Lately it might seem like every other pair of headphones has some sort of hidden trick and it can often get confusing when trying to work out what works best for you. How do you know what to look for and what features will actually benefit you. Whether you're a DJ, producer or just a casual listener, here are my recommendations and what to look out for.
Love to DJ?
As far as Dj'ing goes, the key things i look for are noise isolation and for them to be comfortable. When you are mixing or live monitoring in a loud environment you want to be able to cut out some of that outside noise to focus on your mix. It may be difficult to cue in your incoming beat when you can hear the master audio blasting out of speakers next to you. I appreciate not everybody mixes with purely headphones and some choose to mix with one ear but even in this instance you need good isolation to process the two different beats playing.
Sennheiser HD25
The HD25's are used everywhere and highly regarded by many DJ's.
Sennheiser are renowned for their audio quality and what makes these specifically great for DJ's is how light they are on the head making them super comfy for longer sets. They have great background noise reduction and work great in really noisy environments. The earcups are also rotatable for easy one ear listening. Another really useful feature is the replaceable cable. As the wires aren't soldered into the actual headphones they are easily replaceable if they get frayed or break.
In The Studio?
When in the studio there are 2 scenarios where a good set of cans are crucial. Firstly is when you are live monitoring your recording. I generally recommend closed back when you are monitoring as you want as little sound leaking as you can. If sound does leak from the headphones it can sometimes be picked up by the microphone and the last thing you want when you record vocal is extra noise you have to somehow cut out.
Pioneer HRM-7
The pads on these headphones are super comfortable and are great at dampening sound. They are light and comfortable for long recording sessions. They are plenty detailed with a well controlled low end due to the dual air chambers in the cups.
The second scenario is when you are mixing and mastering. During this process you want accuracy and detail. When you get to the stage of mastering you are trying to imagine what the average listener will be able to hear so its always best not to just mix of studio monitors but on headphones too, to give you a different perspective to listen from. Open back headphones can be great for this as they tend to give a bit of a bigger wider sound-stage but again, it does depend on what kind of sound you are trying to achieve.
Sennheiser HD 600
Once again my recommendation comes from
Sennheiser. The open back design gives the sound alot of room and feels more natural to listen to. With computer optimised magnets and a seperate aluminium voice coil these are truly audiophile quality in terms of sound. For the price, you will struggle to find a pair of headphones that can match the HD600's in terms of accurate sound reproduction and a natural spacial sound.
Conclusion
You will find a lot of headphones that claim to be a jack of all trades but in reality headphones are generally designed for a specific use. Whether you are a casual listener or looking for studio quality sound, you can find something that you can actually benefit from. When in the studio you might focus on comfort if you spend a lot of time recording however out and about you might want something smaller, or with noise cancellation. If you are making music i highly recommend buying headphones specific to your needs. All of the headphones shown today are available to buy online at
djtechdirect.com.
