Yeah, these are just for checking details - I have a well-treated/tuned room with good mains, subs, acoustic panels, and Sonarworks to top it off. I've never owned a set of open cans before so thought these would provide a useful perspective.
@solderdude anything you'd recommend that
is better suited for that in that general price tier? At this stage I'm really looking to resolve masking issues aka instruments in competing frequency bands. Thanks!
When you have invested in treated rooms, good mains, subs and use something like Sonarworks then investing in a good headset (< $ 500) would be a logical decision and not to keep the limit at $ 150.-
Of course, there are options like IEM's but don't use those for a few reasons.
The difference between open and closed should mostly be determined by few considerations:
A: You don't need isolation from outside noise or don't want it (open is the choice)
B: Open headphones usually have less seal dependency issues. (open is the best option, semi-open is still better than closed in many cases)
C: Bass extension is not a priority (Closed is usually better but semi-open can also offer good extension)
D: Open headphones are easier to make with a good tonal response in the bass-mids. (when that is important)
E: Treble quality/tonality (lets say above several kHz) is not so much determined by the choice of open or closed. But rather personal HRTF and driver/pad effects. What's good for the goose may not be good for the gander. What measures well to some standards/methods may not be what one hears.
F: Closed headphones can easier be made to comply to 'Harman' bass # (see C).
# Personally not my thing, while impressive with music enjoyment/playback and compensating for the lack of tactile feel it will lead to anemic recordings but in a studio could be used to gauge how it would sound in home audio conditions. That said ... not many people will have the sub-bass extension that can be had from headphones.
There are some suitable headphones for that purpose and you can make some more suited by using EQ.
Aspects to look for:
a) Gradual downwards slope in the bass or 'flat' (non sloping) response, not Harman bass as that requires a small dip in the lower mids and is not what you need in a studio.
b) no dips nor bumps between 50Hz and 1kHz.
c) You may want a small bump (but not narrow band) between 1kHz and 3kHz which accentuates voices and instrument 'details' but 'flat' response also is not wrong. You don't want a dip there. A dip there is more desirable for reproduction of sound (takes off some brightness).
d) Between 3kHz and 8kHz some extra energy is welcome for checking details but less desirable for music enjoyment. There you want 'flat' response.
e) Treble response should not have dips and peaks (impossible to say something about this on most industry standard measurements, except BK5128). A little elevation is desirable as long as it is not too ragged.
Some headphones I think are suited for the job (not using EQ), the ones towards the top would be my pick and are ones I have experience with.
HD490 PRO (mixer pads, not producer pads)
Austrian Audio Hi-X60 (closed)
OLLO S5X (may have fit issues, can be solved by bending the headband if needed)
DT1990 PRO (A pads)
early HE-6
older DT880
FiiO FT3 (pleather pads)
HD600/HD580 (original)
HD400 PRO (HD560S early ones)
DT900 PRO X
Custom One Pro
ATH-R70X (open), may have some fit issues due to silly construction.
AKG K701/702
Focal Clear
Grado 60/80/125
RH-A30