When it comes to music production and recording, there are multiple factors that need to come together for a project to be good. Aside from your knowledge as a producer, and your creativity, you also need decent gear to work with.
Mixers and other forms of equipment that is used to shape and render the music are key, however none of them will matter if you don’t have a way to monitor what you are doing. This means having some sort of speaker system, or headphones that will give you a correct interpretation of the music you are creating.
Some producers prefer speakers, while other turn to headphones. The difference of experience you get between the two definitely exists, but it usually comes down to personal choice. Great set of headphones can really make your life as a producer easier.
If you are capable of hearing every detail of the mix, you will also be able to spot frequencies that are out of the bracket, and make necessary adjustments.
Today we are going to take a look at some of the best headphones for recording music. Hopefully this guide will help you land a great pair of cans that will serve you well.
Music Skanner Guide – When Excellence Matters
EDITOR’S CHOICE
EDITOR’S CHOICE– Shure SRH840 –
When someone mentioned Shure, first thing that comes to mind are microphones, there’s no doubt about that. However, this popular brand also has a very decent line of monitoring headphones that bring the same kind of policy you can find in their microphones.
Shure SRH840 are robust, reliable, and give you the core experience needed to get the job done. These are definitely the workhorse headphones you are looking for.
Features
When you pick up the Shure SRH840, you immediately realize that Shure’s main goals were to make the headphones comfortable and capable of delivering the necessary performance.
Everything else was secondary. In support of that statement, you will find thick padding on the adjustable headband as well as large ear pads.
The drivers that come with the Shure SRH840 are two 40mm neodymium dynamic transducers with a very precisely tailored frequency response. Closed back design ensures complete isolation, and the 10 ft of cable allows you to move around with a decent range.
Performance
With a frequency range starting from 5HZ and ending at 25kHz, you are guaranteed to have great sonic clarity.
The mids are well balanced and very accurate, while the trebles come crisp with a lot of headroom. Shure SRH840 don’t feel cumbersome when used, mostly because they are super light. If you are used to long work sessions, these will definitely fit your requirements.
– Beyerdynamic DT 770 Pro
In all honesty Beyerdynamic DT 770 Pro is probably one of the more popular model of headphones among the music production community. They are pretty affordable compared to some high end models, and they deliver an almost unbeatable value for the money ratio.
What defines these headphones is their performance that is somewhat streamlined, but punches way above their price range.
Features
First and foremost, Beyerdynamic DT 770 Pro are just beatiful. The design is timeless, and really has that quality many are looking for. However, since no one is buying headphones to look at them, let’s talk about more important features.
These are incredibly comfortable. The thick padding on both the headband and the ear pads is great. Since Beyerdynamic DT 770 Pro features 80 Ohm drivers, you will be somewhat limited in terms of use. Closed back design really isolates all the outside noise better than most.
Performance
Hooked up to a good preamp, Beyerdynamic DT 770 Pro offer the elite experience only a great set of monitoring headphones could. Sonic fidelity is present in all parts of the frequency range, with much detail and clarity.
There is enough bass, which is ensured by Beyerdynamic’s bass reflex technology that boosts the low end of the frequency range a bit. However, don’t misinterpret this as artificial bass enhancement. These are clinical, and will give you the accurate interpretation of your mix.
– V-MODA Crossfade LP
While V-MODA Crossfade LP is probably not the first model that comes to mind when talking about monitoring headphones, they definitely deserve to be mentioned.
There is something unorthodox about these headphones. It’s hard to pinpoint, but they just feel different than your average Audio-Technica. With that said, these are among the best cans in the price range, that is for sure.
Features
The appearance of the V-MODA Crossfade LP is very unique. Their hexagonal speaker covers took care of that. Packed insider are two 50mm dual diaphragm drivers that deliver a great quality of sound. Padding is wrapped around a metal construction that is strong, but still pretty lightweight.
These are also closed back headphones, and the level of sound insulation is pretty high. The frequency range goes from 5 Hz to 30 kHz, while the transducers have a 32 Ohm impedance. You won’t need an amp to run these headphones.
Performance
The sound quality coming from the V-MODA Crossfade LP is impressive. The dual diaphragm design of the drivers really does wonders for sonic accuracy and overall clarity of the sound. Each segment of the frequency range is well balanced, and very defined. The low end is present and abundant, mids are very organic, while the trebles come across as crisp but natural .
Overall, it may be said..
We showed you some of the best headphones for recording music at home or in a studio. Each of these three models carries the quality of sound necessary to perform the tasks we have just mentioned.
The core performance is definitely there, no matter which one you choose. Shure’s model is pretty much the go-to variant. Their reliability has been proven multiple times. Same can be said about the Beyerdynamic model we mentioned.
They too have can be found in a variety of major studios.
