Best Headphones To Mix

[Closed-Back] Best headphones I've ever owned! Outstanding!

[2.06 lb] Great quality headphones, used it for a gig and was able to seamlessly listen and mix music.

[Semi-Open-Back] As a composer, recording artist and 20-year veteran of big recording studios, I had been looking for a reliable headphone to use during the mixing and mastering process in my new home studio (I have great reference speakers, but I like to mix at night, and this helps keep peace in the neighborhood). Yeah, I know and I've read in every magazine and online source that you can't mix with headphones. WRONG. The K 701s provide superbly reliable reproduction of instrumental music during tracking and mixing (bleed during tracking can, of course, be an issue with the 701s...if your mic is close to your headphones during recording, you need a closed-back headphone...I use my Sennheiser HD 280 Pro headphones for those kind of tracking applications). But mixing and mastering is where the 701s are worth more than twice the price. Finally...reliably true sound (no phony extra bass, etc.), no ear fatigue (even after a 6-hour mixing session), and the price, especially from B&H, is on the money. I buy all kinds of recording gear from MIDI controllers to outboard effects processors, etc. Nothing I've ever purchased has made me feel as good about spending my hard-earned money. If you are a WORKING (home) studio musician and you want your next CD to sound professional...mix it using these, and it will. PS: I'm a struggling musician and recording pro, NOT an audiophile. I like things that work, that last and that sound good. That's why I like my 701s.

[58 x 37 x 19"] I am finally able to mix with headphones! These are so much more than an eq curve. It is like you can really hear the mixing environment.

I am finally able to mix with headphones! These are so much more than an eq curve. It is like you can really hear the mixing environment.

[2.97 lb] I use this at work where I have a couple computers and I want to be able to mix the sound for headphones. It works well for this (sound quality is good) but I have a fair number of adapters, since this has mostly RCA inputs and computers have mostly 6.25 connectors.

[4W] When recording location sound, I often ask myself is that noise I'm hearing in the mix, or just leaking past my headphones? With the high level of noise reduction on these, it is much easier to feel confident about what is, and is not, part of the recording.

[Permanent] I work in audio post-production at a facility in NYC, and I just recently purchased a pair of AKG open headphones for doing pre-mix work outside of my studio. Of course with them being 60-something ohms of resistance, I knew I was going to need an amp to keep them happy, and to keep me happy. Almost all of our recording equipment for field recording is from sound devices; I love this company. The build, quality, and durability of their equipment is always at the top of the line. Same thing goes for this headphone amp. I never plan to use this thing outdoors, but I actually only power it with batteries because the power supply is an additional purchase. (However they do come with the DC terminal into their box if you want to do a little work yourself and wire up a DC converter) Very linear response, virtually no noise floor unless I jack the level up above 80% (which I never need to do anyway), and the best part is it really lets my headphones shine. If you require headphones and plan to do serious mix work PLEASE do not expect to get good results coming straight out of the laptop's 1/8 output; not only will it not be loud enough in most cases, but there is just not enough power to allow a high resistance pair of headphones to be at their best.

[18 lb] You can't really go wrong with this set. You might read countless things like, I'll never go back to regular cans or Vastly improved my mixes and I forgot they were on my head, they replicate studio speakers that well. And these statements are all very true. There is certainly a heavy amount of marketing with these headphones. But, my God can you obtain such a clean mix with these. Will they replace my studio speakers entirely? No. But they are the best way to double check your mixes, no doubt. And it makes it so much easier to find tune EQ and adjust your mix. If you don't have quality studio speakers and a treated room and if these were all you had to go by, it would be acceptable. The only negative I would say about this set is that while the emulations of professional studios are fantastic, the headphones themselves could certainly be improved. While the bass reproductions work and they provide the data you need to make your adjustments in the mix, the bass is very muted and weak. Again, the necessary frequency reproductions are there but it needs more oomph. I think what the VSX system needs is just a higher ohm model with some higher quality bass drivers. Why not provide a premium edition? All in all, I don't think anyone could actually be disappointed with these.

[Open-Back] My name is Brendan Evjen. I actually mix through these headphones, despite industry wisdom to mix through traditional monitors. I achieve amazing results! I've worked with Chris Vrenna (NIN, Marilyn Manson, Gnarls Barkley, etc.) Ken Andrews (Failure, Chris Cornell, Black Rebel Motorcycle Club), David Reilly (God Lives Underwater, Rob Zombie, etc.) and many others... the results have been stunning. These cans do the job. Nuff said!