Beyerdynamic DT 1990 Pro

 

Yeah those are great BUT the OP is specifically asking about closed backs.

 

What is the actual reason for deciding on closed back cans for mixing? An open box pair of these for $239 might change my mind about that:

https://store.hifiman.com/index.php...pO3zw5qZ0Q_6PUdElCwNYZewtMshFRbRoCo5gQAvD_BwE

 

DT 1770 Pro then.

Actually for mixing and mastering you need open headphones.
Closed headphones are mainly used for recording.

 

Might be a better use of your money to build a dedicated quiet booth, if you have the space and the technical inclination.

IDK how rockwool your money will buy where you are but maybe that's the solution that works out best. It's not a treated room but you can seriously reduce external noise in a small room with just a single layer and some framing. Could even be a quiet edit closet if it's a big enough closet.

 

Personally I couldn't imagine using anything other than VSX for mixing/mastering anymore unless you already have a well-treated, professional room and wouldn't be asking in the first place. The downside is you need the software.

I haven't used the VSX headphone models much so can't comment, but there are quite a few mentioned here already.

Prior to VSX I used the ATH-M40x (which I think are flatter vs. the 50x which are more flattering.) I also used Sony MDR-7506s for years and found them pretty comfortable and well built (aside from the earpads.) There's a reason they've survived for decades. Suitable for editing, but I wouldn't trust them for mixing.

 

From what I have read it will not matter that much since neither will give you the cross of the stereo field that is given by mastering with speakers. Now for me I use closed back to start the mastering and check on speakers afterwards.
This is just me and I am not a pro at all.

 

But his post was not about "generally". Although he did say 'mixing and mastering", his post just above yours explains it's a special case that makes blocking out external sounds more important than the differences.

@phloopy :
Maybe it is best to edit the title to indicate special use scenario. Unless people see your reply they continue to respond about normal mixing and mastering.

 

Last edited: Oct 10, 2023

Yes, it makes total sense, thanks for clarifying. Unfortunately, there is no such thing that I know of "that excludes all disturbing noise in the room," not for 250 Euros or less.

Your best options would be the Beyerdynamic DT 770 PRO, the Meze 99 Classics, the Fostex T40RPmk3 and, of course the Audio-Technica ATH-M50x.

My all-time favorite are the Sony MDR-7509 HDs, and their 'replacement', the MDR-7520s - but people either love them (keyboard players, usually, I find), or hate them (guitar players mostly, and female singers) - and they might be pricier than 250 Euros (or not - look it up on eBay, Reverb, etc - you might get lucky).

 

IEMs will keep the most sounds out because of how well they can seal out incoming sounds. There are plenty of nice ones that are way under $250. (and plenty of them way over, too)

 

Thanks for your advises @Balisani - very useful

 

Last edited: Oct 11, 2023

If you can push your budget to 299, you can go for the VSX, it got a very neutral sound and also got emulation of other heaphone (the room emulations are good too but I don't use them much).
I also got a DT770 which is very confortable and got a good sound (but less precise than the VSX), but it's less isolated from outside noise, so maybe not the best option for what you're looking for.

 

Don't wanna start another thread so I'll ask here.

I have the DT770 which I use with Sonarworks. What's the consensus on correction software? I know there's quite a few of them nowadays but haven't checked them out.

 

I love Fostex products, but I find the RP series inconsistent, there's a chance to buy a bad pair. I had multiple models that sometimes distorted heavily. I guess it depends on the air temperature/humidity, so the problems don't necessarily come out the first day.

From my experience, it's great on the low-end and midrange, but almost never works in the high frequencies. Too much unit-to-unit variations in this area, their average curves won't do it. It might sound dumb, but I had better results doing the calibration manually, with a single calibrated speaker for reference. I know that David Griesinger, an excellent researcher that worked for Lexicon, is an advocate of this method. Here's how he does it :

Also, Sonarworks uses a preference curve as their target, calculated from multiple users preferences. I don't think it is the right way to do it, especially for monitoring purposes. But they are quite transparent about that, and provide some white papers on their website. Here's a relevant data from them :



"In 1.99 million A/B comparisons calibrated targets on top of flat frequency response were chosen twice as often as the original headphone sound."

So yeah, it works for some people and some headphones, but not all of them. Trust whatever sounds right to you.

 

Last edited: Oct 11, 2023

Aw shucks. I feel like my hearing is prematurely weakened in high frequencies (spending hundreds of hours in underground metal clubs as a teenager most probably plays a part) so I'm always doubtful of myself when mixing in that range.

Thanks, that looks really interesting. Bookmarked for future tests.

The first time a track of mine was released on a label, I'd mixed it using cheap Sony headphones. I told the label guy I needed time to properly mix and master it, he said there was no need, it sounded fine.

I'd used them headphones for years at that point in my life, so they were my reference for how good music should sound

 

Austrian Audio Hi-X60 is my choice, perfectly suitable for mixing

 

You are using SoundID Reference? There are 4 calibration profiles for the DT770's and the different impedances available for that model. You can go through them and see how little they vary. You aren't using it for work as a QA engineer at a headphones manufacturer. People use multiple reference tracks all the time, are any of them "perfect" either? Of course not. Will it help? Yes. You can even just look at the curves and be aware of ranges you should pay closer attention to. Do a test of how much tolerance there really is or isn't; mix the same song twice. Null test your results.

 

1) The Best Headphones for Mixing and Mastering (ALL Models Compared)

2) Best Headphones for Mixing and Mastering: The Ultimate Buyer’s Guide [2023]
https://sonicscoop.com/best-headphones-for-mixing-and-mastering-the-ultimate-buyers-guide-2023/

 

Beyer dynamic DT770 250 Ohm for me too : best headphone buy i ever done
Perfect for mixing AND everything else.
Very detailed (stock) in the high mids/highs.

You can find parts everywhere AND they almost never breaks.
Unlike most AKG ... that's why i stopped using AKG.

Sony equivalent seems to be sturdy.

 

Closed = Audio Technica ATH-M50X
Open - Beyerdynamic DT990 Pro 250 Ohm

This is what I own, and all I've ever needed and would happily recommend either to anyone looking for headphones.