Bass response is most important element to me as my current studio monitors are 5 inchers (JBL LSR305's), so getting an accurate representation of sub-frequencies isn't great. Also looking for comfort, accurate stereo image and revealing frequency response all-around.
I work from home so i'm less concerned about leakage, super-durability or travel-ability.

My current headphones are AKG 44's, and they're the only ones i've ever owned, so that's my only reference/experience when it comes to headphones, for whatever that's worth.

I know $150 US isn't a lot, and maybe i can go up to $200 if the jump in quality is worthwhile enough, so let me know if there are quality headphones that are slightly above my budget too. But keep in mind i am a low income earner, so bang for buck is what i'm seeking here.

Any advice would be greatly appreciated!!

I'd take a Beyerdynamic DT-770 for that price. 80 or 250 ohm version.

The Audio-Technica ATH-M40X are great value & used a lot for budget Cans which are reasonably accurate & flat.
If you want some extra oomph in the highs & lows then the Audio-Technica ATH-M50X are great also but slightly hyped in the bottom/top end.
I have both & use the 50X's when I want to check for any low end flubber in a Mix.
They're both great for tracking but I do find the 50X's more comfortable to wear for long periods of time.
The Sony MDR-7506 Headphones are meant to be quite a good budget set of Cans but I haven't used them.
I'm going to purchase a pair soon because they're a decent cheap all rounder. [So I'm told]

Why so? What's your experience with them?

@ Barncore
it's very comfortable for extended period of working, nice bass response (a little bit hyped, but not as much as ATH-M50), works very well with headphone out on most interfaces. The 600 ohm version needs a good headphone amp to drive.
I have three headphones, and the DT-770 has become my first choice for mixing.
The others are: DT-880 (open-back, mostly used for final checking or casual listening) and MDR-7506 (good for monitoring/tracking, revealing but kinda tiring).

Cheaper alternative with good low freq response and also comfortable: Sennheiser HD280 Pro

I suppose every sub 1000$ headphone gets a nomination in these kind of threads..

Some people like AKG k240's.. I've had a pair for 15 years, so at least they are pretty durable (but I paid almost 3x what they cost now days). I'm OK checking stuff with them if I'm not at studio.

Remember that some cans need a proper amp to sound good..

Nice buddy picture in your avatar btw

Audio Technica's M-50s should do well for you and are at the price point you mentioned. FWIW

Thanks for the responses guys.

I didn't know that some headphones require amps. Excuse the noob question, but do imac desktop computers have inbuilt amps for headphones?
Also, i have a TASCAM US-1800 interface - i assume that has an amp to run any headphone, right?

SENNHEISER HD 580 PRECISION HEADPHONES 615104041950 | eBay

Sennheiser HD-280. They go down to about 8Hz. I kid you not. You don't hear the stuff, you feel it.

Grado.

Grado Labs - Prestige Series

jt

Thanks for the responses guys. What has been your experience with the headphones you suggest?

What do you guys think about open-back headphones vs closed-back headphones? I'm reading that open-back have better sound quality than closed-back. Is that true? If so, i want that. I don't mind about sound isolation, because the headphones wont be used for tracking. They're for mixing/mastering.

https://soundcloud.com/daicehawk/you-only-live-once
https://soundcloud.com/daicehawk/yhkrx8y7reji
Produced recorded mixed in hd580.

@ Barncore
Read here about headphones impedance (ohm rating) : https://www.turntablelab.com/pages/h...hone-impedance
Your iMac and Tascam should be powerful enough to drive any of the headphones mentioned here.
Open-back generally sounds more 'roomy/spacey' and open, kinda gives the feeling of listening thru your speakers, but not necessarily better.

Hi all. Good thread. I've been looking at phones -to add into the worn but working few I have. But I want to through a double headed question in, Re; 'accuracy, and 'correction software.
Seems here- indicates almost none are particularly flat.
HeadRoom Headphone Graph Comparison Tool
And here, we have Sonarworks (there may be others) with a claimed solution to address that.
https://www.sonarworks.com/headphones
The room correction part of it- no thank you. But headphones -a 'stationary target, I'm intrigued. I have not gotten around to pursuing it yet.

BTW understand there is no "accurate representation" of whatever disregarding the rest of the spectrum\mix. You cannot perceive the whole picture correctly by having one part right and the rest completely out of the balance and\or having a major flaw (like an ideally linear bass at 200 and below down to 30 Hz and all the rest 10 dB quieter with a 10 dB 1kHz peak and a 10 dB 5 kHz dip). In my experience, all dynamic headphones require bass boost in the sub-bass range.

The MDR-7506 is like using an SM-57. It's so ubiquitous that it's easy to communicate your next purchase in relation to their reputation.

For beginners, buying the most popular thing is a good idea just to understand where the conversation begins.

No, that's not true. Neither is inherently "better," just different.

