sub-$100 Studio Headphones

[alexevans917]

Hey everyone,

I'm looking to get another set of all-purpose, closed back studio headphones under $100. They'll be used for tracking and for light, preliminary mixing work (my monitors are not always set up by my computer, so for less important demos or preliminary mixes, I normally end up working with headphones). Therefore something that's pretty true across the frequency range (as much as headphones can be) would be nice. Also something comfortable would be good. I know that Shure and Sennheiser both have very popular phones at this price point, and I think Shure has a pair around there too. What would you recommend?

Also, if anyone has recommendations for cheap and nasty headphones with very little bleed for tracking with a group (a rare occurrence, but its becoming increasingly more common at my house), I'd be eternally greatful. Nady, Behringer- anything that will give vaguely alright sound and volume and not bleed.

Thanks,

Alex

[alohachris]

Aloha Alex,

I've been rough on headphones over the years. I am always taking off with the cans still on my ears without unplugging them or answering a phone & catching a cable.

So I narrowed it down to this:

- I needed the best cheap (under $100) headphones I could find
- I needed them to be very accurate
- I needed them to be very comfortable
- I needed them to be very sturdy
- I needed to have two pairs around at all times in case of a mishap.

For me, that's pretty rationale thinking, Alex.

After examining all my headphone choices, a pair of AKG Studio K240 headphones met all of the above criteria & is an industry standard to boot. I've been using 240's for 20 years now.

http://www.sweetwater.com/store/detail/K240S/

I've even bought 240's used for bigger savings. They worked great after some minor cleaning.

Check out the AKG Studio K240's, Alex.

alohachris

[runamuck]

For under 100 buck, I agree with AlohaChris.

Jim McCarthy

[muscmp]

i love my sony 7506 as they are very comfortable. i also use the sennheiser hd280 that sounds great but is not as comfortable as the sony. both are under $100.

play music!

[Bill Pillmore]

I have those sony's and also the Audio Techinca Ath40's (I think) but I track with the Sennheiser HD 280's because the have less bleed back into the mic.
BP

[Herb Hunter]

I agree that the AKG K240 Studio is arguably the best in its price category. It is a semi-open, circumaural design so it doesn't quite meet the opening post criterion for closed-back headphones.

[anton]

I just ordered a pair of the AKG's based partly on this thread. Looking forward to them!

[ironman187]

Originally Posted by alohachris

Aloha Alex,

I've been rough on headphones over the years. I am always taking off with the cans still on my ears without unplugging them or answering a phone & catching a cable.

So I narrowed it down to this:

- I needed the best cheap (under $100) headphones I could find
- I needed them to be very accurate
- I needed them to be very comfortable
- I needed them to be very sturdy
- I needed to have two pairs around at all times in case of a mishap.

For me, that's pretty rationale thinking, Alex.

After examining all my headphone choices, a pair of AKG Studio K240 headphones met all of the above criteria & is an industry standard to boot. I've been using 240's for 20 years now.

http://www.sweetwater.com/store/detail/K240S/

I've even bought 240's used for bigger savings. They worked great after some minor cleaning.

Check out the AKG Studio K240's, Alex.

alohachris

I have a set of the old K240s I'm borrowing from my dad, they have a pretty flat frequency response, which in my mind is a must for mixing. However, the new K240s...sound like crap. They do NOT have a flat frequency response, and quite frankly, don't have the clarity of the originals. In my search for perfect studio headphones I found that for $100.00 you are not going to get anything that should be called "studio headphones" None will be accurate for a quality mixdown. I contacted AKG a while back, This was the reply I got.

"Thank you for contacting AKG.
I can not confirm your description of the characteristics of the new K 240;
from our point of view it provides more highs but also more bass (not less
...)

It is generally difficult to find headphones that sound exactly "like" the
old K 240's.

Over the years, the sound of the headphones has already changed.

Linear reproduction is unfortunately no longer in great demand, as the
(most) mobile devices tend to sound nonlinear, and therefore most of the
headphones usually emphasise bass and highs.

If you are looking for excellent sounding headphones with no frills,
I recommend listening to the K 702.

Kind regards

Horst Burghauser
AKG intl. hotline
[email protected]"

[Rick Shepherd]

I just purchased a set of the AKG K240's. For the money, they are very good! I noticed they are just a little bassy, but not overly so. Otherwise, they are pretty nice. As a frame of reference, I use a pair of Deadalus SR-823's with a Hafler amp as monitors. Amazon sells the K240's for $88 with free shipping!

[Legolas1971]

Originally Posted by muscmp

i love my sony 7506 as they are very comfortable. i also use the sennheiser hd280 that sounds great but is not as comfortable as the sony. both are under $100.

play music!

+1 for Sony MDR 7506's!!!!!!!!!!!

[Smurf]

ATH-M40fs, cleaner in the mid-range than the 240's & very flat IMHO.

And I have the 50th Anniversary AKG240's, and they sound great. But being 600ohms you need a powerful headphone amp to drive them. The newer ones with the lower ohms do sound totally different...

[SeamusORiley]

I got the Bose quiet comfort, used, for under 100 and loved them so much, got a second (also used, under 100) for my wife.

They are comfortable and like another poster, I tend to be a bit rough on them, including mowing the lawn with them, or bringing them with me, so they get some miles.

There seems to always be a number of them used or refurbished at amazon.

[anton]

Got my K240s the other day and I am happy with them. They seem to sound good, are comfortable, and I like that the cord detaches. Granted I am not a recording engineer but i think these will work fine for my modest home recordings.

Now to build some acoustic treatment for my room....


Anton

[Waterbeds]

My go to can's are the Sennheiser HD-280 PRO's. They sound awesome all around but are pushing the sub 100 tag. Recently one of my kid's punk *** friends left these Incipio f38 headphones at my house and i put them to the test and for under 40 bucks they sound ok, but the seal on them was tight almost to a point a headache insued

[tobto]

ATH-M40fs here - really flat with a great basses