Topic: Nice Can! What cans are you using?

[newplanet7]

Couple of personal questions:
1) Just wondering what everyone is using these days?
2) Also was wondering if you all have multiple different pairs  for different purposes?
For example if you use a pair at the show (for monitoring) do you have yet another pair to at home (for post work, mixing, general playback
3)  What are the three most important characteristics you check off before you purchase?                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                               

My answers are:
1) Sony MDR-V6  OLD SCHOOL
2) This is the only pair I use regularly, (casual and critical listening)
3) The very first two things that I check off in my head after physically having a pair in my presence are durability.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                       

[moooose]

1) Audio Technica ATH-PRO700 SV, Beyerdynamic DT 770 Pro
2) ATs are for monitoring during recording, Beyers for playback/listening
3) Audio quality, Comfort, Durability

[page]

1) Denon D7000 (markl-moded and recupped)
2) Just the Denons for home listening. Used to have a set of Westone UM3X w/ custom tips for monitoring or listening in noisy environments, but I sold those.
3) Generally in order starting with most important; Speaker-like tonal balance (bonus points for a flatter response), micro detail reproduction, liquidity of sound (which eliminates most Sennheisers), comfort, meshs well with the rest of my playback gear (impedance hiss, amp requirements, etc).

If I didn't have the Denon's I'd get a pair of Audeze LCD-2 or a set of Stax.

[taperj]

1) BeyerDynamic DT-880 PRO
2) This is the only pair I use (used for some mastering tasks or latenight listening so I don't bug my neighbors)
3) Audio Quality, Comfort, Durability

[Gutbucket]

Senn HD650 (circumaural) -home use, recreational listening, critical listening checks, post work: zero isolation, great sound, high Z.

Etymotic ER4S (in ear, w/foam plug mod for max islolation & bass) -for use requiring isolation and small portability (like location monitoring): excellent passive isolation & very good sound, lean bass, foams makes it a PITA to put them in and out frequently, high Z.

Audio Technica ATH-ANC3 (in-ear) -kept in my office for occasional day use, travel phones: active cancellation isolation, acceptable sound, not particularly flat response, quick easy in-out, low Z. (The active noise cancellation works very well. I was hoping it would work to cancel deep bass for show monitoring when used with foam plugs.  Results were really promising with very flat attenuation, but the cancellation circuit doesn't have enough headroom and clips for situations where it is really needed)

Sony MDR-V6 (circumaural) -home recoridng moitoring when isolation is required, my old go-to phones: 20+ years old with major wear on these, decent isolation, decent sound, workhourse phones.


For the record, I've not been a fan of the Grado or AKG sound as they seem too hot in the midrange or low trebble and not flat enough for my hearing response.  Never tried Denons or Beyers, love to have a set of Stax, my ultimate non-portable would be the Smyth Realizer system which includes entry level Stax.  Was personally HRTF calibrated by the developer and it blew my mind, indistinguishable from speaker sourced music in the calibration room.

Important  considerations: sound quality (flat response for my ears, detail; if open phones then also apparent depth, stage, extension, dynamics, etc), comfort, cost, specific use considerations (best isolation for monitoring, easy in-out if required, best sound quality for home phones).

[jlykos]

1.) Audio-Technica ATH-M50, Westone 2
2.) I don't use anything at the show.  ATs for mastering, Westones for portable listening.  I would never use cans at a show; IEMs all the way (if I were to use anything).
3.) Sound quality, comfort, durability

[Belexes]

1) Beyerdynamic DT 770 Pro
2) Home use only. Portables are a pair of Koss Portapro used with my MP3 player.
3) Audio quality, Comfort, Durability

I love a good set of cans.

[page]

For the record, I've not been a fan of the Grado or AKG sound as they seem too hot in the midrange or low trebble and not flat enough for my hearing response.  Never tried Denons or Beyers, love to have a set of Stax,

The Denons, Beyers, and Senns are all darker then the AKGs and Grados (which I don't like, not enough stuff under 400hz to be realistic without a dark amp driving them)

There is something in the upper registers with Sennheiser's house sound that does me in. The best I can explain it is in the 5-8khz range when you hear a hi-hat, it's like there is a touch of sand that is rolling around in it. I notice it on both the HD600s and 650s, but it's almost completely gone in the HD800s (which has a peak around 6k or so that I don't like). That's the liquid remark I made.

my ultimate non-portable would be the Smyth Realizer system which includes entry level Stax.  Was personally HRTF calibrated by the developer and it blew my mind, indistinguishable from speaker sourced music in the calibration room.

