Can anyone recommend a good pair of studio monitor headphones?

[elevenpower]

I'm looking to buy a pair of studio monitor headphones. I would be prefer a sub $100 pair. But all recommendations are welcome.

Thanks.

[pulsewidth947]

I absolutely adore my Beyerdynamic DT250's.. They cost me less than £100, they sound flat, with awesome bass response. Also they are comfy and reasonably light.

They are closed headphones so no worries about spill or anything.

I mix on these headphones (of course in addition to real monitors!), they jsut enable me to work late at night without annoying the neighbours.

[TenderBranson]

By far the best headphones you can get for $100, shipped. Not a question about it.

[CanadaRAM]

If you can find AKG K240 or K241's at your price, they are hard to beat.

The Sony MDR-7509 are the bomb but they are much higher than your budget.

[uaaerospace]

I found a pair of Bose TriPort headphones at an Apple retail store for 33% off, which made them 99 bucks. I have not thought twice about my purchase in two years. They are not specifically studio headphones, but they are still very nice. Comfortable and sound wonderful. I usually wear them for at least 4 hours a day, and they never cause discomfort. ~Josh

[RandomDeadHead]

Sorry to burst anybodys bubble but, bose is trash. Just a name with a huge markiting budget, and a world full of suckers to prey on. It's all smoke and mirrors. Google this "bose is trash", don't take my word for it.

But for a good set of cheap cans go here.
Headphonez

These guys are pros and not afrade to bash the very same products they sell, they also offer price matching.

[pepeleuepe]

The Sony MDR-7506's can be found in nearly every studio around the world. They may not be the best sounding ever, but they provide a fairly flat frequency response at a very reasonable price. Also, if you become accustomed to the response of these headphones, you can be pretty sure that they will be available at almost any studio you visit.

These headphones are designed specifically for studio monitoring, not for casual listening. This means that your ears may get tired from the crisp highs and mid-highs over long listening periods. If you're looking for a nice pair of casual listening headphones, these are probably not the ones to go with. If you want a ~$100 set of studio monitor headphones, then these are a good choice.

Dave

[sorryiwasdreami]

Sony MDR-V6

They are about $60-$75 and have a very natural sound. They don't color the sound or add/raise/lower frequencies that aren't present naturally.

Highly recommended.

[tech4all]

Originally Posted by RandomDeadHead

Sorry to burst anybodys bubble but, bose is trash. Just a name with a huge markiting budget, and a world full of suckers to prey on. It's all smoke and mirrors. Google this "bose is trash", don't take my word for it.

But for a good set of cheap cans go here.
Headphonez

These guys are pros and not afrade to bash the very same products they sell, they also offer price matching.

Nope. Disagree. Bose is not trash. We have several Bose products that sound GREAT. I did the Google search but it does not change my opinion. IMO, I would recommend Bose for the most part.

However, I do own a pair of Bose headphones and while they sound great IMO, the craftship is not the best. This is my second pair and the part of them that goes over my head keeps cracking. The first pair broke, and I just noticed my second pair (which they gave me for free btw) is starting to crack again. Not sure if I would recommend Bose headphones anymore, but the rest of their products we own are great. No complaints despite the 'trash' talk.

These guys are pros and not afrade to bash the very same products they sell, they also offer price matching.

Is that really good business? What's the point of selling something if they're just going to bash it? Just doesn't make sense to me.

[CalfCanuck]

Originally Posted by pepeleuepe

The Sony MDR-7506's can be found in nearly every studio around the world. .... If you want a ~$100 set of studio monitor headphones, then these are a good choice.

I'd second the 7506's. Another benefit for field audio is that they fold down to be quite a compact package.

[johnnowak]

The Sony's are ****. Get the AKGs. You will NOT be disappointed.

[johnnowak]

Ah, and anyone who knows what they're talking about will say the same thing:
Bose is trash. Undeniably.

[johnnowak]

Originally Posted by tech4all

Is that really good business? What's the point of selling something if they're just going to bash it? Just doesn't make sense to me.

Yeah. Convincing people the Bose suck so they can sell more expensive headphones with a higher margin is certainly bad business...

It's like people don't even think here. Honestly. I don't mean to be rude, but for the love of God, use your head...

