Hi all, I hope I am posting in the correct section.
I am looking to buy a pair of headphones for my boyfriend for xmas. As a person with limited recording knowledge this is a bit overwhelming. I have been doing a bit of research around here, but figured I might as well just ask you guys directly.
Bf has a home studio. He does commercial music work as well as recording/mixing his band’s music. We live in an apartment, so he often has to do work on headphones and I know would appreciate a better pair than he has now.
What headphones do you guys recommend? (under $300 if possible)
The ones I have been looking at are the [ATH-M50] and [Sennheiser HD 598] or 580. The 600’s seem to be mentioned here a lot, but those are a bit out of my budget.
My other question is, what is the benefit to the open back headphones versus closed? When would you choose one over the other? Is one more industry standard than the other?
Great idea for a gift to a musician! I bought the ATH-M50x a year ago and absolutely love them. They are musically trustworthy! AND very affordable so you can add something else under the Christmas tree if you wish These are CLOSED style which are best for keeping external noise from disturbing him while he’s working. It also keeps his music from leaking out so he doesn’t disturb you during the late hours. Open back are supposed to be a bit more pure sonically, however, they do not keep the external noise out like the closed models. So Open back are a tough way to go if you are in the same room while he is working. Good luck!
I concur - get the the ATH-M50x, been using them for some time now as studio headphones and they are absolutely brilliant. Your bf will love them - and you too
ATH M50X are good headphones but a bit muddy in low and mid-low range. They have closed back construction, which means they’re trapping pressure inside the headphones so its frequency response may be not very accurate.
I’d recommend to save a few bucks and go for HD600. These have phenomenal frequency responce + they’re open back, which is much better when it comes to mixing. You won’t regret it!
I used to love my ATH m50 (without the x), but then I “upgraded” to a DT 770 pro 250 ohms.
Closed… so not the best, but less “muddy” than my ATH, and I love it, more confortable to wear for hours.
Now, it tends to be somehow “larger than life” as far as stereo placement… but it helps me hear some details my ATH m50 was not catching.
You could also consider to get Sonarworks Headphone Edition for a flat representation of the audio that are you mixing, if you want only mix with headphone
These are CLOSED style which are best for keeping external noise from disturbing him while he’s working. It also keeps his music from leaking out so he doesn’t disturb you during the late hours. Open back are supposed to be a bit more pure sonically, however, they do not keep the external noise out like the closed models. So Open back are a tough way to go if you are in the same room while he is working. Good luck!
