Open headphones for mixing, playing guitar, editing
Mar 29, 2021 at 7:14 AM Thread Starter Post #1 of 11
I

itsjoeseph

New Head-Fier
Joined
Mar 29, 2021
Posts
5
Likes
0
Location
Sweden
Hello!

I'm looking to replace my Superlux HD 668B headphones with something more accurate and more comfortable.
Main use would be video editing, playing guitar through computer, some music production for fun and occasional gaming.

I would like to be able to produce sounds that would sound somewhat right with other systems too. The Superlux headphones seems to not do that.

Budget 200 EUR/250 USD

I'm using Focusrite Scarlett 2i4 gen 1 audio interface. I think it will handle 200 ohms max.

So far I've found interesting only AKG K-702.
 
Mar 29, 2021 at 7:46 AM Post #2 of 11
At that price range I would recommend a pair of HifiMan HE400i. They have a pretty neutral sound which would be great for mixing. It's an easy to drive planar so you can run them off your audio interface easily. they are also very fast and detailed so if you have them insane Michael Angelo Batio guitar shreds you'll
be able to hear all your notes clean and precise.
 
Last edited:
Mar 29, 2021 at 7:55 AM Post #3 of 11
Old Dirty Puppy said:
At that price range I would recommend a pair of HifiMan 400i. They have a pretty neutral sound which would be great for mixing. It's an easy to drive planar so you can run them off your audio interface easily. they are also very fast and detailed so if you have them insane Michael Angelo Batio guitar shreds you'll
be able to hear all your notes clean and precise.
Click to expand...

Thanks, I'll check them out. No need to worry about those shreds though.
 
Mar 30, 2021 at 2:22 AM Post #5 of 11
Mar 30, 2021 at 12:21 PM Post #6 of 11
Most headphones intended for monitoring / editing are going to be closed backs.
 
Mar 30, 2021 at 7:43 PM Post #7 of 11
itsjoeseph said:
I've looked at those also but they are closed-back and that's not something I'm currently thinking about.
Click to expand...
My suggestion was based on a pretty flat frequency curve which is what most monitors lean towards. I don’t have any experience with the AKG K612 like I do with the Sony’s, but I do know they are highly rated. My only grief with open-back headphones for monitor purposes is sounds in the environment can delay production speeds.
 
Mar 31, 2021 at 7:51 AM Post #9 of 11
You do see more studio headphones on the market that are close back and it makes sense for sound isolation reasons, I guess. But if you are not worried about noise from your environment open backs are fine to mix with. Plus I feel like most of the actual studio headphones I have seen and heard, I wouldn't want to use in my own personal projects. While mixing and editing for hours I value comfort above all. After that I want a fairly neutral sound signature. My go to headphones for mixing are my HD6XX, which I love for their comfort even though I realize the are too mid forward. Now when it comes to those Sony MDR headphones, I personally wouldn't pick them just because their pads look super cheap and uncomfortable. When it comes to the K702 I don't remember how they sound, it's been many years since I've tried them. My friend had a pair of the lime green Quincy Jones K702 and I thought they were really cool, until I put them on and realized how dorky you look with them on.
Anyways when I read your post I got the sense that you were looking for a good all rounder headphone that you can work and play with, that is open back. I still think the HiFiMan HE400i might be the best option that can meet all your needs at that price range. My close second might be a pair of HD6XX. They have are extremely comfortable to wear for long periods of time. They are a bit more mid forward and don't have a big sound stage, which is a bit of a knock on them if you want to use them for mixing. But those sweet mids would make your guitar sound amazing.
Anyways good luck on finding the right set of headphones for you!
 
Mar 31, 2021 at 8:03 AM Post #10 of 11
Old Dirty Puppy said:
You do see more studio headphones on the market that are close back and it makes sense for sound isolation reasons, I guess. But if you are not worried about noise from your environment open backs are fine to mix with. Plus I feel like most of the actual studio headphones I have seen and heard, I wouldn't want to use in my own personal projects. While mixing and editing for hours I value comfort above all. After that I want a fairly neutral sound signature. My go to headphones for mixing are my HD6XX, which I love for their comfort even though I realize the are too mid forward. Now when it comes to those Sony MDR headphones, I personally wouldn't pick them just because their pads look super cheap and uncomfortable. When it comes to the K702 I don't remember how they sound, it's been many years since I've tried them. My friend had a pair of the lime green Quincy Jones K702 and I thought they were really cool, until I put them on and realized how dorky you look with them on.
Anyways when I read your post I got the sense that you were looking for a good all rounder headphone that you can work and play with, that is open back. I still think the HiFiMan HE400i might be the best option that can meet all your needs at that price range. My close second might be a pair of HD6XX. They have are extremely comfortable to wear for long periods of time. They are a bit more mid forward and don't have a big sound stage, which is a bit of a knock on them if you want to use them for mixing. But those sweet mids would make your guitar sound amazing.
Anyways good luck on finding the right set of headphones for you!
Click to expand...

Yes you are on point with everything and thanks for taking the time to write. I'm going to check if i can try those HiFiman's somewehere.
 
Mar 31, 2021 at 8:42 AM Post #11 of 11
itsjoeseph said:
Yes you are on point with everything and thanks for taking the time to write. I'm going to check if i can try those HiFiman's somewehere.
Click to expand...
If you don't mind exploiting Amazon's return policy. You can buy them, try them out and return them if you don't like them. You can just make up a BS reason, sorry Grado...... finding places to try out audio gear can be a pain in the ass
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Users who are viewing this thread

Total: 2 (members: 0, guests: 2)
Back
Top