New mixing headphones £400

[dickiefunk]

Hi,

I’m looking for a new pair of mixing headphones. My budget is around £400. I’ve been using Beyer DT880 Pros a long with Tone Boosters Morphit headphone correction software which works pretty well. However, I still find these don’t translate as well as I would like.
I’ve been having a quick look around and I’m particularly interested in :-

Beyer DT1990
Shure SRH1840
Audeze LCD-1
Sennheiser HD650

The difficulty with buying headphones is it’s not really something you can try before buying. Also, many dealers won’t accept returns because of hygiene.
I tend to find myself favouring Beyer and Shure headphones generally and I haven’t really got on with the AKG K702. I haven’t tried any Audeze headphones yet and have only tried budget Sennheiser headphones.

I have found that Toneboosters Morphit makes a good difference with the DT880 pros and I’m wondering how Sonarworks compares? Interestingly I noticed that the EQ correction curves for the DT880 pros were less than pretty much any other headphones in Morphit?
Would I be better off sticking with the DT880’s and upgrading to Sonarworks (if it is an upgrade) or buy one of the pairs of headphones I mentioned above to use with Morphit.

[Drew Stephenson]

I don't use 880s, but I do use 770s and 990s and Sonarworks. All I'd say is that whilst Sonarworks will flatten out that curve for you, it's not going to fundamentally make your headphones sound 'better'. If you're looking for a genuine upgrade then certainly consider sonarworks as part of the package but don't expect to suddenly be reveling in newfound delights and unexpected details.
Don't Sonarworks do a trial anyway? Or have I misremembered that?

[Bob Bickerton]

I let my HD650s go and use DT880s.

Actually the HD650s were more accurate but for long sessions I found them a tad uncomfortable. I find I can “translate” what I’m hearing on DT880s reasonably well, though in truth I’m generally using them to monitor live concert recordings and to check mixes.

Lots of AKG users around here, so they may chip in shortly.

Bob

[ConcertinaChap]

and I haven’t really got on with the AKG K702.

What problem do you have with them? Just curious because I find them very usable and an amazing bargain (£300 change out of your £400).

CC

[Luke W]

I've got the Shure SRH1840 and really like them. Not sure how they compare to the others on your list but they're great sounding cans, also very comfortable even over long sessions.

[Sam Spoons]

and I haven’t really got on with the AKG K702.

What problem do you have with them? Just curious because I find them very usable and an amazing bargain (£300 change out of your £400).

CC

Scan have refurbished 702's for £60 just now!

[The Elf]

Scan have refurbished 702's for £60 just now!

[Arpangel]

I'm not known for my enthusiasm around here, regarding an "uncoloured" sound. So, on that basis forget what I’ve said before.
I'd unreservedly go for the Sennheiser HD600, the 650's are good, but IMO not as transparent as the 600’s, in fact, I’d be so bold as to say that everything that Sennheiser has produced after the 600 regardless of price hasn’t been as good.
I’ve been on sessions where people have forgot they were wearing 600’s and thought they were listening to the live source, when they took them off they said there was very little difference!
It would definitely be the 600’s for me.

[Nazard]

I'd unreservedly go for the Sennheiser HD600, the 650's are good, but IMO not as transparent as the 600’s, in fact, I’d be so bold as to say that everything that Sennheiser has produced after the 600 regardless of price hasn’t been as good.

I agree. I have both, and whilst the 650s can suit some material, the 600s suit all.

As reported in SoS, there are some 'new' AKG headphones coming out, produced by the old firm, as was. Maybe worth checking out too.

[John Willett]

I use the HD 800 - but these are well above budget.

I would add the HD 600 to the list as many prefer these over the 650 (and I do have all of these).

I have heard said that the 650 *do* really need an excellent headphone amp. to shine, so, maybe, the 600 would be the better bet...

[Nazard]

I have heard said that the 650 *do* really need an excellent headphone amp. to shine

Very interesting John. When I use my 650s, I'm using the separate DAC and amp from my Lynx Hilo, which is, probably as good as it gets, at least for me!

And I have a nice class A headphone amp, (one I made earlier!), that produces a very clean output, and the 600s still sound better on most material than the 650s.

I think that Sennheiser deliberately 'voiced' the 650s for different material. They are more 'forward sounding' with a touch of mid range 'hype', rather than the very neutral, wide soundstage of the 600s. And I was planning on not saying anything subjective: apologies!!

