What Monitors / Headphones do you use?

[Planar]

My brain didn't have the chance to compensate for some of their lacking/overhyped aspects overtime, no. Getting used to headphones isn't really feasible when trying them out for 10 minutes in a busy shop.

Definitely, it's why I wasn't too worried when I bought my 880's "blind". I saw the frequency response curve, I knew they were pretty damned flat and sound quality would be excellent. The concern was with the comfort and noise leak (in and out), I lucked out with the former and the latter isn't great but par the course with open cans I've since learnt.

[Contort]

My brain didn't have the chance to compensate for some of their lacking/overhyped aspects overtime, no. Getting used to headphones isn't really feasible when trying them out for 10 minutes in a busy shop.

Definitely, it's why I wasn't too worried when I bought my 880's "blind". I saw the frequency response curve, I knew they were pretty damned flat and sound quality would be excellent. The concern was with the comfort and noise leak (in and out), I lucked out with the former and the latter isn't great but par the course with open cans I've since learnt.

Did they turn out to be flat sounding?

[Planar]

Did they turn out to be flat sounding?

I'm not sure I'm really that qualified to answer as they're my first, and hopefully last, studio headphones. I spent a couple of hours with Sennheiser HD600's a few months before I got mine, which is what convinced me I needed a decent pair (coupled with having a baby and being banned from using my monitors in the evening). Everything I've done with them translates to other systems just fine, the mix down problems I have are due to lack of skill/knowledge/experience.

I didn't get a direct chance to compare both set of cans, however, I wasn't disappointed when I got the Beyers and then getting them properly amp'ed after was a revelation. FWIW, when I was choosing what to get, it was between HD600, 880's and the AKG's. The 770/880/990 thing never came into it, all my research seemed to suggest it was 880 that won that easily. The AKG's seemed to be bass light from what I could gather, so I discounted them and the HD600's and 880's were very similar. I cant actually remember what tipped me towards the Beyers now.

[helloitsmeagain]

The 770/880/990 thing never came into it, all my research seemed to suggest it was 880 that won that easily.

2nd that. and they are awesome if driven correctly.

[Mono-xID]

"Fuck dat nigga, spend dat cheese on me
see if they be around when you need pussy."

Mobb Deep - Drink away the pain


I'm hammered as fuck...coming straight from my brother-in-law's brandy shop.

Daaaaaamn!!!

[Hades]

"Fuck dat nigga, spend dat cheese on me
see if they be around when you need pussy."

Mobb Deep - Drink away the pain


I'm hammered as fuck...coming straight from my brother-in-law's brandy shop.

Daaaaaamn!!!

youtu.be/hUVwR0rw5fk

[Steve Lukas]

Monitors = Focal CMS 65s + CMS Sub (and a trusty old pair of Keesonics for A/B ing from time to time)
Cans = DT 880s (+Fiio headphone amp)

Very happy with both and stuff seems to translate fine - will upgrade to twins and sub one day though

[Mattias]

Focal CMS 65 is a really good budget/semi-pro monitor. It goes down pretty deep in the bass if I recall correctly, much better speaker then the Genelec (which people tend to prer in that price range for some reason...).

[Steve Lukas]

Hi Mattias. Yeah they go pretty low but I added the CMS sub as picked one up for a steal and its quite subtle and musical and not just a "boom box" - seemed to transform the 65's (maybe its the woofers having to work less/less resonance in the cabs etc who knows) and sound even better. I know some people say the 880s lack some bass and are a bit bright but I think they are fine and a lot of other cans are very hyped in the low end) and you can pick out a load of detail on them

[Mslwte]

I'm wondering if it's a good idea to get a sub. At the moment I'm just guessing really and putting the subby stuff a bit lower in the mix. Fuck knows if it sounds alright.

[LaurentOrchard]

Dynaudio bm6a ( not the mkII ), wont upgrade anytime ever. They are very very awesome.

Cans : sennheiser hd600, they're cool but i could use a better headphone amp and i'm not sure it they're for me or not.

I'll state the obvious and mention the fact that without room treatment, any monitoring system have the potential to become the biggest piece of garbage there is.

Even if you only fix what's up 300hz it's a day and night improvement.

[Hades]

I'll state the obvious and mention the fact that without room treatment, any monitoring system have the potential to become the biggest piece of garbage there is.

Even if you only fix what's up 300hz it's a day and night improvement.

absolutely.

one of the best things I ever did "upgrade-wise" was treat my whole studio.
it's still not perfect, but the difference is huge.

[disparate]

Behringer Truth B2031A.

I was very reluctant to buy anything by Behringer at the time but was assured by several people (including one very respected producer/engineer on a forum) they were actually pretty good budget monitors, and they are indeed. I chose them over other £2-300 speakers like the budget KRKs, Yamahas, etc. They've lasted me 5 years or so and showing no signs of breaking. Less hyped sound than KRKs etc but that's fine.

I'll upgrade them eventually but they're still doing fine for now, to be honest my lack of skills and my imperfect room (my living room is also my "studio" so there's not much I can do in the way of treatment) probably let me down much more than the speakers themselves.