I remember you posting about that. I lust after that, and baring that, an SPL Phonitor if I weren't going the Stax route.

Btw, if anyone gets a chance and is interested in what a bunch of headphones sound like, I recommend finding the next head-fi meet-up in your area and showing up. It's the easiest way to take a bit of material that you know extremely well and run it through a bunch of headphones in one sitting to make notes about what you prefer and why.

[Fatah Ruark (aka MIKE B)]

I have 2 sets of cans now.

1) Grado SR80's (need some loving...loose connection in the cable). Love them to death. Couldn't believe a $100 set of headphones could sound sooooo goood. Sometimes it would be nice if they weren't an open air design.
2) Senn. HD280Pro. Don't like the sound quite as much as the Grado's but I can really crank them without pissing anyone off. They are a little uncomfortable for long periods though.

Also have the Etymotic e6i and mc5's for when I'm on the go. Both are really nice. Really nice when you're in a noisy environment like an airplane.

Plan on picking up the Beyer DT 990's soon. Tried them in NYC a few months ago and loved them.

[newplanet7]

What's the deal with open and closed? I have never really researched headphones or anything. Can someone give me a quick what when why with open and closed?

[Fatah Ruark (aka MIKE B)]

With open people will be easily be able to hear what you're listening to. I'm somewhat limited with experience between the two types, but from that limited experience I like open cans better.

[bgalizio]

I have 3 sets that get regular use:

iGrado - for work. Our cubes are far enough away that the open design is OK, and that lets me hear when someone is talking to me.
Etymotic ER6 - for travel. Fitted with my musicians ear plugs for a custom fit.
Sony MDR-V6 - for general home use.

[absnj]

Any suggestions on Beyer DT770 vs. DT880?  If I am driving them with my PC for mastering, do I need the 32 ohm version?

[page]

Grado SR80's Love them to death.

If you liked those, consider the Alessandro MS-1. Same sound signature but most who try both prefer it. A small company in NYC uses the drivers out of the SR80 as their starting point.

I tried a pair once. I can understand why folks like the Grado sound, but it wasn't for me.

Also have the Etymotic e6i and mc5's for when I'm on the go. Both are really nice. Really nice when you're in a noisy environment like an airplane.

I had the ER6 for years, I thought they sounded great behind a tube amp that had slightly dark tubes.

Any suggestions on Beyer DT770 vs. DT880?  If I am driving them with my PC for mastering, do I need the 32 ohm version?

yes, you probably want the lowest ohm you can get if you're not using a headphone amp (depending on the ohm output of your soundcard).

[acidjack]

1) Just wondering what everyone is using these days?

Audio Technica ATH-M50, Westone 3, Shure E3C

2) Also was wondering if you all have multiple different pairs  for different purposes?

AT's for mastering, Westones for on-the-go listening, Shures really as a backup and for monitoring at show (a practice I find useless 90% of the time, other than to just be sure everything is actually working...)
For example if you use a pair at the show (for monitoring) do you have yet another pair to at home (for post work, mixing, general playback

3)  What are the three most important characteristics you check off before you purchase?           

Sound quality, price, recommendations on TS.com(!)

[John Willett]

Open cans for mixing and editing are: Sennheiser HD 800

Closed cans for battery portables and listening to detail: Sennheiser HD 25-1

[tgakidis]

Open Cans: AKG K701

Closed Cans: Sony MDR-7506

Portable Cans: shure ear buds (can't remember the model #)

[rjp]

Most of my listening: E-MU 0404 USB -> Beyerdynamic DT 770 Pro (80 ohm)
Portable or laptop in a quiet environment: Grado SR60
Portable or laptop in a noisy environment: Sony MDR-NC60 (noise cancelling)
Nostalgia: Koss Pro-4AAA

Even at 80 ohms, the Beyers need more power than a laptop or portable player can dish out. The E-MU box puts out just enough juice that I don't need a dedicated headphone amp.

I like both the Beyer and Grado sound profiles, but the DT 770s win in the bass department.

As for the Koss cans, I need to find new ear cushions - the old ones are about as hard as rocks now. Otherwise, they sound quite good.

[Gutbucket]

Page, thanks for the detail on the 'sand' what you hear in the Senns. 

