I currently have the Audio Technica ATH-M50X headphones and love them, but had them for years now. Just wondering if the market has moved on and whether there's anything better.

I produce primarily in a home studio using headphones, and just invested in Realphones (thanks @Doctor_Me). Just wondering whether the M50X are still uo there and reliable, whether the 770 Pro is better, or whether there is anything else for a reasonable price and a good bang for the buck?

 

990 Pro. Pure classics

 

There isn't really anything "better" in the sense that at some point it's mostly about preference. No headphone is perfect.
Whether you use Beyerdynamics DT 990 Pro, DT 770 Pro, Audio Technica ATH-M50X, or Sennheiser HD 650, they'll all serve you well.
There is not really scenario in which one is objectively better than the other, and I also don't foresee a scenario in which the market would "move on".

That being said, the ATH-M50X are the headphone I would say are most widespread across professional studios in the world, similar to the Shure SM57. They're still used at the top end level by professional artists and mixing engineers. They're like the ol' reliable.

 

My main recommendation is knowing your headphones pretty well, and then only do the switch if you really feel it's necessary and have the time to adapt. I'm saying that cause back then, when I switched my KRK 8400 for a pair of HD650 from Sennheiser I done lots of mistakes on my following projects, mostly caused by the lack of low end of the Sennheiser one compared to the one I had before. So yeah, this transition time to get used to how things are supposed to sound in your new output is something to consider.

With that said, I never used Audio Technica headphones, but I always heard good things about them and they seem to be really popular on studios of all levels, what make me think they're reliable and good quality choices.

And last but not least, about Realphones, since it corrects the frequency response of your headphones it's also a good idea to take some time and listen to some mixes you know and trust so you understand what it's doing and get used to the difference in the balance.

 

Koss ESP-950 electrostatic. Frequency range: 8Hz–35kHz. Sensitivity: 104dB at 100Vrms differential input at 1kHz. Diaphragm thickness: 1.5;um. THD 0.25%.
No dynamic headphones come even close in any respect.

 

Audeze LCD-X

 

I have the feeling everytime i comment on these threads it's always with a question .

Anyway. What's your budget?

 

I just got a pair of Shure 1840 headphones and although they aren't yet burned in sound pretty great. Since they are opened back they have a bleed that is audible from a mic plugged in if doing vocals, but not really too bad in this respect though. Even so, I'll track still with the ATH-M50X that I've been using for many a year now. I'll give mixing a go with the Shure when I have something new to work with. I was eyeing am SPL monitor controller that allows one to dial in crosstalk which might help with placement and translation to speakers, but it's not my priority right now and can live without it.

 

There's no better Closed headphone than an M50x or DT770, they are the best.

You can only improve on that with an Open headphone:
DT880 > LCD-X (detail)
K712 > HD800S > Hifiman Arya? (soundstage)

 

I have both Beyer-dynamics DT880 pro, and AKG K 712 Pro.

I prefer the K712, they have a slightly more open feel.

Also, on the practical side,
The DT880 have a fixed cable, you cannot change it easily,
While the K712 Pro allow to change cable, and comes with 2 different ones, the strait one and the other one like a spring (I dont know how to say in English).

The AKG K 712 Pro's ear cups are bigger and makes them a bit more comfortable.

My main Speakers are Event Opal, and the AKG 712 Pro are closer to their sound than the DT 880.

That is my personal experience.

And as someone said before, the most important is to know your headphones, get use to them, listening to music already produced.

 

Ones that you know the best, as cliche sounding, it's actually the naked truth, so guess goes without saying, but I did it anyways.

There's always something "better" or more suitable, depends what you mainly want to get out of them, M50's are popular tracking cans that people love making music with, have pleasing full sound to them, which maybe is the ticket if you need that to enjoy what you do.

If you want to shake things up a little, dSONIQ guys really avoid recommending headphones and in one post they advised someone to go with AKG K-612 Pro in that price range, they probably know why they did that, didn't expanded too much on that, but they are going in-out on all these cans and there's good value in them.

 

Added bonuses: replaceable cable, balanced channels with the same exact resistance, distant ground link if used unbalanced..
now they're indestructible²


I also got K712, absolutely Love them too,
but they are Very Different. (and thus Complementary)

So for me: Working, Mixing, Mastering etc.. DT880, always.

For Soundstage/panning, and final Master check.. K712
Also since they're so Comfortable, they're my regular/pleasure listening hdps now..

Next thing for me is Hifiman, I guess..

 

Last edited: Apr 27, 2023

Firstly, let's dispel the myth that there's a difference between "home" and "pro" studio when it comes to selecting gear. It's always simply a matter of quality and budget. Better is better no matter the location. The garbage I've seen and used in some commercial studios is mind-boggling and I know many "home" studios that quite frankly would leave your jaw on the floor. Ok, if you're to walk into a truly high-end facility there's a marked difference but let's keep things in perspective as an awful lot of so-called pro studios are actually hit and miss affairs.

That said, by far the best headphones you can invest in are not actually headphones at all, it's software, specifically Sonarworks, plus getting your headphones calibrated by them.

https://www.sonarworks.com/

There's a number of options for actual headphones. I'd recommend looking at ATH-M70x as an upgrade to your existing phones; they'll be familiar to you but most definitely an improvement. Those plus Sonarworks will get you within 5% of a mix on good speakers in a good room, closer if you're very experienced.

https://www.audio-technica.com/en-gb/ath-m70x

 

Last edited: Apr 27, 2023

Another thing to bear in mind as you get older your hearing will deteriorate, and what sounded good (to you) 20 years ago may not sound just as good now. I'm on the wrong side of 60 now and know I don't have perfect hearing (its not bad, just not as good as it was) add in tinnitus caused by loud monitors back in the late 80's and mid 90's (before we discovered we really should have some sort of hearing protection) and I no longer mix anything myself. I am also aware of the damage you can do with headphones, but for what its worth buy the best you can afford and see if you can try some out before purchase as they vary comfort wise.

 

That's as mod you did. They dont come like that.

 

Beyer DT-880 pro's for studio headphone duties - they are incredibly accurate for checking mix placements, freq response is pretty flat, semi open design. I have a pair of Sennheiser HD-280 pro's (very closed design) I use in the field for gathering sound samples and audio for video production. Also a pair of Sony MDR-V900 dj cans used for record monitoring.

 

My suggestion would be, find a place where they sell studio headphones and try them out if you can.

On a personal note, my Sennheiser HD280 recently broke and I thought to myself that when I need a new pair anyways, I could try out the Beyerdynamics DT 770 Pro (250 Ohm). Got them as B-Ware, direct from Beyerdynamics (2 years warranty incl.) for about 120.- €

And I seriously love them!

 

(long-term) comfort is primary decisive point for me, AKG K702 and Beyerdynamic DT770 are great options as an example

 

Sennheiser HD650 for flat critical mixing/listening & Beyerdynamic DT 770 Pro for tracking/production... Just my opinion.

 

Totally depends on what you're using them for, but for mixing I love my open-back Audio Technica R70X. Have also heard good things about the whole Slate VSX system... though my AT's + sonarworks + canopener have been delivering the best mixes I've created so far.