is to the mic, the better the isolation/lack of leakage needs to be. For a bass player who's being DI'd or who's amp is being miked up, then isolation isn't so important. I like the Sennheiser HD 300 pros, as they do have very good isolation and sound good and balanced. But the isolation means they are quite tight fitting, so you wouldn't really want to wear them for hours on end.

Yes that agrees with my experience. I am gravitating to buy mostly DT-770's and also get one Sennheiser HD-300 Pro and maybe an Audio-Technica ATH M50X. It that way I will have a variety of headphones that I can choose from.
I am also thinking to buy a few cheap Audio-Technica ATH-M20X for the odd occasion that more headphones are required and I don't have enough. (it can happen and it is super awkward)

I use Beyer DT770s and prefer them to the DT250.

That is good to hear, because I am also happy with my DT770s. DT250s are double the prise but if you told me that they are amazing... well you know how it is.

I did a very quick comparison with my Sennheiser HD25, and first impressions were that the HD300 had slightly better isolation (though I have the velour earpads on the HD25, which apparently reduces the isolation somewhat), and the HD25 sounded marginally better.

That is great. Maybe the Sennheiser HD25 is the last contestant.

Thank you all for your replies.

[Aled Hughes]

That is great. Maybe the Sennheiser HD25 is the last contestant.

Thank you all for your replies.

They are very good (mine are the HD-25 Plus), but I only compared them quickly for 5 minutes so don't read into my comments too much. I may change my mind after further listening! The HD300 Pro and the HD-25 are both very good.

[Sam Spoons]

I have HD25s, bought after recommendations on here, and they get the job done, I find them comfortable though I've hear that some don't. Soundwise they are very good but for mixing/listening where spill is not an issue I recently bought some AKG 701s which, not surprisingly sound better/more open.

[James Perrett]

I currently use HD25's and DT250's. The HD25's sound more impressive but, now that I wear glasses, I don't find them quite as comfortable. The DT250's don't sound so impressive but everything is there and they are comfortable. Both are ruggedly built which is important in a studio headphone where some users will just chuck them on the floor when they've finished their take or step on the cable.

I've briefly used the DT770 a few times and, while they sound good, I've never felt that they fit securely on my head.

I also have the cheaper ATH-M20 in the recording area which seem to work fine although they are a little too bright for my taste and I've not had a real headphone abusing client use them yet so I don't know how rugged they are.

[awjoe]

The HD25's sound more impressive but, now that I wear glasses, I don't find them quite as comfortable.

I wear glasses, but they're thin. How headphones sound, even tracking headphones, is important to me. So I'll try them. (They don't have to be rugged, particularly. I don't throw headphones on the floor, I hang them neatly on the mic stand. This behaviour encourages me in the belief that, all other evidence to the contrary, I am still a good person.)

[Drew Stephenson]

Another 770 user here, i find the isolation good and, as another glasses wearer, i find them all day comfortable as well.

[Bob Bickerton]

I find the HD-25s a tight ‘on-ear’ fit and not something I’d use in the studio. In fact since discovering the Beyer DT-1350, which I consider to be more neutral and more comfortable, I now no longer use the HD25s for field work.

Bob

[awjoe]

Okay, in the end I got the Sennheiser HD 280. It was what I'd had before, after all, and I was happy with those until they broke. I tried the HD 25's but the cup didn't really make a good seal - it was too small for my ears, which aren't *all* that big, I swear. Thanks for the ideas.

[awjoe]

In fact, the 280's have now replaced another set for mixing, and not just for tracking. Really useful. Thanks again.

[fatbenelton]

I know you’ve picked a pair now but for those monitoring (see what I did there..), Amazon Black Friday deals include the blue and gunmetal Audio Technica ATH-M50X for £85....black ones still usual price but gunmetal is subtle. Just ordered a pair myself!