Which headphones should I buy?

[diegocasmo]

Hey guys,

So I want to buy some headphones, and my budget is about 150 USD. Initially I was going to buy the [ame="http://www.amazon.com/Audio-Technica-ATH-M50S-Professional-Monitor-Headphones/dp/B004ZG9TMA/ref=sr_1_12?s=musical-instruments&ie=UTF8&qid=1374597556&sr=1-12&keywords=ath+m50s"]Audio-Technica ATH-M50's[/ame], but I got an offer from a friend of mine of 150 USD for his used Beats Pro. The sound quality of the Beats Pro is actually very good, but I was wondering if anyone has ever been able to try both of these headphones, so that I can have a more objective perspective for this new investment.
Thanks!

 

[Studdy]

Shure 840's translate awesome if your going to mix with them. If you just wanna listen to music on them the ATH-M50's sound great, they are a touch bass heavy for me to make decisions on. I love my Shure 840's, they just sound "right" to me.

 

[diegocasmo]

I want them for mixing.

 

[egan.]

The beats have a super particular sound that's neither particularly accurate nor revealing. They're also way too bass heavy IMO. Ultimately they're more style than substance IMHO. I'd get the M50's unless you can stretch your budget.

 

[Megin]

It's better to save more money and buy something better than something you will outgrow very soon. Ultrasone is a brand I really can recommend.

 

[doclegion]

http://www.musiciansfriend.com/pro-audio/sennheiser-hd-280-pro-closed-back-headphones

Best headphones I ever owned.. I even have 2 pairs of shure srh440 and a pair thatwas aid to have cost about 300/400 USD.. My buddy work for a company so he sometimes calls me when there is an employee discount going around..

The senheiers blow tghese away.. I lost my pair cause my dog was hungry

They are a really tight fit and they sound great.. Take my word on that im a drummer these run 100USD

 

[Trevoire520]

Plenty of guys doing good mixes using M50's. Of course they're not ruler flat (I don't think it's possible for a closed back headphone to be totally flat tbh) but as long as you learn them (like you have to do with any headphone/monitor) then there's no reason you can't mix on them.



Oh, and fuck Beats. Overpriced crap.

 

[infest]

I do enjoy my M50's quite a bit, good for both mixing and casual listening.

 

[Ashgarth]

The shure SRH840 are great. Love them!

 

[ATLA]

iv had my ATH M50s for about a week now. love them so far!

 

[abaga129]

Oh, and fuck Beats. Overpriced crap.

I've been saying this since the freakin things came out its a damn scam. It drives me nuts when people brag about how their phone, laptop, or car has beats audio in it. Im always like, "So it has a bass boost and a decent speaker?!?! Thats incredible! I must gets sum beets aw-de-oh now!"

Back on topic though - I love my Sennheiser HD280 Pros but i've been told that the ATH M50s are better

 

[xTomx]

Not only do Beats have terrible sound and build quality, they will make you look like a total cunt.

Get the M50's - they're great if you double check the low end on more accurate monitors.

 

[guitarfishbay]

I've only got experience with Sennheiser HD380s (had them for years) and I just bought a pair of M50s last week.

Sadly I've just had my car broken into on Sunday and the bastards stole my laptop bag (which had my HD380s and Macbook in) so I really haven't had any chance to A/B them.

The HD380s were super comfortable for tracking and they fold up into a small hardcase for easy transport. Those are two very good plus points IMO, but depends on your priorities.

The negative is that more often than not I'd have an issue somewhere in the upper mids when mixing on them. This usually translated to vocals or lead guitars too loud/pokey in that area when played back on other systems. I tended to put cymbals back a bit in the mix using them too, but I don't know if that is just because it is more comfortable having a soft high end when using headphones.

The only thing I can say about the M50s so far is that I can tell that my vocals/lead guitars are slightly too far forwards on my old problem mixes. The bass end is also stronger on those headphones. They're heavier, and sit a bit on ear (the 380s went completely around my ears but YMMV/ears might be different to mine).

My gut instinct is that I prefer the M50s. If my insurance company are going to cover my stolen headphones I'll be able to reference against the HD380s in the near future, if not, I can't afford to re-buy the HD380s any time soon.

Get the straight cable M50s if you do get them, coiled cables for headphones are pretty annoying if you need to move around in a cable heavy area.