And great recommendation on hitting a Head-Fi meet to hear various cans with your own material. I stopped by a national one here about 4 years back which is where I demoed the Smyth setup.  I walked in with a list of cans to audition, an R-09 loaded with my recordings and some good commercial material I know well.  Didn't get to listen to nearly as many of the phones on my list as I would like, but enough to decide that I liked Stax, that the AKG and Grados models I did get to try didn't work for me (others might) and that I'd be happy going with the HD650 for a while.  Loads of esoteric gear there that was cool to see, but didn't really help me in my quest.

Those serious headphone guys are freakier than we are!

I didn't get to hear any Beyers.  I know some Beyers are available in both high and low impedance versions, but besides that, what is the differentiation between the 770, 880 990?

[page]

Those serious headphone guys are freakier than we are!

I've never met such a high concentration of people who would blow cash on that last mile. I thought we were bad, we're logical comparatively.

[jbou]

ATH-M50

I use them for home/ casual listening.

I picked them up because of the sound quality, low price, they looked comfortable, and were recommended by a number of people here.

[M]

Beyer dt990 pro for home and Sony 7506 for out of home.

I'm not really good at describing sounds but I like the sound of the Beyers quite a bit better even tho they aren't flat like the Sonys. The Beyers are super comfy too!

[bhadella]

Grado SR60's at home.   

Etymotic ER6i's on the road.

[DigiGal]

Sony MDR-7506 with velour ear pads (collapsable sealed-ear)

AKG K240M (around the ear semi-open)

Sennheiser PX100 (collapsable walkman style)

Sennheiser CX300P (in-ear buds)


Interested in picking up a pair of custom ear-mold buds for iPod Listening & Location Recording use but no idea which ones to go with yet, maybe Etymotic?

[page]

Interested in picking up a pair of custom ear-mold buds for iPod Listening & Location Recording use but no idea which ones to go with yet, maybe Etymotic?

Etymotic, Westone, and I think Ultimate Ears will all do custom tips. The first two have tips that connect to the stock IEMs, not sure if UE has in that regard. The Westone's have more bass than the Etys (and IMHO more detail, but also cost more). Etymotic's only earbud that works this was is the ER6 as far as I know. The 4 series won't unless they've done something in the last couple years. Westone and UE will also encase a set of drivers in a custom mold instead of just tips.

Also, if you're a baller, the *best* IEMs come from JHenry. If I ever went back to IEMs it would be a set of JHenry 13. You pay for what you get though. 

[JonG]

AKG K701 #29959 all the time.

I listen for audio quality, paper specs included, above all, followed by feeling for comfort, and looking for aesthetics.  Audio encompasses so many things, however, so it's natural that that is the most important.



More photos can be seen, here.

[kirk97132]

Only use Sony 7506/V6/V600  all the same  On my 4th pair now.

[newplanet7]

Only use Sony 7506/V6/V600  all the same  On my 4th pair now.

Ha! I was wondering what the major differences were. I have the v6.
I love 'em but they are old.

[easyed]

Any suggestions on Beyer DT770 vs. DT880?  If I am driving them with my PC for mastering, do I need the 32 ohm version?

your question is about the difference between the 770 and the 880 but here is info about the difference between the two 770 models
from http://europe.beyerdynamic.com/service/faqs/kopfhoerer.html#fo1928

"Both DT 770 PRO and DT 770 M are basically one and the same headphone and also for similar applications.

The difference between these two models though, is as follows:
1. The DT 770 PRO has so called "Bass-Relfex-Openings" at the side of each housing to make sure the diaphragm can "breath", causing a better reproduction of low- and high frequencies (since the diaphragm can move a lot easier). A small amount of isolation against ambient noise has to be sacrificed for the better sound. The DT 770 M doesn't have these openings, therefore sounds slightly "thinner" (slightly less low end), but offers up to 35 dB(A) of ambient noise isolation. That's why the DT 770 M is prefererd by drummers (like the German drummer Ralf Gustke) or percussionists (like the young percussionist Farouk Gomati).
2. The DT 770 PRO is equipped with silver velours ear pads for better wearing comfort and cooler ears. The DT 770 M is equipped with the so called "Soft-Skin" ear pads to provide maximum isolation of ambient noise.

Conclusion:
DT 770 PRO is for studio use where sound quality has a higher priority than the isolation of ambient noise.
DT 770 M is also for studio use, put for those to whom the isolation of ambient noise if most important.

The DT 770 M also includes the DT-Bag."

My needs: 1) accuracy (flat response) 2) durability 3) comfort

My preferences?

I own Sony 7506's and only use them as a backup.

