What are the best HEADPHONES for a bass player for band rehearsals/studio recording?

#22
What is surprisingly good is the Yamaha HPH-MT5. Does not require additional headphone amp, cable is replaceable and can endure being stepped on (the cable) or rolled over by my computer chair, 99$ or less if buying B-Stock. Also freaking durable. I drove about 1/2 miles dragging it across the pavement at 30 mph. My hands were full one day loading things in the back seat and left it on the roof of my car, the cable was caught in the luggage bars and I dragged the thing on the pavement until I realized my mistake. Yamaha gave me replacement pads and cables and were amused that it still worked. Top bar was scratched and I just covered it with Flex tape.

Because they designed it to be a neutral there is no bass boost. However for a 40mm driver and a close back it is pretty quick and to me that is more important than a bass boost. You can hear the kick's transients with this one however low the drummer tunes his BD and even he is using a double pedal and doing 1/32 kicks. Definitely good for tracking and not bad for mixing. They said it was sonically patterned after the NS10 monitors. As you know those are famous for being used by big studios as their near field monitors since they came out in 1978 or so.

I have more expensive headphones but I have 3 of these and I use it for tracking. Drummers love them. If you want to spend more they have the MT7 which has the same driver size as the MT5 but with click headband adjustment and a few mechanical adjustability and then the MT8 which has bigger drivers and more posh materials
 
Last edited:
#23
#26
Yeah, I've tried AKGs and Sennheisers. Had a Blue set of can that I loved, but they fell apart very quickly.

Out of pure snobbery and bias, I've tried to stay away from the Sony MDR-7506, but they're just too good. Sound is balanced yet very musical, they're comfortable enough to wear for long stretches, and they last.
 
#28
The DT 770 are really bass forward headphones. The DT990 are open back that are a bit more balanced, while also giving a decent low end.
My personal go to headphones are the Philips Fidelio x2hr. They're objectively, measurably, the most accurate headphones at that price point. They feel great, but they're heavy, so they're not good for when you want to jump around.
 
#29
bmusic said:
Yeah, I've tried AKGs and Sennheisers. Had a Blue set of can that I loved, but they fell apart very quickly.

Out of pure snobbery and bias, I've tried to stay away from the Sony MDR-7506, but they're just too good. Sound is balanced yet very musical, they're comfortable enough to wear for long stretches, and they last.
Click to expand...
i really like my sennheiser hd 280 pro! ive been eyeing a pair of open back sennheisers as well
 
#30
I'm looking for a set with detachable cables and i'm thinking of these - for those that are happy with the Sony headphones - are these similar to what you have and are happy with?

Thanks!

Sony MDR-M1 Professional Reference Closed Monitor Headphones​

Loading…

www.amazon.com


I'll be using these economy IEM wireless units to drive the Sony's:

Stereo Wireless in-Ear Monitor System 2.4G Wireless IEM System Stage Monitor with Transmitter Beltpack Receiver Automatic Pairing, 164ft for Studio, Band, Live Performance​

 
#31
Azari said:
I’ve never been happy with any IEMs I’ve ever owned. My ears are notoriously weirdly shaped/sized and very few earbuds actually fit me. (I have the same problem with shoes, my size is in between a 9.5 and a 10, depending on the brand… And T shirts don’t fit me well either. I need a size in between Medium and Small -_-)

Every set of IEMs I’ve owned tend to chronically fall out of my ears or be uncomfortably too large. Even when I try the different pad/suction things that come with them, NONE of them fit. So screw it, I’m done recording and rehearsing with IEMs, I want some legit headphones that don’t fall off my friggin head every 3 minutes. Any suggestions? Am I doomed to spend thousands of dollars on them? Are there affordable ones worth checking out?
Click to expand...
I never used IEMs until about a year ago when I started jamming with workmates, and there was a discussion among the most experienced of them whether to use mixer + IEMs or traditional amplification, and the first prevailed.

I had many concerns about comfort, because earbuds always keep falling out of my ears, which is something I can live with for music listening but not when playing! I needed headphones and they better be adjustable because I would hate them to fall off but also my head doesn't like feeling squeezed.

I actually got the right suggestion for me from these forums, and went with Audio Technica, because they fit just fine around my ears and I can adjust them to suit my head perfectly. They don't fall or move, and they (passively) block a lot of noise. The downside of it is that sometimes I have to move them aside when my bandmates are trying to tell me something because the noise blocking works too well 🙃

Audio Technica actually has a range of models that seem mechanically identical but presumably of increasing quality, so once I decided I liked the comfort, I just picked a model with a price that suited my wallet.

But, my choice is personal and as we all have different bodies, your best fit won't necessarily be the same. For the record, I think I have slightly larger and softer ears as well as slightly larger head than average, and still a lot of long hair (which also might make a small difference in fit). If you can, I recommend that you visit a local store and try out as many headphones you can, which is what I did before buying mine.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top Bottom
Back