[Arpangel]

I use the HD 800 - but these are well above budget.

I would add the HD 600 to the list as many prefer these over the 650 (and I do have all of these).

I have heard said that the 650 *do* really need an excellent headphone amp. to shine, so, maybe, the 600 would be the better bet...

Hi john, I can remember Mike getting a pair of 800's, we did a piano session at St Johns Smiths Square, we had 600''s in the car too, the 800's had a weird top end thing going on, which drew your attention to them, we ended up using the 600's as they just seemed more natural.

[Sam Inglis]

As reported in SOS, there are some 'new' AKG headphones coming out, produced by the old firm, as was. Maybe worth checking out too.

The Austrian Audio headphones are closed-back and not particularly neutral, so although they're nice, they wouldn't be my first choice for mixing.

[dickiefunk]

Hi guys. Thanks for the replies. I haven't got round to upgrading the Beyer DT880 pro's yet as I've had other priorities to sort out. Also, the only way of auditioning these is to buy all of them from Thomann and return the one's I don't want to keep which is quite a lot of money!

To be honest, I the Beyer DT880's do work pretty well. Toneboosters Morphit really does a great job at flattening out the EQ curve and as I've been working with them for years I've learned how they translate and am getting pretty good results.
The main reason why I would like to change the DT880's is because I keep getting distortion in the left earpiece. I've already sent them away under warranty for repair and Beyer confirmed there was an issue with the left driver. Not long after I had them back the same issue re-appeared but this time they had just gone out of warranty. These have not been driven loud at all and haven't been abused at all. It would also be nice to have something with better soundstage and deeper bass (without sounding boomy and muddy). The highs on the DT880 are a little boosted as well but to be honest Morphit sorts this out really well.

I let my HD650s go and use DT880s.

Actually the HD650s were more accurate but for long sessions I found them a tad uncomfortable. I find I can “translate” what I’m hearing on DT880s reasonably well, though in truth I’m generally using them to monitor live concert recordings and to check mixes.

Lots of AKG users around here, so they may chip in shortly.

Bob

I've found Sennheiser headphones to be pretty uncomfortable as well but haven't tried the HD600 series.

I'm not known for my enthusiasm around here, regarding an "uncoloured" sound. So, on that basis forget what I’ve said before.
I'd unreservedly go for the Sennheiser HD600, the 650's are good, but IMO not as transparent as the 600’s, in fact, I’d be so bold as to say that everything that Sennheiser has produced after the 600 regardless of price hasn’t been as good.
I’ve been on sessions where people have forgot they were wearing 600’s and thought they were listening to the live source, when they took them off they said there was very little difference!
It would definitely be the 600’s for me.

I've heard good things about the HD600 and HD650 but really disliked other Sennheiser headphones that I've tried. I also don't like the fit of these on my head.

I've got the Shure SRH1840 and really like them. Not sure how they compare to the others on your list but they're great sounding cans, also very comfortable even over long sessions.

I've read mixed reports on the Shure SRH1840's. The main negatives that I've seen a number of uses mention is they don't extend down as deep and the THD is considerably higher.

I'm quite interested in the Audeze LCD-1's as they look like they tock a lot of the boxes. The only negative I've read is the soundstage is narrower than headphones like the Sennheiser HD650's? However, I have no idea of how the soundstage of either the LCD-1 or HD650 compares to the Beyer DT880's?

On a side note, I was in contact with Beyer regarding my DT880's and they mentioned that their could well be a DT1880 coming at some point!? I would definitely be interested in checking that out! Also, I wondering if Neumann has any plans to release an open back headphone alternative to the NDH-20?

[jaminem]

I heard some Audeze LCD 4's (I think they were 4's - the really expensive ones) last time I was with my mastering engineer friend. They were INSANE, straight up sounded as good as the huge PMC's he has in his room. I stood there with one on and one off, then both off/on to go between the too and there was minimal if any difference. They really were that good - never heard anything like it.

They are £4K mind

If the LCD's you mention are even close to those that I listened too, they will be very very good headphones.

[Sam Inglis]

The LCD1s don't sound like the big LCDs but they are very nice. If anything they are a bit more like conventional headphones. I found them quite similar to my Shure SRH1840 (which I personally really like). If I have a reservation about the LCD1s it's that they feel a bit cheap and plasticky for something costing several hundred pounds.