I love my Beyerdynamic DT770M's.  So comfortable, very good sound, use them for monitoring when doing multitrack recordings of live shows.

Have a pair of KRK KNS6400's as backup/comparison for monitoring when doing multitrack recordings of live shows.   Good sound, not quite as comfortable as the Beyers.

At home, for sound editing or gaming, Sennheiser HD580's.   Very comfortable.

When listening to music on my Blackberry phone while taking a walk, have inexpensive earbuds.

[George]

Couple of personal questions:
1) Mostly Koss KSC75's because they sound fantastic for the price.  I also own a pair of Shure SE535's which I want to sell due to fit issues, Sennheiser HD580's, Grado SR60's and Sony MDR 7506's.

2) I never wear cans at a live show, not even iem's...I seriously doubt I would hear much of anything to be able to monitor a recording.  My go to cans for monitoring a transfer at home are the Sony's.  They provide some isolation and my ears are very familiar with their sound signature.

3)  Hard question really.  I don't really look at frequency graphs.  I may read some reviews on headphone.com and head-fi and then decide to order something based on that alone...pretty much a blind purchase.  Of course, the descriptions of how they sound will help me decide a bit.  I once purchased a pair of Sennheiser electrostatic headphones (Baby Orpheus) from England for $800 with only the slightest clue of how they sounded after trying them at a head-fi meet for 15 minutes.  Best purchase ever.  They sounded phenomenal.     

[DSatz]

I use Sennheiser HD 280 Pro headphones for their excellent isolation. This is important to me because without it, one is forced to turn up the volume to be certain that one is hearing the cans rather than the live sound in the room--and such high levels of sound exposure over time can be quite damaging to one's hearing, so more isolation is better for the long term. I really don't think very highly of the sound quality of these 'phones, but with a few weeks of practice I became able to work with them well enough.

Prior to that I used the Sony MDR-V6 phones, which have elevated low-mid response and are thus very good for detecting any hum in a recording setup. When I was a studio engineer that was an important part of my responsibility, while all final EQ decisions were made over monitor loudspeakers. But when I went back to live recording, that same artificial impression of plentiful low end caused me to make rather thin-sounding live recordings, so I abandoned the Sonys.

Before that, for many years I used Beyer DT-48s which again are not pleasant but very truthful, and have good isolation although not nearly as good as the Sennheiser 280s.

If Koss still made their ESP-9 series of electrostatic headphones, those would get my vote for most truthful of all that I've heard. But with their weight and the need for a power amplifier and a separate interface/charger, they're rather inconvenient for live recordings, and anyway I don't think they're available any more.

--best regards

[edtyre]

I use Senn 580's for mastering/mixing on the computer......very comfy and have a neutral sound,not colored at all.
Also Senn 650's for casual listening when i can't use my speakers for audio or home theater.
Shure SE530 earbuds for portable listening.

[alpine85]

AKG K-240-DF cans (semi-open) - very accurate and balanced, not fatiguing at all,  but they need LOTS of power to drive them.  (they won't work with a typical headphone output from a laptop or portable device)

Sennheiser HD-595 cans (open) - extremely comfortable, highly efficient (loud), good detail, slightly on the bright side

Etymotic ER-6i (buds) - great isolation, great sound overall, but get a little fatiguing after a while (I can only take so much of having anything in my ear).  I don't do much monitoring in the field, but if I did these would work great

[Duconlajoie]

Sorry for that silly question but cans mean headphones?

[newplanet7]

yep. kids and their slang   

[Duconlajoie]

Thanks. My english is not perfect.

[Belexes]

Cans also mean something else: http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=cans

For that other meaning, we'd have to travel to the Sewer.

[Chilly Brioschi]

Sennheiser HD-600 for home
Sennheiser PX-250 II for  planes / trains / noisy server rooms
Sennheiser HD-414 for impressing the chicks, baby     
Sennheiser HD-280 at the office (fed by a hacked Benchmark HPA-2 amp sans DAC)

Do you see a reoccurring theme here?           

[Brian Skalinder]

• AKG K-501 for home / extended listening.  The detail and comfort (these are truly circumaural) far exceeds that of my other cans.
• Sony MDR-7506 for field recording of un-amplified sources and general home listening when I need closed cans.  While marketed as circumaural, for me, they're not really (maybe I have freakishly large / lumpy / deep ears, but I don't think so.)
• Etymotic ER-6 with custom earplug molds for field recording and travel / on-the-go listening.  Tiny, comfy, good enough sound quality.