Need headphone advice

  • I know this is subjective, but I’m looking for advice on which pair of the headphones below will give me the most accurate representation of what my profiles actually sound like. 95% of what I use my Kemper for is live gigs, so I always check my final profiles at gig volume during soundcheck to see if they’re useable. But I like to use headphones to dial in initial drafts of my profiles at home.


    For the last two years I’ve been using a $50 pair of Audio Technica ATH-M30x headphones. They’ve sounded fine, but they’re the only pair I’ve ever had. So I wasn’t sure if I’ve simply grown used to that sound and accepted it as “good”. Today, I decided I’d splurge and buy the DT-770 from Beyerdynamic. They sounded great in the store listening to mixed music. I plugged them in to my Kemper expecting to be blown away, and the sound I got was very different than the ATH-M30x. The volume was lower, and the high end seemed to be dialed back more than the ATH-M30x when listening to my profiles that I’ve been using live. I’m afraid to boost the high end of the profiles to make them sound better in the DT-770s because my live sound through our PA shouldn’t have any more high end added to it.


    So my question is, in your opinion, which set of headphones below produces the most accurate representation of what your profiles truly sound like?


    1. AudioTechnica ATH-M30x

    2. Beyerdynamic DT-770

    3. Sennheiser HD 300 Pro

    4. AudioTechnica ATH-M50x


    I haven’t tried options 3 and 4 yet because the newest Guitar Center is about a 45 minute drive for me. So I’d like to see what you all think is the best option. Are these Beyerdynamic headphones better suited for studio mixing than for dialing in Kemper profiles? Or are these the headphones I should be using for editing profiles and my ears have just gotten used to the sound of the cheaper ATH-M30x?

  • I have #2 above, and I've used some others. To me, headphones just don't sound right. If you must use them because of severe sound volume restrictions, then I guess you must. However, I'll stick with my DXRs :)


    edit: I guess this isn't very useful advice, but I've not been able to find headphones that work sound-wise for me ...

    Go for it now. The future is promised to no one. - Wayne Dyer

  • Sony MDR-7506. Inexpensive, durable beyond all reasonable expectations and a true staple in studios for ever.


    I routinely rely on them to translate live. They have yet to let me down.

    “Without music, life would be a mistake.” - Friedrich Nietzsche

  • I startet with the DT-770 but sold it to singer.

    Go for AudioTechnica ATH-M50x it's the real deal.


    As spare Headphone I have Superlux HD681 EVO also not bad for the price.

    Be the force with you ;)

  • I love my Sennheiser HD280 Pro headphones. I've tried a couple of other pairs and they sound the best to me.

    I have the same ones....Sennheiser HD 280 Pro and think they sound great....but don't really have a good way to compare them to anything else, but I do like the sound I get from them.


    And my Kemper usually doesn't leave my bedroom, so can't really comment about sounding the same as "gig volume".


    Cheers....

    Todd in Chicago

  • I’ve just ordered DT-770 Pro 80 ohm. I was looking for studio reference headphones with linear sound. A lot of people points in the direction of these headphones for that. So that might be what you’re experiencing regarding the difference in sound.


    What good sound is is a question of who you ask.


    Regarding them being more quiet it depends on the ohm variation of the headphones and the headphone amp, you are using.

  • I’ve just ordered DT-770 Pro 80 ohm. I was looking for studio reference headphones with linear sound. A lot of people points in the direction of these headphones for that. So that might be what you’re experiencing regarding the difference in sound.


    What good sound is is a question of who you ask.


    Regarding them being more quiet it depends on the ohm variation of the headphones and the headphone amp, you are using.

    I brought these headphones back today. Didn’t like them at all. Lower volume (80 ohm version) and a noticeable drop in high end. I was also told that these headphones aren’t very flat.


    I went with the ATH-M50x. I liked them better than the DT-770. How accurate they are in reproducing the actual sound of my profiles remains to be seen. But I know the DT-770 were definitely not reproducing the profile sounds very accurately.

  • I love my Sennheiser HD280 Pro headphones. I've tried a couple of other pairs and they sound the best to me.

    Another happy Sennheiser HD280 Pro user here.

    Only knock would be that they're a "snug" fit.

    That being said it makes for great isolation. Nice for recording etc.

  • Sony “professional” r the best headphones but they r 300-400 bucks.. been using those or the equivalent Sony headphones since 1987.. their TVs have gone south.. hopefully that doesn’t happen to their headphones.. the best clearest highs I’ve ever heard.. other headphones mentioned r great too but I like the way the highs sound on the Sony

  • In my opinion Audiotechnica are to much bright : great for clean but to much open on overdrive sounds.

    I replaced it with a Beyer DT 770 32 ohm more equilibrate on sound.

    At the end depend of your personal taste


    Ciao

  • To me this is just another great example of what one person hears and what others hear and understand as good sound or flat sound, can be totally different.


    So when a person asks for a specific thing regarding a certain sound, how reliable is this really? Not much. A good example is another thread here on the Kemper site, where a guy is fed up with his Kemper and wish to sell it. He uploaded a sample. That sample of the Kemper sound pretty much devided everyone in two camps. “Yes, it sounds weird” and “No, it sounds right”. Wtf? How can that be? We hear stuff differently.


