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Will a headphone upgrade make much difference?


Griffo_
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So I recently got my Helix LT and i'm loving it, but can't help but think i'm not doing it justice by using it through my old Sennheiser HD201. I've been reading on the forum, and it seems a lot of people like the beyerdynamic DT 770 Studio Headphones (80 Ohm) so I've been thinking of getting some. Will these be much of an upgrade from my Sennheisers?

 

Cheers!

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An old adage is "you get what you pay for".  OTOH, I have some 30-year-old K240's that work great. Depends on you mostly and what you want to do. That said, working with headphones is fine at home, but try not to use this method if playing at volume on stage. Why? Your tones won't be right in most cases. As always YMMV.

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Coming from the set you have, yea a headphone upgrade will probably yield better results. Speakers are always an important part of the equation. Them being attached to your head doesn't change that fact.

 

I went from HD280 pros to a set of AKG K712 Pro. It is a night & day difference. Matter of fact those K712 Pro are the best I have heard/used.

 

If you were coming from something like the AKG K702 or Q701, then I would say it would be a lateral move at best, and a good chance of a downgrade while wasting money.

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Good headphones will make a difference.  I went from an entry level Audio Technica set to Beyerdynamic 880s.  It's a huge upgrade considering how much time you spend listening to your helix through headphones.  My only complaint is the non-removable cables on the Beyerdynamic.  Its a super long cable, gets in the way and it's started to cut out now and then.  There's a way to replace them if you can do your own soldering, but it's still a PIA.  Sound quality is great though.

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3 hours ago, erabjohns said:

Good headphones will make a difference.  I went from an entry level Audio Technica set to Beyerdynamic 880s.  It's a huge upgrade considering how much time you spend listening to your helix through headphones.  My only complaint is the non-removable cables on the Beyerdynamic.  Its a super long cable, gets in the way and it's started to cut out now and then.  There's a way to replace them if you can do your own soldering, but it's still a PIA.  Sound quality is great though.

 

What version headset did you pick up ?  which ohm version ? seems there is 3 versions - 600 - 32 - 250 - thanks

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On 11/9/2018 at 7:57 PM, rsvette12 said:

 

What version headset did you pick up ?  which ohm version ? seems there is 3 versions - 600 - 32 - 250 - thanks

I got the 205 ohm version.  I've read the highs can be a little brittle and the higher ohm versions take some of the edge off.  If you have any thoughts about using these with a phone or ipad, I would go with the 32 ohm version.  The Helix can drive the 250 ohm version, but sometimes I need to add gain to a patch to get it loud enough, mainly with clean tones where the drive & master are around 5 or below.

 

They're also semi-open back headphones.  I really like these compared to closed back.  You don't feel like you're playing in solitary confinement but I also don't get complaints from others that it's too loud or annoying.  I have the Premium edition which are comfortable, but the cord is really long.  I believe the Pro edition has a coiled cable which may not get caught up as much depending on your setup.

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On 11/7/2018 at 6:58 AM, Griffo_ said:

So I recently got my Helix LT and i'm loving it, but can't help but think i'm not doing it justice by using it through my old Sennheiser HD201. I've been reading on the forum, and it seems a lot of people like the beyerdynamic DT 770 Studio Headphones (80 Ohm) so I've been thinking of getting some. Will these be much of an upgrade from my Sennheisers?

 

Cheers!

Those are the exact headphones I use.  I cannot recommend them enough.  LOVE them!!!

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1 hour ago, erabjohns said:

I got the 205 ohm version.  I've read the highs can be a little brittle and the higher ohm versions take some of the edge off.  If you have any thoughts about using these with a phone or ipad, I would go with the 32 ohm version.  The Helix can drive the 250 ohm version, but sometimes I need to add gain to a patch to get it loud enough, mainly with clean tones where the drive & master are around 5 or below.

 

They're also semi-open back headphones.  I really like these compared to closed back.  You don't feel like you're playing in solitary confinement but I also don't get complaints from others that it's too loud or annoying.  I have the Premium edition which are comfortable, but the cord is really long.  I believe the Pro edition has a coiled cable which may not get caught up as much depending on your setup.

 

 

I did a lot of homework and decided on Sennheiser 650's - 300ohm and an amp nothing special an Art amp - good enough for now - ordered but do not have them yet so cant report on them

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27 minutes ago, rsvette12 said:

 

 

I did a lot of homework and decided on Sennheiser 650's - 300ohm and an amp nothing special an Art amp - good enough for now - ordered but do not have them yet so cant report on them

Nice.  I got a good deal on the DT 880s, but if not for that, the Sennheiser 650's would be my first choice.  Let us know what you think once you break them in.

