Hi Brian,
Of course there's only about a thousand headphones to choose from, and
subjectivity comes into play on all this stuff. But there's been an
explosion in headphone development in recent years with a lot of phenomenal
cups on the market today. So for what it's worth, here's my suggestion.
I don't mix or master on headphones. But I have two pair I wouldn't hesitate
to do so on. The first pair is from the real world. That is the Austrian
Audio Hi-X65 open backs. 429 dollars. They are extremely well built,
lightweight, and comfortable. They have superb clarity, definition,
separation, and punch. Their 25 ohm impedance makes them a breeze to drive.
They have a frequency response of 5 Hz to 28 kHz. And they translate
extremely well to my three-way monitors. They were designed for mixing and
mastering.
Of course any new headphones or monitors are a change. And sometimes,
depending on what we've been using it takes time to get used to that change.
If your current headphones are aimed at the consumer market they're unlikely
to have a flat response. And closed backs more often than not have a sound
of their own. This is one of the things that has been worked on in recent
years, getting closed backs to sound more like open backs. The trick is
learning the new cups. Mix and master on them and then listen to your final
mixes on everything possible, e.g. monitors, stereo speakers, a boombox, in
the car, etc. Getting a mix that translates well to all will show you what
you have to keep in mind while working your mixes.
The other pair I have are the Focal Clear MG Pro. But They're three times
the price. So I won't say anything other than you get what you pay for. And
even with that having had been said, I just, for the first time, spent a
while listening to my Focal Celestee closed backs I use for tracking, the
Clears, and then the Hi-X65s, and I must say, the Austrian Audios were still
a wonderful listen. If I had no monitors they would certainly remain in the
mixing mix along with the Focals.
Good luck. I hope you find cups that sound right and work right for you.
Regards,
Tom
From: midimag-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx <midimag-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx> On Behalf
Of Brian Olesen ("brian")
Sent: Sunday, September 25, 2022 8:39 AM
To: midimag@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
Subject: [freelists-midimag] suggestions for good mastering headphones
wanted
Dear maggers,
I love headphones, but till now I've board only closed headphones for some
reason.
But I've read that semi opened or open-back should be way better for
mastering.
So I'd like to ask you, what you prefer to master on?
I have some expensive Beyer Dynamic, Yamahas, and Bose.
But I'd like to get a new very good pair for mastering as monitors don't
work for me.
What would you recommend?
Thanks in advance.
Brian
