What are the best professional monitor headphones?

[Synthman4]

My budget is anything up to £200. What is the best one on the market at this price range?

[Sam Spoons]

Is this for tracking or mixing? You won't go far wrong with Sennheser HD25s for tracking and either AKG K701/702 (I have HD25s and K701s) or Sennheiser HD 650 for mixing. Buy right and you could just about get both the HD25 and K701s for your budget.

[CS70]

"Professional" is anything with which a skilled person can do the job and doesn't break after one month. DT990/880Pro, AKG701/702, HD650 (and surely some more I forget). You can do excellent mixes with these and they last for years.

The "best" headphones I have heard so far have been the Audeze LCD-X. I'm waiting for a pair and will put them thru their paces for mixing within a couple weeks or so.

[James Perrett]

It may also be worth saying that the best sounding headphones aren't necessarily the best for studio use. Ruggedness, reliability and the availability of spares are also important in professional headphones. That's why you'll still see so many pictures of people wearing DT100's in studios - they're not necessarily the best sounding headphones but they stand up well to studio life.

[Andyh 56]

Scan.co.uk Are selling refurbished Akg 702's for a knats wotsit under £73. I bought some a couple of weeks ago . So far have been absolutely brilliant.

[harky]

Dont be tempted by Aiaiai TMA 1s
Avoid.

[MOF]

That's why you'll still see so many pictures of people wearing DT100's in studios - they're not necessarily the best sounding headphones but they stand up well to studio life.

Their own DT150 and DT250 headphones sound so much better and just as rugged and parts replaceable.

[innerchord]

Dont be tempted by Aiaiai TMA 1s
Avoid.

Is that really a brand, or the sound you utter when you actually hear them for the first time?

[MOF]

Is this for tracking or mixing? You won't go far wrong with.......Sennheiser HD 650 for mixing

You won’t get these at £200 new.

[Synthman4]

Is this for tracking or mixing? You won't go far wrong with Sennheser HD25s for tracking and either AKG K701/702 (I have HD25s and K701s) or Sennheiser HD 650 for mixing. Buy right and you could just about get both the HD25 and K701s for your budget.

Well for messing around with eq's and getting the right sound AND for overall mixing

[Synthman4]

What is the difference between tracking and mixing?

[Sam Spoons]

Tracking headphones need to be closed back to prevent the cue mix getting into the microphone. Mixing headphones need to be as accurate and detailed as possible, open back headphones usually sound better than closed so are favourite mixing but sound leakage from the open back makes them impractical for tracking.

I have Senn HD-25s for tracking and AKG K701s for mixing.

[muzines]

What is the difference between tracking and mixing?

For recording, you generally need closed headphones that don't leak sound into instrument microphones, and to help the performer only hear the music rather than the sound going on in the room. These are often quite uncomfortable for long periods as they often clamp down hard on your head.

For mixing, generally open-type headphones have a more accurate sound, but as they leak sound, they are less suitable for recording with. They are often lighter and more comfortable to wear for longer periods.

Hence the use of the two types in studios. You want mixing-type headphones, so a semi-open or open design is better for you.

[John Willett]

What is the difference between tracking and mixing?

For tracking it is vital that sound from the headphones cannot get out and leak back into the microphone and colour the sound.

So these need to be closed back - the better the seal the better.

They do not need to be the highest quality as they only need to make sure the vocalist sings in time and in tune.

On the other hand, headphones for mixing need to be much better quality - open back is better for mixing as they give a more "out of head" sound and enable you to hear the mix much better - though I do sometimes swap for good closed back if I need to hone in on some detail in the mix - then swap to open back and carry on.

So, get some cheap and cheerful headphones (or earbuds) for tracking and some good open back headphones for mixing - the Sennheiser HD 600 are good for this.

[MOF]

the Sennheiser HD 600 are good for this

But not available new for £200.

[Logarhythm]

Is this for tracking or mixing? You won't go far wrong with.......Sennheiser HD 650 for mixing

You won’t get these at £200 new.

If you're willing to sign up to Drop (formerly Massdrop), their HD6XXs currently come in at $220. Exactly where they'll ship to, and how much it costs, is difficult to discern though.
They're supposedly "based on" a slightly "updated" HD650, although I've no idea how close they are to the originals. Came very close to ordering a pair a couple of years ago, and then I became single again and working with headphones became less of a necessity

Edited to add a link: https://drop.com/buy/massdrop-sennheiser-hd6xx

[Hugh Robjohns]

Word of warning, my antivirus system started complaining about the threats it was finding when I visited that 'drop' website!

[MOF]

Word of warning, my antivirus system started complaining about the threats it was finding when I visited that 'drop' website!

I seem to remember trying to look at that site on my iPhone and it just wouldn’t let me in, no doubt due Apple’s web security measures.

[Logarhythm]

Word of warning, my antivirus system started complaining about the threats it was finding when I visited that 'drop' website!

Genuinely rather surprised
It's a well-established business and I know people in the US who've purchased other items from them. Nonetheless maybe safer to go with some of the AKGs that Scan seem to perpetually have at very attractive prices

[BillB]

Scan.co.uk Are selling refurbished Akg 702's for a knats wotsit under £73. I bought some a couple of weeks ago . So far have been absolutely brilliant.

Well, that sent me off down a rabbit hole. Ordered a pair of K702s - £300-ish back in the day, £73 now:
https://www.soundonsound.com/reviews/studio-headphones
https://www.soundonsound.com/reviews/ak ... ed-edition

Not cutting edge any more, but neither am I

[iasomph]

I really like the OPPO PM-3 (which are also one of Bob Katz favorites in this price range). They are discontinued now unfortunately, but maybe you may find them second hand somewhere.

They are closed, but I prefer them to the open HD-650 and AKG 712 I previously had. The HD-650 is good, but in my opinion not very useful for hearing low end information. So, if you work with genres that got a lot of low end going on, I would suggest the OPPO or some other electro-static phones.

[manwilde]

Hello!. I´ve been using AKG´s 701 for over three years now, and find them a delight to listen music on, but I seem to have trouble calibrating the amount of low end on my mixes when referencing to other tracks... surely my fault, but I wouldn´t mind a bit more bass power on those cans, although the pros here say the low extension is there...