I use my DJ (HD-25) headphones as an additional reference. I find it can be hard to get kicks sounding right as the headphones seem a bit weird in the low-bass range and my speakers tail off below 50Hz, so the kick sounds OK in both it's probably good to go...

[vasculator]

mackie mr8 monitors and sennheiser hd600. the hd600s were a revelation and have really helped with mixing, especially bass levels. very very comfortable to wear for multiple hours.

the mr8 monitors are ok for the price but pretty poorly made. they have what must be the cheapest possible capacitors in the power amps and they seem to comically fail right outside the warranty period (happened to a friend's pair and mine literally a month after the warranty was up).

[Mattias]

Behringer Truth B2031A.

I was very reluctant to buy anything by Behringer at the time but was assured by several people (including one very respected producer/engineer on a forum) they were actually pretty good budget monitors, and they are indeed. I chose them over other £2-300 speakers like the budget KRKs, Yamahas, etc. They've lasted me 5 years or so and showing no signs of breaking. Less hyped sound than KRKs etc but that's fine.

I'll upgrade them eventually but they're still doing fine for now, to be honest my lack of skills and my imperfect room (my living room is also my "studio" so there's not much I can do in the way of treatment) probably let me down much more than the speakers themselves.

I use my DJ (HD-25) headphones as an additional reference. I find it can be hard to get kicks sounding right as the headphones seem a bit weird in the low-bass range and my speakers tail off below 50Hz, so the kick sounds OK in both it's probably good to go...

I dont mean to sound like a shit...but the budget speakers you mention from KRK, Yamaha are ALL much better then the Behringer ones. I nearly died listening to those speakers (and the M-Audio ones) few years ago. AAAAAHHHH. iIf you upgrade your "lack of skill" will most likely also upgrade. YHou can't do what you cannot hear or what you are fooled to believe you hear.

[Mattias]

I'll state the obvious and mention the fact that without room treatment, any monitoring system have the potential to become the biggest piece of garbage there is.

Even if you only fix what's up 300hz it's a day and night improvement.

absolutely.

one of the best things I ever did "upgrade-wise" was treat my whole studio.
it's still not perfect, but the difference is huge.

Aye. And sometimes it doesn't take as much as people think to treat their room decently.

[disparate]

I dont mean to sound like a shit...but the budget speakers you mention from KRK, Yamaha are ALL much better then the Behringer ones. I nearly died listening to those speakers (and the M-Audio ones) few years ago. AAAAAHHHH. iIf you upgrade your "lack of skill" will most likely also upgrade. YHou can't do what you cannot hear or what you are fooled to believe you hear.

Not keen to get into an argument here since you're clearly an experienced producer, but regardless I'm tempted to consider upgrading to the next price bracket at some point in the next year depending on my circumstances etc. I'm just wondering if there's much point considering my room isn't treated anyway and I'm unlikely to be in a situation where I have a room I can really go to town on anytime soon unless I rent a studio space or something?

I guess if the speakers are as bad as you think they are then the answer's still yes I should

[Hades]

I'm just wondering if there's much point considering my room isn't treated anyway and I'm unlikely to be in a situation where I have a room I can really go to town on anytime soon unless I rent a studio space or something?

I guess if the speakers are as bad as you think they are then the answer's still yes I should

try running one of those sine-wave tests.
not sure if they will get played properly by your monitors, but if they do they will show you if there are problems with your room.
It's pretty simple : if you hear notes clearly louder or softer then you have a problem at those frequencies.
When I run this for example, I have 2 notes in the upper waves that play louder for example, but all the lower ones play perfectly.

http://www.soundonsound.com/sos/dec07/a ... saudio.htm

it doesn't hurt to do this, it's totally free.

[ashley BORG]

I dont mean to sound like a shit...but the budget speakers you mention from KRK, Yamaha are ALL much better then the Behringer ones. I nearly died listening to those speakers (and the M-Audio ones) few years ago. AAAAAHHHH. iIf you upgrade your "lack of skill" will most likely also upgrade. YHou can't do what you cannot hear or what you are fooled to believe you hear.

Not keen to get into an argument here since you're clearly an experienced producer, but regardless I'm tempted to consider upgrading to the next price bracket at some point in the next year depending on my circumstances etc. I'm just wondering if there's much point considering my room isn't treated anyway and I'm unlikely to be in a situation where I have a room I can really go to town on anytime soon unless I rent a studio space or something?

I guess if the speakers are as bad as you think they are then the answer's still yes I should

I have the same problem with studio space. I'm also in the living room with a.mix of reflective and absorbant surfaces. I got my Yamaha's last year and noticed a big difference in sound quality. I actually feel like I can trust what I'm hearing. And as my mixing is improving I can hear it.
So when you can afford it take the step up.

[tdmusic]

Yep, I upgraded from some Wharfedale Diamond's to Event 20/20 and despite also being in an untreated living room with no way of treating it, the difference is huge and definitely a good investment. I imagine there's a point where this cost vs. sound quality relationship plateaus without investing in room treatment though, and I'm guessing it's probably around the £500/pair mark although I'm just saying that because that's what I spent