Headphones - What are you using?

[Eric Foo]

I've been using the Sennheiser HD25 headphones
http://www.bhphotovideo.com/bnh/cont...ughType=search
for about a year now and I'm very happy. They sound great, have decent isolation and are very light and comfortable. Note that these are different from the HD25SP which have different drivers and a fiddly headband.
I've been also testing a pair of 7506 but find them heavier and not as comfortable, as the go over my ears but scrunch the edges of my ears. Maybe I just have big ones. The HD25, sits on the ear and the split headband holds them on my head very well.

For monitor speakers, I've been using the KRK RP5 powered monitors. Sounds great for not too much money.
http://www.bhphotovideo.com/bnh/cont...ughType=search

[Mark Burlingame]

What about the AKG K240s? Are they out of vogue? Very accurate and comfortable, about $99 Mark

[Jay Massengill]

Since this is for long-duration editing rather than field recording, I'd recommend the Audio-Technica ATH-M40fs. About $80 online, priced way under how they feel and perform. Very comfortable and accurate with good isolation.

[Patrick King]

Jay,

What do you use for field recording?

[Glenn Chan]

A warning about mixing on headphones: You can hear everything.
This can be very misleading because you'll be able to hear really quiet sounds that will get lost in most normal listening situations. If the target is TV, a lot of people will have crappy TV speakers and lots of background noise. They won't be able to hear subtle sounds.

[Douglas Spotted Eagle]

Originally Posted by Glenn Chan

A warning about mixing on headphones: You can hear everything.
This can be very misleading because you'll be able to hear really quiet sounds that will get lost in most normal listening situations. If the target is TV, a lot of people will have crappy TV speakers and lots of background noise. They won't be able to hear subtle sounds.

Here's one I'd have to debate and hear an exceptionally convincing argument...

First, while you can hear everything, NEVER assume your client or customer can't. Especially in today's world with people owning fairly high end audio gear for video. Noisy environ or not, if the sound is there and it shouldn't be, kill it.
Second, monitoring for small sounds is precisely what headphones ARE good for. If I'm doing noise reduction, I nearly always wear either my Sony's or my Etymotics.
Third...and most importantly; Mixing a show through headphones of any kind, ESPECIALLY closed back headphones, is foolish.
The driver couples with the mass in your skull and upper skeletal structure, creating a very irregular and false sense of lower frequencies and frequency relationships. (any one remember the "Bone Fone?"
While I've had very close mixes approximated on my Etymotics, these are an electret transducer earphone that works differently than a typical headphone and more importantly, they are exceptionally level. They claim, and I'd agree, that their ER4 is the most accurate headphone in the world. But I'd still never be courageous enough to release a mix done on these high end monitors, because even though they're flat and clean, they are still maintaining a physical relationship to your head/ears that won't be totally transparent to the final listening point...the viewer's television or audio system.

But....to each his own. Some folks might be happy with their headphone mixes.

[Dennis Vogel]

I've always heard you shouldn't edit with headphones. They essential for monitoring audio while shooting but for editing you should use a good set of speaker monitors. That's what I've heard DSE say several times.

[Edit] Hah! I see DSE answered while I was reading and composing.

Good luck.

Dennis

[Dave Largent]

I just mixed with 7506s and what sounded so good
and clear on the phones, sounded muddy and
muffled on monitors.
Anyone know a quick EQ to put on the audio track
to increase intelligibility of spoken-word vocals?
A bump in what range? (This is male vocals.)
I need the vocals to cut through more against
a music background.
The vocals were recorded with an AT4073,
which is pretty flat.
The recording was made outdoors with a furry
and is full and "on mic" but it needs to cut
through more, like it sounds in the 7506s.

[Brian Kennedy]

Dave - pick up a copy of Jay Rose's "Audio Postproduction for Digital Video" book -- an excellent read. There's a chapter in there that includes some EQ recipes to play with for various issues, including speech intelligibility. Unfortunately, I can't think of it off the top of my head to help you out in this post, but the book is so good, you'll want it for more than just that section.

[Brian Handler]

Just got my 7506's and they sound great and are quite comfortable.

Now I save for a moment and buy the other set of ear phones or a 75w crown amp and build some studio monitors. (I've been doing accoustic enginerring on the side for 5 years)

Thanks for all your help guys.

BTW, i bought that book you mentioned as well. Should be here tommorrow. I'll leave you my impressions.

[Brian Handler]

Ok, problem

My epox mobo has what I thought was a great onboard sound card. I'm hearing a lot of artifical sounds if I'm not listening to anything. I'm used to the sound of squeel when I scroll something with my mouse, but this is kinda hardcore. I obviously never noticed it with my computer speakers but with these awesome headphones it's very apparent. When I play music or edit the sound seems to disappear but may be still there w/o me hearing it.

I have a Soundblaster Live I could throw in if it'd make my sound that much better, but I'd rather spare the PCI slot for something like a firewire 800 card.

Is there any options?

My soundcard popped up a thing when I first plugged in the headphones saying new audio device detected then swiched my control panel audio device from powered speaker to headphone. I tried using passive speakers and a few other random options it gave me but nothing seemed to get rid of the bg sound.

Thanks guys.

[Douglas Spotted Eagle]

Epox ain't exactly very high on the list of quality, and the built in sound card is nothing to speak of. Then again, neither is the Blaster. There are no good "inside the box" sound cards, a good one is too bulky to fit in a PCI slot. the better cards are all PCI or PCI-X with a breakout, and they're well isolated. So, the question boils down to what you are and aren't willing to live with. The least expensive card I'd recommend on the Windows side would be something like an M-Audio Firewire 410 or an Echo EchoFire 8. Both are surround-ready, both have 2 channels of decent mic pre, both have great supporting software, and both have great tech support.
The Mackie Spike is a decent USB-based card, and has everything you'll need as well, plus it currently comes with Tracktion for free, and that's a very nice audio editor.

[Brian Handler]

I'll take a look at those cards.

I was crossing my fingers to hear some simple fix...but while I'm building an editor I may as well do it right. Thanks for the suggestions, I'll take a look at them.

I had originally planned to run a 4-6 channel mixer into my line in and call it a day since it could do pretty much anything I wanted, but if this onboard and live are both shit I'll have to do something else.

Is there any special reason you are recommending external pieces?

~~~~~

And M-Audio...related to avid?

Does Avid own them?
Does this thing interface with Avid Express DV in anyway?

[Matt Gettemeier]

7506's... the only choice... many reasons. Sound good, pretty cheap, packs into a little ball, plenty efficient... (loud with weak input)... good isolation, comfortable... the Hollywood standard. $99

Do not edit with phones. Ever. It only leads to misery... if you can, get a small TV connected to your NLE so you see/hear what your viewers will.

I've edited with phones and it doesn't even sound as good on the monitors... subtle details that I fudged with for hours were completely lost... then for a while I edited with the monitors (before I had analog-out for the NLE) and then I'd see my stuff on TV and it was the same deal again... always wasting time on stuff I couldn't hear later... now I finally know what's worth spending time on and what isn't.

[Glenn Chan]

You can save a little money on the 7506s if you find a pair of Sony MDR-V6s. (From what I've read) the V6s were rebranded for the consumer market and have insignificant differences like a different sticker (it doesn't say professional) and the plug isn't gold.