Hey, so the title pretty much explains everything. I'm currently looking for a new pair of headphones preferably a over ear headphone, but anything that's comfortable for long duration of use.

The only thing I want from the headphone is to provide great sound quality (of each section of the orchestra) as well as a great sense of depth. So everything is nicely spread out and helps you get a better picture.

A detachable cable would be a bonus, as they seem to snap at times.

I've currently got a $700 budget, but if there is anything that you can recommend that's worth saving up more for, please let me know.

Thanks!

 

Honestely? Buy a pair os speakers. I've got a pair of AKGk271 MkII wich are fairly good for the 200€ price.
But, nothing beats a pair of good monitors. With 700 budget you have many good options.

Cheers.

 

for what you need AKG K701!!! And a good headphone amp.

 

I'll link you to a free solution that reduces headphone fatigue which works with any headphones: https://audiosex.pro/threads/should...eap-pair-of-monitors.21790/page-2#post-150543

If you wanna get some good monitors, read the rest of the thread.

 

I was given recommendation of
1. Beyerdynamic DT880
2. Audio-Technica ATH M50
3. AKG K701

I grabbed beyer's. But you won't go wrong with any of these.

Also check this out: http://www.vi-control.net/community/threads/the-ultimate-headphone-thread-headphoneamps-added.35400/

 

Sennheiser HD600 or FTW!!!!! On my 2nd pair in 15 years.

 

Check these out

http://store.sonarworks.com/collections/headphone-calibration

 

Is your question really about composing in the sense of "writing" music the classical way? Then almost any headphone will do. Think Beethoven. Pick what fits your head comfortably, since you will wear it all day. If your question is about "mixing film music", then it's a different issue imho.

 

For your own sake and mental health avoid K701.
DT880 are a good choice, but only the 600Ohm version

 

It's like asking what car to buy, in order to drive from A to B.

Personally I've used AKG headphones (with dedicated headphones amp) for 14 years now.

 

Beyer DT 990 PRO 250 Ohm (semi open headphones, better for "long" session)
or Beyer DT 770 PRO 250 Ohm (close headphones)
but with your budget, if you don't have it yet, a pair of monitor instead, wouldn't be a bad choice …
Is it for writing? Mixing? Both ?

 

Same here. I bought a pair of AKG to listen to my Roland piano and have never parted with them. No ear fatigue or such even after hours of tedious exercises. So I would recommend them.

 

http://www.ultrasone-headphones.com/en/products/signature/signature-pro

I'm getting a pair of these next week, come well recommended and reviews are good

 

Basically avoid any uber-expensive headphones, as all of them are controversial in some sense.
As stated, DT880 600Ohm is probably your best bet. Good alternative is Sennheiser HD650.

Avoid AKG, they used to be good, but not anymore - all models except for the super pricy ones (K812) are made in China and I had several problems with them (chinese K240 MK2). K701 is IMHO not a good choice for production. They might be suitable for listening, but they're quite inaccurate in their imaging. Also difficult to drive, being low sensitivity and low impedance.

If AKG is still your favourite, get now discontinued AKG K240DF or K240 Monitor - used for around 120€ on ebay.de (DFs are better for mixing, Monitors for mastering), both are 600Ohm, but rather low efficiency. An amp such as Objective2 might be required.

Those, together with K141 Monitor are the only AKGs I'd recommend. Getting DT880/600 tomorrow, I'll share my findings.

 

Last edited: Nov 30, 2015

Thanks for the reply everyone, for those of you who recommended purchasing a monitor instead, I already own a pair of Yamaha monitor.
Thanks again!

 

The AKG 701s are the best thing ever for classical composing. Their stereo field is second to none.

 

I guess you've tried all major headphones mentioned here (K240DF, K240M, K141, DT880, DT990, HD600, HD650, ...) to backup that claim, right?
For starters you cannot use K701 with 98% of professional gear due to its low impedance.
Industry standard dictates use of 47Ohm resistor in series to headphone out. To achieve proper electrical damping, headphone impedance has to be 8 times higher than output impedance of an amplifier/audio interface. K701 are rated 62Ohm, nowhere near 376Ohm (8*47), so they'll be seriously underdamped with most gear.
K240M are most common in engineers room on scoring stages. And for a good reason.

K701 are audiophile headphones at best, let's leave it at that.

Stereo field is wide, but lacks depth and precision, essential features for orchestra positioning. This is due to angled earcups. K601 (and most other mentioned here too) does not suffer from this.

PS: Suggested read:
http://nwavguy.blogspot.com/2011/02/headphone-amp-impedance.html
http://nwavguy.blogspot.com/2011/02/headphone-impedance-explained.html

 

Last edited: Dec 12, 2015

Didn't know that. I was advised to get these cans among two more (for orchestral): ATH M50 and DT880. And exactly like you said I didn't like the soundstage of K701 despite much praises. I thought it may be just me. So, I went for DT880 and was very happy with the choice. Can you shed some light on ATH M50 too if you have any experience with these please as I have heard nothing but good about them too. Thank you.

 

I`ve had Beyerdynamic 990 Pro and Sennheiser HD600. Now I use the Shure 1840 which I really recommend.
http://www.shure.com/americas/products/headphones/srh1840-professional-open-back-headphones

 

As long as you've got a decent monitor setup for critical mixing duties (and a well treated room), and you're only using the headphones occasionally while composing, I think you'd do well with an open-back design, and a decent little headphone amp. There are good options with AKG, Sennheiser, Beyer, Shure, etc., and while many will swear up and down about one being the only real choice, the truth, I believe, is that they will all get the job done and the difference between them is down to personal preference because none of us hear the same, and none of us have the exact same idea about what the material should sound like.

I personally prefer the Sennheiser sound, and toward that end use a set of HD580's, which are the same as the HD600's but for a fraction of the price. I find the HD650's to be just a little less "open". The biggest reason I like these phones is they're the ones that sound closest to my studio monitors - I'm shocked how close they sound. They have a lovely wide and deep soundstage and are not the least bit fatiguing. If I had the money I'd get myself a pair of the HD800s in a heartbeat. I also have a set of closed-back ATH50's for tracking. They're fine for that duty, but I wouldn't want to mix with them as they aren't as open and detailed as the Sennies, and with a more "forward" sound (and being closed-back) they are quicker to fatigue.

Do you know anyone that owns any of these cans that you could borrow for a day and audition? A local gear shop that rents? Somewhere you can buy from that has a very flexible and forgiving return policy? My local gear store will let me take home three different brands/models if they know I'm going to purchase one in the end. No amount of other people's opinions will equal a few first hand experiences of your own.

Good luck!