Headphones - transcribing music

I'm looking for a good pair of analytical headphones for transcribing music. Here's the criteria:

1. It must not color or boost/damp frequencies from the original source since it's important that I get the dynamics right when I arrange music onto score. I believe "neutral" is the word.

2. Good instrument separation so I can tell apart ei. an oboe and a violin section when transcribing.

3. Wide soundstage and good stereo imaging

4. Needs to provide great detail and accuracy to the original source. I want to be able to pick up the instruments playing in the background and be able to hear every detail and nuances in a song, not just the melody.

5. I prefer comfy headphones since my listening sessions are usually long, I mean really long.

6. budget: ~$200, but do list all the headphones that meet those criteria if possible even outside that price range.

oh yeah, I occasionally game sometime.

 

http://emusician.com/hardware/emusic_article_5/index.html I own and use a pair of audio-technica ATH-M40fs

 

Sounds like you need some Sennheiser HD650's. They'll run you for 250 though, and you'll need a proper amp for them.

 

No not HD650's..they are not exactly those kind.

if u need studio grade headphones for neutral flat sound then checkout AKG240 and AKG 271.

both are Industry standard and used by professionals.


your budget is too low hence i cant recommend u DT48 or Sony SA5000

 

audio-technica ATH-M40fs are specifically designed for flat freq. response and are affordable. When it comes to accurate studio monitoring, the bottom line is that it is an aquired skill regardless of what headphones or studio monitors that you use for listening. You really should have at least 2 pair of headphones and several pair of speakers /and test your final mixes on as many different audio systems spanning the gamut from cheap computer speakers all the way up to expensive "audiophile" grade speakers. The trick is to create final mixes that translate well to all audio systems. This is why all us guys with good quality home recording studios will eventually have too seek out the services of "Mastering engineers" and why their trade is still very much in demand. In addition to having the skills and equipment for accomplishing these tasks , they also have the proper acoustical enviorments.

 

Thanks for the feedback. Though the only way I can decide on what phones I like would be to audition them. I don't know any stores in chicago that has these high-end headphones.

actually if it means having greater detail for my transcribing needs, then I won't mind waiting a little longer to raise my budget.

 

Guitar Center, American Musical Supply, and Musicians Friend are all reputable on-line resellers and they do not charge a restock fee on MOST items. If you are not happy with your product you can return it for any reason. This is probably your best bet if you can not do any direct A/B comparisons. I can tell you that I have done direct comparisons on most of the headphones mentioned in this thread, and the audio- technicas compare very favorably. (dont let their lower price fool you into thinking they are a "less professional product") http://www.guitarcenter.com/Audio-Technica-ATH-M40fs-Precision-Studiophones-100265885-i1126646.gc I also agree with Nocturnal310 that the AKG240 and AKG 271 would be good choices but dont think the other 2 headphones that he mentions , are what you need.

 

both of them cost atleast $500.


and then u need a good Headphone source for SA5000... they are one of the most detailed headphones out there.

 

The Beyer Dt-48 are quite difficult to find. The sony phones, I can shed 30% off its price tag through live.com and ebay.

Amazon is selling the AT m40fs for about $60 or I can get them for less on ebay as mentioned above. Maybe I'll start my journey on these. But what's the resale value? will I be able to sell these easily if I decide to move up the chain? Secondly do I need an amp?

 

I dont think the AT m40fs will have much of a resale value after you have used them (mabey $30) , but they are a good start for neutral response ear-cans. If you are just transcribing from cd's I would use a good quality CD deck with a headphone output and volume control, bypass the stereo reciever and/or amp, and monitor directly from the CD deck. Dennon, Sony, Teac, Marantz, Tascam and Onkyo all make really good stuff.(you dont have to buy the most expensive model, there is a point where the price/performance return ratio is just not practical and is really only needed by radio stations and recording studios) http://www.americanmusical.com/Item--i-TAS-CD160MKII-LIST If money is no object, or you just whish to salivate for a while, try this; http://www.americanmusical.com/Item--i-ALE-ML9600-LIST

 

I don't need any mixing/recording equipment now. That comes way later in the future. For now it'll be my laptop (source), an amp via spdif optical to bypass the onboard soundcard's DAC, and some good cans. All I'm doing is transcribing. I'll start with the AT m40fs. All I need now is an amp. Will that be tube or solid state? I heard tubes are good.

