To S. Andrea Sundaram,
I came across your reviews on HeadRoom's website. I am a mix/mastering engineer trying to figure out what headphones would be best suited for my work. The work I predominately do is based in the range of indie rock to extreme metal. I currently have a set of Beyerdynamic DT 880 Pro headphones. I find them too bright and loose in the low end. I am pairing them with a Benchmark DAC1 currently. I need to be able to trust these cans on first impression to do an entire mix or master on if required. It seems at every turn there is compromise to be made, so I am looking for the perfect balance rather than only one quality versus another.
Thank you for any help with this search and for any time given.
Eric
We are all looking for a perfectly balanced pair of headphones, but I have yet to come across them. Every model I've heard -- including ultra-expensive ones such as the Sennheiser HD 800s and the Ultrasone Edition 8s -- makes compromises. It's a matter of choosing the right set of compromises for your particular application.
We don't currently collect all of our headphone reviews in one place, but there is a headphone section in our 2012 Equipment Buying Guide (we didn't have headphones separated out in the 2011 edition). Most of our headphone reviews now appear on this website, and you can find them in the full list at the bottom of the "Equipment" tab.
As for your particular needs, the Ultrasone PRO 2900s will tell you what you are doing to your mix and have deep, tight, bass, but they are a little bright. The HiFiMAN HE-500s are evenly balanced with good bass, but don't resolve all the detail you might need for professional work. Aside from a somewhat light bass, the AKG K 701s, K 702s, and Q 701s (these are all essentially the same headphones) present a good balance of detail and neutrality. The Sennheiser HD 600s are a bit reticent in the highs, but are otherwise well-balanced overall. I hope these comments are helpful in guiding your decision. . . . S. Andrea Sundaram