    I’ve always had the impression that the DT-770 Pro were very close to flat sounding. And I’ve gained this impression through countless threads and YouTube-videos online. But again....it’s always a matter of “religion” which is based upon such things as friends points of view, influencing people, your own belief, your own “knowledge”, a lot of misconceptions and “truths” (a lot uses this equipment so it must be the best) etc.


    Maybe a pair of 32 ohm DT-770 Pro would have been the right ones to fit your interface at home.

    Edited once, last by b_ryan ().

  • I brought these headphones back today. Didn’t like them at all. Lower volume (80 ohm version) and a noticeable drop in high end. I was also told that these headphones aren’t very flat.


    I went with the ATH-M50x. I liked them better than the DT-770. How accurate they are in reproducing the actual sound of my profiles remains to be seen. But I know the DT-770 were definitely not reproducing the profile sounds very accurately.

    A noticeable drop in the high end? Who says this is true? It might as well be the old headphones which are too bright. Even if you own several types most seem to color the sound. And as one just stated; he thinks that the AT’s are too bright. So what is up and what is down here? There are several truths to this.


    So you buy a pair of headphones you like and feel that they represent the sound of the Kemper. What’s holding me from questioning the truth to this? How sure are you that the Kemper profile actually sounds like, you think it does through your headphones/monitors of choice? Maybe your are making decisions based upon the wrong sound source. Maybe you actually hear a sound closer to the real sound, if using a DT-770 Pro :/

    Edited 2 times, last by b_ryan ().

  • So my question is, in your opinion, which set of headphones below produces the most accurate representation of what your profiles truly sound like?

    Its an impossible task. What does a profile truly sound like? You'll hear it differently depending on the type of cab, PA, and room .


    I've learnt the hard way and no longer tweak profile sounds with headphones. It always lead to disappointment and frustration when I went loud. Do it the other way, find a set of headphones that sound nice with a tried and tested profile that you've already used live.


    I use a set of AKG K92's for silent practicing at home because they sound nice with stock profiles from Top Jimi, Guidorist, BHP etc. iPhone headphones also sound fine for this purpose.


    I have ATH-M50X's for listening to music with my quad DAC device (for which they sound brilliant), but to me they sound shrill and harsh when used with the KPA. I've also got Sony 7506's (good, but a little sterile), and used to have DT770's 80Ohm. The DT's were like the M50x's, I enjoyed them a lot when listening to music, but not with the KPA. I loved the build quality of the DT's, they were so comfy and have lovely soft felt ear pads. Shame they're f'ing massive though, look a bit daft wearing them in public ?

  • The Sennheiser HD 25-1 sounds the most-natural to me of all the sub-$1000 stuff I've tried, and I tried 'em all back in the day.


    I'm pretty sure there's a newer model out now (mine's over 20 years old IIRC), but it's essentially the same thing with a bit of window dressing - IOW, sounds the same.


    Caveat:

    I haven't had a need to reassess the market in many years, so of course there could be something else out now that I'd consider natural-sounding-and-accurate, but you know how it is - if it fits your criteria perfectly, why would you even look elsewhere? Oh yeah, I just remembered... GAS.

  • 1. Always compare headphones at the same perceived volume. If the DT 770 Pro were lower perceived volume, increase the output gain of the Kemper headphones output. It has plenty of gain to even make the 250 Ohms version blast. Listening loud changes the perceived high frequency response considerably (Fletcher-Munson)!


    2. If you've been using the ATH-M30x for a long time to setup and tweak your sounds at home ... how did the result translate to gig volume at soundcheck? What's the typical corrections you tend to do at soundcheck for the sounds you had tweaked at home? Do you have to turn up Treble for example? If so, your headphones are too bright, too much top end.


    Generally speaking, you don't want to go for the "best sounding" cans but for the ones that lead you to the right decisions when tweaking your sounds so they translate well (with minimal corrections) on stage.

  • It’s also a matter of:

    - Is it only to play with the Kemper?

    - Is it to listen to music? Usually a flat eq and/or flat monitor/headphone setup doesn’t give you that wow-feeling, we all seek.

    - Is it to make music? Need to be “flat” or it has to be easier to hear details....whatever that means. If you use headphones with lots of high end or bass, you’ll be fooled to belief that this is the sound. But when listening to the music on other setups you’ll be aware that something is off.


    All different things that kinda demands different headphones for it’s purpose.

  • I have a few friends who do music production and engineering. They call tell me the right headphones is a crucial tool for their job and they call use Focal. They always suggest I get these. obviously it is important to remember that most PA’s are not as “flat” as some higher end studio monitors so the end result will still be different than what you hear at home wearing cans


    https://www.guitarcenter.com/F…adphones-1500000212202.gc

  • I use the DT 770 for mixing. it´s quite flat sounding in my ears.

    I own couple of ATH30s that I use in my studio for customers. Quiet nice price/performance ratio.

    I forgot why I own the ATH50. But it is more hifi sounding because bass, treble and presence are more pronounced compared to the DT770.

    Hope that helps.