Looking for budget monitor headphones

Discussion in 'Soundgear' started by monochrom3, Oct 20, 2014.

  1. monochrom3

    monochrom3 Ultrasonic

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    Hey audiosex :)

    I just recently moved from my parent's house into my very first apartment. While I was still living with my parents, I usually had no problem blasting music loud even later in the evening because 1) it was in the countryside and 2) my parents had their bedroom in the story above my room. Now though, I'm living in an attic floor apartment in the city, so loud music at late hours is a no-go if I want to keep a clean criminal record :wink:

    So, as the title says, I'm searching for a low-price (maximum 70€) pair of headphones that still offer enough sound quality (and preferably a relatively linear frequency response) for mixing and mastering my stuff! Have you got any suggestions for me?

    Thanks in advance!
     
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  3. realitybytez

    realitybytez Audiosexual

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    there are other similar threads on here with plenty of opinions and great discussions.

    my recommendation is the shure srh440. you'll find these headphones in a lot of pro studios. in the u.s. i can buy them for $99 on amazon. that converts to less than 70 pounds easily, but when i checked the price on amazon.uk.co they were way more than 70 pounds. so you may have to shop around a little.
     
  4. Evorax

    Evorax Rock Star

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    Are you sure that the ones you'll find in a lot of pro studios aren't the "SRH840" model? SRH440 & SRH840 looks very similar. That can be misleading a bit.
     
  5. CapnCrunch

    CapnCrunch Newbie

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    I have tried alot of headphones for recording/mixing/mastering and hands down Sony MDR-7506 is the clear winner.I picked up a pair used for $60 USD.Make sure they are genuine Made in Japan because there are alot of knockoff's out there made in China and are not the same sound quality.
     
  6. uber909

    uber909 Member

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    Sure, the SRH840 is a professional pair of cans, while the SRH440 is a real step down. Two very different horses, really.

    I'll recommend the ubiquitous Audio Technica ATH-M50.
    You can't go wrong with that. Plus, now that they've introduced the M50X, you might find good bargain on the original model :wink:
     
  7. coolbeanz

    coolbeanz Platinum Record

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    +1 for the Sony MDR-7506. came here to suggest those also. *yes*

    ...but the ear cushions that come with them SUCK, won't lie...lol. they fall apart very early. if u get the 7506's, invest in the Pearstone velour ear cushions; they'll last for years. cost abt $20 for a pair.
     
  8. jayxflash

    jayxflash Guest

    These are great for music making: GMP 8.35 D Monitor (€ 165)

    [​IMG]


    http://www.german-maestro-shop.de/epages/61902279.sf/en_GB/?ObjectPath=/Shops/61902279/Products/%22GMP%208.35%20D%20Monitor%22
     
  9. thantrax

    thantrax Audiosexual

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    Sony MDR-7506 :grooves:
     
  10. lyric8

    lyric8 Producer

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    Yess I have 3 pairs of the Sony and yes the cushion pads do suck but you can buy the replacement pads at Amazon for cheap
     
  11. d32r

    d32r Member

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    I have MDR-7506. They are great Headphones but for mixing I find the Soundstage pretty narrow. I much prefer my Sennheiser HD600's. They are the closest I have ever heard Headphones get to a pair of Monitors. You can actually take them off your head and your are instantly in the same ball park!
     
  12. rickbarratt

    rickbarratt Producer

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    You shouldn't find any headphones in any studio. apart from tracking. and even then the standard is DT100

    Monitors are ALWAYS the best choice. for many many reasons.

    but +1 for the Sennheiser 280 Pro, i have a pair and the frequency response is relatively flat and comfortable and they're closed back so the bass is well contained.

    BUT they do cause ear fatigue rather quickly.

    but headphones are like girlfriends and you should never ask for recommendations about headphones or monitors.
    what might work for you might not work for anyone else, go to a shop and play some music you know VERY well. and decide from there.
     
  13. shike

    shike Noisemaker

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    So new headphones for 70 euros maximum,check out Audio-Technica M30 or 40.
     
  14. Pm5

    Pm5 Ultrasonic

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    I don't think there's such thing as : "budget monitor headphone" (you can only pick 2 of these words)

    HD25 are nice though (about 200$)
     
  15. korte1975

    korte1975 Guest

    sony mdr-xd200
     
  16. Guitarmaniac64

    Guitarmaniac64 Platinum Record

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    I agree but i use headphones as a complement if i want to check some panning issues and sometimes when i need to hear some "sounds" really well.
    But as soon as that is done i take of your cans and listen to the monitors again.
    And your so right about what works for you might not work for me..
    It is the same with microphones and many other stuff in the audio world aswell..

    I
     
  17. Abacus

    Abacus Newbie

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    These were recommended to be my mix engineer lecturer: Beyerdynamic DT990 Pro

    I thought the guy was full of shit because I was prepared to spend 5x the price like I did with my previous set of headphones.

    Only $220 on Amazon. [Edit: I only just realised you said 70€, but I'll leave this post here since these headphones weren't mentioned]

    Best 'budget' purchase I've made so far for my home studio. I use them over my more expensive set of headphones as I find them to sound more like my monitor speakers (Mackie MR8s).

    [​IMG]
     
  18. realitybytez

    realitybytez Audiosexual

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    i did a lot of research before selecting them. i honestly don'y feel like doing it again.

    are they the best headphones in the world? no of course not. but the o.p. stated a specific budget, and most of the responses on this thread are for cans costing more than double the budget. how is that helpful at all?

    and to those who think you can't mix a commercial album in headphones i just don't know what to say. it has been done successfully many times. you have to check your mixes on a variety of speakers, but yes, you can mix on headphones.
     
  19. theDingus

    theDingus Audiosexual

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    I would recommend this set as well. Great cans at a great price.
     
  20. supersharpshooter

    supersharpshooter Member

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    +1 on the Beyer DT 990 pro. I bought them, and they are amazing for the money.

    They have come down in price recently as well. They're open back, so not the best for recording but open-back give a better bass response.

    I'd go for 250ohm headphones, 600 ohm would need a headphone amp.

    As an aside, the producer 'Mistabishi' made his album 'Drop' on the Beyer DT 990 pro headphones...

    It's worth spending a little bit more than your budget because you do pay for what you get with headphones, not worth goin too cheap imo.
     
  21. rhythmatist

    rhythmatist Audiosexual

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    holy crap, Batman. here's another thread on cans. Personal experience with opinions added: 1st. Most reputable brands work fine(AKG, AudioTechnica, Sennheiser are my favs. CAD's suck.) 2nd. although there are a lot of things that say "best for the money" you still get what you pay for including different models of the same brand.. 3rd. I like my ATM-50's, because they sound pretty close to what I will hear when I switch to my KRK10-3 Rockit studio monitors. 4th. headphones are tools. Ones that work for studio monitoring may not be the best for mix monitoring, and for personal listening, another style may be better. I really like an open back Sennheiser for personal listening, especially orchestral music. Beethoven would have loved 'em. 5th. mixing on headphones masks any phase cancellation problems that may appear when you run in stereo through speakers.
     
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