 

When you say that your laptop is the source, are you talking about audio files on your hard drive, or using your laptops optical drive to play cd/dvd's? What kind of laptop do you have? Most laptops have spdif coaxial outs, your saying that yours is optical digital outs ? What is your budget for an amp? Tube Vs solid state is a debate as old as Thomas Edison. I have both solid state and tube equipment, both sound real good because of the quality of the design, not because they do or do not have tubes. Some tube stuff is great and some is not, and the same goes for solid state.

 

Audio files. I have a Dell 1720. My bad, spdif coaxial is what I meant, not optical.

 

Well. the way I see it you can go about this 3 different ways. 1.) Just plug the ATH-M40fs (using the 1/4 mini adapter) into the regular headphone output of the Dell, you might actually be satisfied with the Dells sound using good headphones. 2.) Start looking for a good amp with a spdif coaxial digital input. 3.) Convert your audio files NOT to MP3 but to uncompressed 16 bit 44.1 Khz stereo wave files using windows media player , burn a cd , and then use one of the better grade CD Decks to monitor your recordings as I mentioned earlier, bypassing an amp, plugging right into the cd deck.(windows media player works surprisingly well for converting and burning different format cd's)

 

Actually , you do have one other very good alternative http://www.guitarcenter.com/PreSonus-AudioBox-USB-243007-i1388074.gc This USB audio interface has a headphone jack and volume control. This firewire audio interface has a headphone jack and volume control. http://www.guitarcenter.com/PreSonu...-System-Factory-B-Stock-103023966-i1125347.gc These are just 2 examples of many inexpensive audio interfaces that are available. You should be able to load your audio files into the included multitrack software and then play back and listen thru the headphone outputs. On the plus side , you get a software recording enviorment as a bonus, all at the price that you would have had to pay for a decent amp or CD deck. The PreSonus AudioBox USB is also bus powered, making for a portable solution.

 

What about a Zero DAC amp that I've been hearing about at head-fi? It's about $150. It's moddable as well

 

It looks good although I can not directly comment for I am not familiar with the unit. If I were you I would first just start with the headphones plugged directly into the dell using the min-plug adapter and take it from there.I f you are not satisfied with the sound try to give a detailed explaination as to why. I would then try the pre-sonus usb interface with the intention of returning it ,if it did not improve matters. Take things one improvement at a time.

 

I own 2 laptops, so rather than to merely guess at what the ATH-M40fs sounds like plugged directly into a laptop... I first tried out my older Compaq Presario V6120us with the ATH-M40fs and the sound was just so-so . I then plugged the ATH-M40fs into my brand new Lenovo T61 and the sound was awesome . I attribute the difference in sound quality between the 2 laptops to the Lenovo having a slightly more powerfull headphone amplifier. Exceptional clarity and stereo seperation. Perfect for trancsribing music. I'm happy you started this thread for otherwise I would have never thought to try out my headphones with the Lenovo T61. I usually just use the ATH-M40fs with my AkaiDPS16 multitrack. (now I'm gonna have to write thank you letters to Lenovo and Audio-Technica)

 

its good but its more for modding & experiment purposes.

although its powerful enough to handle anything thrown at it due to its 24/192 khz DAC.


and its a good amp which can easily power most headphones.

give it a try if u feel like

 

I just read a review on head-fi on the m40fs cans. http://www.head-fi.org/forums/f4/ath-m40fs-mini-review-forthcoming-73936/

Doesn't look (or sound) good. He said they were bassy, and worst of all it sounds mushed together and unnatural. I've read other reviews as well. "they're decent, but not great for mixing."

 

I have found the opposite to be true in my expierience using them. Ultimately its a matter of personal taste and how your ears perceive them to sound. The best thing to do is to go to a Pro-sound shop and do some a/b listening tests on several pair of headphones to see which you like best, or order from a reputable on line dealer that you can return them to if you dont like them. My audio technicas sound fantastic plugged directly into my Lenovo without any additional external amps or an audio interface. That is just my personal opinion. I have been playing guitar and keyboards for 40 years and have my own small personal home recording studio. But then again its a subjective thing and the only way you will really know is if you try them out for yourself and pick what YOU think sounds best. Here is another group of people that liked these headphones .----http://www.zzounds.com/item--AUTATHM40FS