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Headphone question

I generally do not use headphones for listening, as I prefer my loudspeakers.  However, I do a lot of digitizing of my LPs (a long-term ongoing project).  For the last few years, I have been using Grado SR-60s to monitor the recordings I make on a Marantz pro-sumer CD recorder.  While these are very pleasant sounding headphones, they are a tad euphonic, warming up the mid-bass, and rolling off the treble.  This makes them great when listening for pleasure, but using them as monitors for recording tends to result in recordings that are too hot on top and too rolled off in the bass.  So I am thinking of looking for a new set of cans, one that would be more of a professional-style sonic balance, very revealing, and very flat in frequency response.  Sonic beauty is not the goal here; I want to hear everything being burned onto my CD-Rs, warts and all.  The headphone equivalent of studio-monitor loudspeakers is what I need.

I prefer over (around) the ear designs.  I do not need isolation, nor is bleed into the room an issue for me.

My ears tend to get sweaty with closed-back designs, so unless there is a closed-back design that avoids sweaty-ears, I would prefer open-back designs. 

Also, since I have a connection to a certain retailer, I can get big discounts on the brands this retailer carries, so I want to restrict my choices to one of these brands.  Also, since my budget for new cans is limited, I need to restrict my choices to headphones that have a street price of about $200 or less (less being better).

Here is a list of the brands from which I can choose, with most models from these manufacturers being available to me:

AKG
Sony
Sennheiser
Audio Technica
Shure
KRK
Fostex
Roland
Ultrasone
Grado
V-Moda
Direct Sound

Any adice would be very much appreciated!  Thanks.

bondmanp

Showing 4 responses by mapman

mapman's avatar
mapman
21,835 posts
 
Why not just record with no EQ and have a recording that is same as original? If source is Ortofon cart recording should be no brighter or different than otherwise, right?

Or if the cart is too bright to start, maybe something can be done there.

Once you have that you could even attempt to master your own alternate digital versions from there with the right software if you choose rather than banking on it during recording and possibly not getting it the way you want.

Just brainstorming....

On a side note, tonality of Sennheiser headphones in general remind me the most of OHM Walsh tonality, which by all accounts is typically pretty darn flat.  I always seem to levitate back to both no matter what over time.
mapman's avatar
mapman
21,835 posts
 
Bondman,

Are you applying equalization or any other processing during the recording?

There are many reasons why monitored sound might not sound or be an accurate representation of what is recorded, so I would hesitate to draw conclusions on that unless sure. For example I have an inexpensive phono A/D converter I bought that does a good job in teh A/D part but has lousy circuitry for monitoring via phones. I also have a Denon disc recorder that jsut always does a good job as long as peak levels are under control (meters on teh recorder show that). I have never even atempted to use the headphone jack on teh recorder though. I just know that once I set things up right I am getting a recording that is hard to distinguish from the original.

One of the major headphone sites (don’t recall which) publishes extensive lab measurements on most all popular headphones that I found most useful when choosing. That can at least help take that variable out of the equation. Most good quality phones designed for studio monitoring should do a good job, though there are still differences to help suit different needs.

Also remember that truly flat sound may sound rolled off on the high end to most older listeners over 50. Also that optimal human hearing is not flat so any sound source that is in fact flat may not sound that way.

My assessment of Sennheiser house sound from over the years is that the top end is fairly accurate and  may sound somewhat rolled off accordingly whereas alternate house sounds may provide a boost in the high end and often sound flatter even though they are not.  Audio Technica house sound tends to lean more that way for example.



mapman's avatar
mapman
21,835 posts
 
I do not have SR-60s but do have px100 II and px 200 II.   One open back one sealed but both with similar Sennheiser tonality.

I also have over ear Sennheiser Momentum phones which bump up the low end a tad for the masses but otherwise are typical higher end Sennheiser home (not pro) sound to my ears
mapman's avatar
mapman
21,835 posts
 
Yes I've read the Sonys are very highly regarded phones for studio monitoring.

You want pro gear for that, not gear designed for private use.  Does not matter the brand.

GO to a local Guitar Center.   They usually carry most of the most likely pro audio headphone candidate models including Sennheiser, Shure, Audio Technica, Sony and others.
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