Hi Community,

Before I start, I know it’s not ideal to mix on cans and I will not be doing this solely. However, I have recently moved to a new apartment and late night mixing will require some new reference headphones. I also know there are plenty of threads on here asking similar questions about similar products but I’ve just not been able to make my decision after reading all of this information so I thought I’d just take the chance to ask the community myself....

I’m looking for some flat, accurate headphones that don’t add too much colouration (unless it is useful for obtaining mixes that translate well on all listening platforms)

I also don’t want to spend the earth as I’ve recently invested in a few other areas.

I’ve narrowed my selections down to:

AKG k701
AKG k702
Beyerdynamics DT880 pro
Beyerdynamics DT990 pro

I could potentially push the boat out to Senny HD650s.... but a pick from the above would be most useful unless you absolutely insist the 650s trump all.

Thank you for any responses in advance!

If you are forced to mix on headphones, any of your suggestions might work for you. There is much argument and opinion as to what “flat” means regarding headphones. There are also a variety of headphone amps and external processing that regularly turn up in GS headphone threads. I don’t like headphones so inefficient that they would force me to buy a headphone amp. Some AKG phones fit that description, but I don’t know if that includes the models you specified.
As to headphone “correction” software and hardware, I have not tried any of that. About a decade ago I was forced to mix a project almost entirely on headphones. I used Sony 7506 phones. The project turned out better than GS chatter would say is possible. It isn’t my best work, but it is far from my worst.
Don’t overthink or overspend on this.
Try to put those headphones on your head BEFORE you buy one of them. Comfort is one of the main things that will help you forget the headphones and focus on the mix.

Look at all of the freq resp for even the most expensive cans. None of them are flat. You might want something that's has a smoother error.

You might want to browse through this thread:

Best mixing headphones!

There's 840 thousand posts....and 840 thousand different headphone recommendations.

Your shortlist selections are covered many times over.

So...you know...good luck, chief.

There’s currently 1,111 posts in that thread.
It isn’t 840,000, but it is way too many to slog through in search of the maybe 25 knowledgeable responses.

All will work. Get to a shop to hear them. Buying something you will be relying upon to listen through without listening through before you buy is risky. Plus, you'll never know if you actually made the right decision.

My disappointment is immeasurable and my day has been ruined.

It's a great read!!

Is there any reason why the Sennheiser HD600s do not appear in your list? They are fantastic for mixing, and I use them all the time (due to having to work at night).

I would also recommend that you get some Logitech Z200 speakers. These are cheap PC speakers that are really revealing of balance issues (both overall volumes and tonal balance). I find them to be very good at revealing mix issues that evade me on headphones, and even listening at a low level will reveal issues. A combination of any of the headphones in your list and something like these low end speakers would be much better than just the headphones. I list this model in particular because they are cheap, but not terrible.

Beyerdynamic!!!

You'll just have to become familiar with whatever cans you choose, ones that sound and feel right TO YOU. Try them first in person with music that you know, even if you have to drive a couple hrs to do that - it'll be worth it. Obviously make sure that you can test the ones you want before making the trek.

I like the DT990s - a little more $ than I wanted to spend at the time, but clearer detail and wider, more defined stage than the other open-backs I tried (in the same price range or cheaper). The sound isn't so exciting, but I'd been dealing with ear fatigue, so I didn't want exciting. I'd say it IS slightly upper-mid forward, yet not harsh to me at all, just enough to add to my perception of detail. But good to be aware of if you're mixing with them. No relatively cheap cans will be perfectly flat across their range, and neither is my hearing.

Beyers are extremely comfortable too, for long sessions. That's something else you can only check in person - how do they feel on your head? If you feel ANY discomfort at the store, imagine after wearing them for a couple hours! Ears and heads are like snowflakes. A highly rated set of cans might fit awkwardly and sound like crap to you. So, take a drive to the store if at all possible, otherwise try to think it thru spin the wheel and hopefully no whammies.

Sorry, it was my understanding that the hd650s are slightly superior to the 600s? Am I wrong?

I recently got the Etymotic ER3XR, and I'm blown away. They're more neutral, accurate, and revealing than anything I've previously experienced. I love them and highly recommend them (or their big-brother ER4 series, which presumably are even better.)

Some people hate that they need to be inserted all the way into your ear and think it's creepy or uncomfortable, but that aspect doesn't bother me at all.

I got the HD600s because I remember reading that the HD650s had a hyped bottom end in comparison with the HD600.

To be fair, I had also heard the HD600 a lot, so was comfortable that I would be able to reference on them.

In reality, anything in that list should be good if you listen to lots of music on them to calibrate your ears (plus do some referencing on cheap speakers).

It’s not on your list, but also consider the Ath M50

It’s closed back, but a great frequency response

I have ATH M50s (and had them for a few years before the HD600s).

The HD600s blow the ATH m50s away. The ATH M50s have a hyped high end, and they are very hard to mix on as a result (at least for me). They are impressively detailed, but very fatiguing because of the highs.

The HD600s are more detailed, and more flat, and I would definitely recommend saving up for HD600s over settling for ATH m50s.

That said, I'd be interested to hear from other people who have both, and what they think of them.

I thought the ATH m50s were very bassy.

Big low end

It's both. The low end has a real bump, and the highs are also very hyped.

When I want to check bass, I use the ATH M50s, and my Bose noise cancelling headphones (that have a very thick and muddy low end). The HD600s are much flatter, and more flattering of low end issues.

I know graphs aren’t the end all be all, but here is the M50:

Headphones - 1.2 - Graph - RTINGS.com

And here are the 600s

Headphones - 1.2 - Graph - RTINGS.com

+1 on the HD600's

I think the M50 (and all the M series) has been superseded by the MX series and isn’t available new.
I do think the Audio-Technica headphones are a little hyped (top and bottom bumped). This is especially true of their lower-priced models. I like them for tracking, but I suspect their more affordable models could be misleading as a primary mix monitor.

Beyer + active amp + sonarworks = around 700 €

But at least you'd have good quality / no distortion / flat response curve.

Good luck.

I personally think you can mix on the HD600's (the 650 are probably great as well)
As long as you check on speakers every once in a while.

It's not ideal, but definitely doable.


Huub

Those curves are great! Here are the ATH M50 and HD600 curves on one plot:

Headphones - 1.2 - Graph - RTINGS.com

So what I'm hearing as the hyped highs on the ATH m50 is probably the large bump at about 10 KHz. The HD600s have one at 15 kHz which my (nearly) 40 year old ears probably struggle with. But there is also that dip on the ATH M50s in the low mids which would contribute to my feeling that the bass and high end are over-represented.

In any case, it's a little depressing how non-flat the HD600s actually are! I demoed Sonarworks back in the day, but decided to proceed without it. Maybe it's worth getting it.

Massdrop AKG 7xx. $200. Sound great. Flat frequency response.

I’ve been thinking about it too, but I really am on the fence about it