Then you should probably get open-back, since, as kua said, they are more similar to your speakers, which is for the most part a good thing. However there are other considerations which could change that, like how much noise do you expect might be around you (noises outside your home, kids, TV, etc etc), and/or how important is it that you're not bothering anyone else with the sounds coming out of your headphones?

Anyway appreciate the replies as they're helping me as well. I have zero outside noise considerations, and mostly it's for mixing, but I would like to do some tracking, so open phones are probably not an option.

PS: has anyone used Koss? They were considered top-end stuff in my day but never hear them mentioned for mixing or tracking, so I guess they just never "made it" in that niche?

If you're in a noisy room with flickering lights and a humming A/C unit, the closed-back headphones might help with isolating detailed edits that you're trying to focus on. When I had open-back phones, I would sometimes be confused by external noises.

What's everyone's opinion of AKG K701? I know they're an old model, but that seems like an advantage because the price has come down now that there are newer models out, so their price:quality ratio is really high. I read some articles that mention them as one of the best options for mixing/mastering purposes. They're only about $200 new now (aussie dollars), and about $150 used. Has anybody here had experience with them?

Other headphones i'm looking at:
-Ultrasone Pro 750
-Beyerdynamic DT990 Pro (250ohm) and DT770 Pro
-Audio Technica ATH-M40x and M50x
-A bunch of Sennheiser ones (HD 598, HD 280, HD 580... although i've heard they're a little too pleasing, which gives wrong impression of music).
-Sony MDR-7506

What is with this Sennheiser brand? Why is there so many random model numbers? What do they all mean? Is there any kind of reason for the pattern?

I think the AKG K701's are leading so far. I'm open to hearing more perspectives before i take the plunge though

I can't recommend DT-990. If I remember correctly, it sounds boomy and the transient response are not as detailed as the 770 or 880.
Sorry, can't help you about the AKG or Ultrasone.

Another question.
Apparently the headphone output of my TASCAM US-1800 interface is as follows:

Connector: 6.3mm (1/4") Standard Stereo phone jack
Maximum output: 50 mW + 50 mW
(1 KHz, 1%, 32Ω load)

^ What does this mean? Does the 32Ω part mean i need to get headphones that are more or less than that? If the headphones are say 64ohms, will i have to get a headphone amp instead of run through my Tascam interface?
Thanks for the continued responses.

So after a lot of research i decided to buy the AKG Q701's. I really liked what i consistently read about how revealing they are, how big/3D the soundstage is, how tight/detailed the bass is without being overhyped/boomy like other cans.
The Q701's are basically the same as the K701's except with a bit more bass, apparently.

They're probably not the best SOUNDING headphones (i've read they have a bump around 2k) but i feel like they'll get the best RESULTS out of me which is the most important thing, because of how they show you all the flaws/details of the sounds.

I also got them used for only $160USD which is not only great value but it also means they'll be nicely burned in already.

Thanks for the input everybody. Appreciated.

Seems to be an ignorant move. Can't believe Melbourne does not have a decent audio gear store selling all the pretenders to try.

headphone frequency response is not supposed to be flat...

I could imagine there could be a reason for that?
But if the reason is more or less common to the lot, why would they all still be so radically different?

edit; Did some review and remember now, there is a general target curve to compensate for their manor of reproduction- a low lift, and slight wide dropping high slope.

It still leaves for some interesting aberrations otherwise.

So the AKG Q701's i bought had a rattle noise in the right cup so i got them refunded. Now i'm back on the hunt again. If anybody reading this who hasn't chimed in yet wants to add their 2 cents then feel free.

At this point i've heard of all kinds of brands, what i need to hear about is people's experience with certain models, relative to other models

I've only owned 2 pairs of recording/mixing headphones and both were Sony. Mdr7506 and mdr7510. Got the 7510s a couple months ago for about $100 new from Sam ash (they price matched some random online store, normally ~$130).

"Too much bass" and "too dark" is a common critique the 7510 gets online, especially when comparing with its predecessor, the 7506. The good I've heard is the the low end translates well and that it goes really deep. I've found that I enjoy them for music listening and mixing the low-end and mids. I don't trust the highs on the 7510, bc when I mix the highs w 7510s, my mixes come out too bright.

Audio technica m50x easily. If you do some searching on youtube you can hear some professional comparisons on the youtube channel "Sonic Sense Audio" go through all the comparisons they have. Upon playback you can hear all heaphones change the sound, but the at-m50x are the closest to the true source in my opinion.

I also have the sony mdr 7506s, while fine for tracking, i dont think they are accurate for mixing, at least i never got the mix quite right on those. Since i got my audio technicas, they have helped me with mixing greatly. I can trust my vocal mixes on these almost more than my monitors. I find they are really good for getting the right vocal eq. Get them.

By the way wouldnt plan on using headphones to mix bass. Seems counter intuitive. Try getting a sub, more room treatment, or a sub pac to go with your audio technica headphones