Best studio headphones for $300?

[George Lentini]

I'm looking for a new set of headphones mostly for my amateur home recording studio. They will be multipurpose for recording, mixing, as well as my personal headphones for everyday use. I'm guessing closed back headphones are best for my uses, but I'm not sure. What matters most to me is sound quality and comfort for long term use (I've had problems with pain below my ears due to headphones in the past). I'm a bit unsure about bass-boosted vs flat headphones for my uses. I'm not at a professional level with my music and like a somewhat bassy sound (not overly bassy like some headphones that drown things out) for my personal uses, so how much benefit would I get from using truly flat headphones? What headphones would you recommend? Ideally, I'd like to spend no more that $250 and even less if possible, but $300 is my absolute cap if the extra money is worth it.

 

[BoredSysAdmin]

https://www.massdrop.com/buy/akg-k7xx-massdrop-first-edition-headphones

 

[tyhjaarpa]

Open back is preferred for mixing and for more neutral sound. By home recording use, do you mean you play instruments with headphones on? If so, then closed back would be better. For open back I would recommend Sennheiser HD600, they are pretty often around 250$ on discount or Beyerdynamic DT990 Pro. Those linked AKG are also good option for open back.

 

[George Lentini]

I record and edit music on an amateur level including live instruments and vocals which I use headphones for. I looked at the akg headphones and it appears that I would need a decent amount of power to get optimal performance from them meaning I couldn't just plug them into my phone or computer, which is problematic if I just want to listen to music. I guess I should also be asking what options I have that won't require an amp.

 

[tyhjaarpa]

You can get good headphone amp for pretty cheap tho: https://www.massdrop.com/buy/massdrop-o2-amplifier

I would look for Beyerdynamic DT990 25 Ohm if you want to use them with phone, how ever they might be over your budget. DT770 would be good closed design option I think if you record with headphones on to isolate sound.

 

[George Lentini]

I have access to a set of Sony MDR-V6 headphones. Seeing that they are very balanced headphones, could these possibly be sufficient for my music editing needs allowing me to get another set solely for everyday use, or would I really benefit from something like what you guys have suggested?

 

[BoredSysAdmin]

http://www.headphone.com/pages/build-a-graph
Sony MDR-v6 is not terrible, but DT-990 is more balanced and neutral

 

[tyhjaarpa]

You can get good headphone amp for pretty cheap tho: https://www.massdrop.com/buy/massdrop-o2-amplifier

I would look for Beyerdynamic DT990 25 Ohm if you want to use them with phone, how ever they might be over your budget. DT770 would be good closed design option I think if you record with headphones on to isolate sound.

Even better, now you can get o2 amp + oDAC combo from massdrop: https://www.massdrop.com/buy/massdrop-o2-odac?referer=4568TG&mode=guest_open&utm_source=Sailthru&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Audiophile A Product Announcement 2015-10-24&utm_term=Community - Audiophile - MAU (Active)

 

[George Lentini]

So if I were to use the headphones I have as my studio headphones and get another set of bass boosted headphones for everyday use, what would you recommend? How would those options compare to the other headphones that have been mentioned?
I'm surprised you are suggesting the DT-990 as a balanced headphone. I've seen it suggested as a decent bass boosted option in several places. Is it really neutral?

 

[BoredSysAdmin]

I'm surprised you are suggesting the DT-990 as a balanced headphone. I've seen it suggested as a decent bass boosted option in several places. Is it really neutral?

well, they do have minor boost in bass, but just like my AKG-712 Pro's it is very smooth and not in your face. sometimes it's called warm sound - trust me - it's not unpleasant.
Compare it ATH-M50x

 

[tyhjaarpa]

So if I were to use the headphones I have as my studio headphones and get another set of bass boosted headphones for everyday use, what would you recommend? How would those options compare to the other headphones that have been mentioned?
I'm surprised you are suggesting the DT-990 as a balanced headphone. I've seen it suggested as a decent bass boosted option in several places. Is it really neutral?

DT990 bass isn't that boosted and imo it sounds really good on them, overall they are my second favourite headphones after HD600. If you want good bass headphones that are as well mobile I would look for Denon AH-D600.