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46 minutes ago, erabjohns said:

Nice.  I got a good deal on the DT 880s, but if not for that, the Sennheiser 650's would be my first choice.  Let us know what you think once you break them in.

 

It was Sennheiser 650 - DT770 or DT880 in my price range but read a lot of reviews they mention DT770 or DT880 are pretty hot on the highs especially the 880 hence my decision - let you know how it works out :) 

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I use Sennheiser HD600 300 Ohm and they've been the ones I've like the most. Helix has no problem driving 300 Ohm headphones so no need for a preamp. http://a.co/d/f16nOsW

 

I also use Sony MDRv6's with my Stomp ($80) and they sound very good, too - lower ohms so the Stomp can drive them better. The Stomp's headphone amp is not as strong as the Helix so it had trouble driving the HD600's.

 

Note - I've tried many headphones back-to-back - Sony MDR 7520, Sony MDR 7506, Sony MDRv6, Sennheiser HD600, DT770's, and the two I chose to keep were the Sennheiser HD600's and the cheap Sony MDRv6. If I was doing it again, I'd have to try the HD650's, too.

 

Many people like the DT770's or any number of reputable headphones. I think it comes down to personal preference, comfort, whether you like open back or closed back, etc. After buying a few pairs that came highly recommended by others here, and not caring for them, I decided to buy a bunch, pick the one pair or two I liked the best, and send the rest back. (Thank you Amazon no-hassle return.)

 

Each of the ones above have their strengths, though. Open back, closed back, more comfortable, not as comfortable, frequency range and flatness, etc. The Sony MDR 7520's are great for blocking out external sound - I used those when doing Kemper profiles with pretty loud amps and positioning the microphone and they do a great job of blockout out very loud amps while monitoring the mic through the 7520's. So actually, I guess I kept a few of them and use them for different purposes.

 

A buddy of mine got the DT770's and likes those better than the HD600's. So really, it's hard to say which ones YOU will like the best. If you can buy from a place with a great turn policy, I recommend buying several, trying them all back-to-back, and choosing the ones you like the best for your purpose.

 

For me, it's really hard to beat the prices of the MDRv6 and MDR 7506. I liked the sound of the MDRv6 on the Helix and Stomp very slightly better than the 7506's. I like the 7520's for their sound isolation, but thought the lower priced Sony's (v6 and 7506) sounded better to me for Helix and Stomp. I really didn't gel too well with the DT770's. And I've never tried the Senn HD650's.

 

 

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My latest go to phones have become the open back Sennheiser HD650 300 Ohm. They are exceedingly comfortable for extended periods. The sound source is ideally positioned in their natural and most comfortable fit position. They sound excellent. Regardless if I force them to fit higher or lower or further forward or back, the sound does not change. I find very minimal ear fatigue with the HD650. I have found that the Beyerdynamic DT770 250 Ohm are far more sensitive to having them positioned just right. A bit higher or lower or forward or rear changes the high end significantly. They are very clear and bright, but do lead to a bit more ear fatigue in a long session than the Sennheiser, and they have slightly less bottom end than the Sennheiser. The Sony MDR-V6 have been my go to standard for decades. I have several pairs and they cannot be beat for convenience, price, and a smooth sound. They are the only pair of these three that are able to be folded, so they are the most compact. I know them so well, that I can use them for nearly anything with very good results. YMMV.

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  • 2 months later...
2 hours ago, marcorosasnet said:

Don't want to open a new thread on this, but, as it is way easier for me to dial my sounds at home, which headphones could be closer to the studio speakers or foh sound.

Between $150-$200

 

You won't like this, but this is an unanswerable question. And I'd love to tell you that there's a magic formula for dialing in patches that will somehow allow them to sound the same in a variety of listening environments, at a wide range of volumes, and on different kinds of speakers...but the truth is, it's never gonna happen. 

 

No matter what the spec sheets say, headphones and a full PA blasting away at stage volume are two very different scenarios. The biggest difference is volume, but proximity is also significant...with a PA, you're listening at a considerable distance from the source, and way off-axis, whereas your headphones are right on top of you... which at the very least tends to make the high end more prominent. 

 

In short, you're gonna end up with multiple sets of patches, depending on what you're monitoring through. I've got 3... headphones, studio monitors, and the ones I use live. Once you've done it enough, you'll start to know what tweaks you'll have to make from one to the next, so that no matter what you dial a given patch in on, adjusting it for something else won't be such a pain in the a$$.

 

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Just an update Art amp was useless - I now have an Emotiva A-100 and a Little Dot III as a preamp with 83 Russian tubes - wow pretty amazing setup

 

I can have a warmer or less warmer sound depending on which amp I turn up louder - tube amp being the warmer of course, wasn't cheap but worth it

 

Sorry for crap picture

 

amp.jpg

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