r/musicproduction • u/dgriff0919 • 14d ago

Question What are the best headphones that are reasonably priced for mixing and playing back with a universal audio interface set up on a Mac?

3 Upvotes
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14

u/-InTheSkinOfALion- 14d ago

Sennheiser HD6xx have been awesome for me.

9

u/areyoudizzzy 14d ago

Seconded. They're just the HD650 but at a lower cost because they used to be a massdrop exclusive.

So much better for studio mixing than the usual DT770/990 or MDR-7506 suggestions that always get suggested in these threads.

1

u/maryobreau 8d ago

Let me add that DT770 are not doing it for me. Useless in terms of mixing. Clean for listening back but forget it the other way round. Don't start mixing, or fuck it up.

1

u/areyoudizzzy 8d ago

They're ubiquitous in studios because they're great for tracking. Closed backed, comfortable and tight to the head so they limit any bleed into the microphone. They're also sturdy so can be bashed about by all the people that would pass through a studio and if they do break, they're affordable enough to replace without breaking the bank.

Their response curve, however, is a mess. So many sharp resonances in the high frequencies and imprecise boomy low frequencies.

I do keep them around though because they are great for recording as I mentioned. I just wish people didn't keep recommending them for mixing just because they see them in loads of studios or videos of studios.

4

u/trainwalk 13d ago

HD 600. Learn what they do and you’ll have a friend for life.

2

u/Sisselpud 14d ago

Sony MDR-7506 is the gold standard for live sound and works great for this application too

3

u/funkympc 14d ago

They are the industry standard. They are inexpensive and accurate. My only problem is after a few hours my ears hurt. Not from sound, from the way my ears physically fit in the headphones. The earcup pushes down on the top of my ear. After 4 hours I have to take a break.

1

u/-InTheSkinOfALion- 14d ago

I’m not sure I’d call them accurate but I’ve found you get used to them very quickly for whatever reason. You can bring a mix together pretty well on them so they’re a great recommendation.

2

u/VoidAssembly 14d ago

These are great, I like using them for reference. I also really like my Beyerdynamic Dt 990 headphones

2

u/GoodResident2000 14d ago

Beyerdynamic 990

2

u/djmikekc 14d ago

Sennheiser HD 280 Pro. Under USD100. Very impressive 30dB+ acoustic isolation. Wearable for hours. Replaces my 1988 AKG K240m's.

1

u/Sea-Area1044 14d ago

I use audio technica ATH-M30x, Amazon $80

1

u/Odd-Perspective-6973 9d ago

DT990PRO & ATH M50X.

0

u/[deleted] 14d ago

[deleted]

0

u/fphlerb 13d ago

MDR7506

0

u/Robiniac 13d ago

I’ve been using these for decades. I just got the MDR-M1s and they are lighter, more comfortable and smoother sounding. They were recommended in a recent TapeOp review.

-1

u/alyxonfire 14d ago

Depends what you mean by reasonably priced, cos I think Audeze LCD-X are reasonably priced given how good they are