[ReanimationLP]

I use the Sony MDR-V150s. Sound awesome, 25 dollars or so at the Best Buy. Perfect for the price, a bit fragile though, dont try putting them in your pocket.

[live4ever]

Grados are very nice.
www.gradolabs.com

[dzavitz]

There's a recent mini-roundup done over at http://arstechnica.com.

[quackattack]

Obviously a lot of opinions in this matter. From what you describe my personal recommendation is Sennheiser 280 HD's. I would definitely NOT recommend the Bose. You can get much better phones for the same price. Grado's are great phones, but I don't think they are what you are looking for either. They are open and they aren't really monitors.

Do yourself a favor and do some research to determine exactly what you are looking for. I would head over to Head-Fi. These guys are experts and will be able to help you find exactly what you want.
But careful, once you get into head-fi its hard to get out..... don't say I didn't warn you.

[Peyote]

I know this is out of the price range, but I can't wait to get my AKG K271's in a week or so!

I do some audio voice over recording, etc now and again, and decided to go with a NICE pait of headphones instead of studio monitors...just because I don't think I'd be happy trying to listen to my music through speakers that sound as flat as studio monitors. So instead of buying $100 headphones and $300-$400 monitors, I'm buying $200 headphones and $150 desktop speakers (Klipsch Promedia 2.1).

In your price range, I hear the Sennheiser HD 280 PRO's are very nice, and they fold.

http://www.sweetwater.com/store/detail/HD280Pro/

here's what I'm getting:
http://www.sweetwater.com/store/detail/K271Studio/

[JFreak]

SHURE E5 - this is way out of your price range, but if you can, try them out.
http://www.shure.com/psm/earphones/default.asp

[kanker]

Another vote for the Sony 7506's. Not the best phones in the world, but at their price they are just about the ultimate. Best part about them is they fit neatly in a Crown Royal bag.

[Mav451]

Originally Posted by johnnowak

The Sony's are ****. Get the AKGs. You will NOT be disappointed.

...this is why you DON'T want to go to head-fi.org

You either meet a fanboy or you meet a hater. Ultimately, while that place is resourceful, alot of people are reluctant to suggest anything other than their favorite brand.

The BEST way is for you to try out the headphones yourself. Grado? AKGs? Senn? These are just names unless you try them out. Some places, depending on city vs. urban, you can actually find brick & mortar stores that have these phones. That would be the best way for you to decide.

Take in your iPod and try em out. Obviously amp vs. unamp will be a factor, but that's up to you if you want to factor that in.

[Chappers]

I think you should get these - obviously if you have the money $900

http://www.headphone.com/layout.php?...tID=0020380001

Have to say there were many great recommendations at this site - so worth a look (as originally Posted by RandomDeadHead).

[HiRez]

I also have to put in another recommendation for the Sony MDR-V6s. Not only do they sound great, but the are very efficient and easily driven, so you will have no problem using them with any portable player and you will not need a headphone amp. BTW, the MDR-7506 are identical except for the gold plated connector. Don't waste your money on them, as the original V6s can still be had for significantly less. You will not be disappointed with these phones. They're also extremely rugged (hauled mine all over creation for 15 years now), and fold up, but the only flaw is the thin black "leather" coating over the ear foam will eventually flake off, but it's not a show-stopper and you can get replacement ear foam from beyerdynamic phones that fit if you really need to. Don't be fooled by other Sony headphones with similar model numbers, many of them, even some with higher price tags, are really quite bad and completely different animals.

[doumbek]

Beyerdynamic DT770 headphones are comfy, and very accurate. I own them, and love them,, but they are about double your price point.
link to the headphones

But whatever headphones you get, make sure to try them out first. Head down to your local music instrument mega-store, and you should be able to try a few models out side by side. That way you can hear the difference, and make up your mind in regards to the cost vs. performance ratio you're willing to live with.

[uaaerospace]

Originally Posted by johnnowak

Ah, and anyone who knows what they're talking about will say the same thing:
Bose is trash. Undeniably.

This post is pointless. The guy asked for suggestions. I have a pair of Bose Triports, and I love them. I would think that after owning them for 2 years after several sets of sonys I would know what I am talking about. Please post something constructive instead of just bashing. ~Josh