Mastering using headphones

[Jay Pace]

Allo

I am thinking of buying a pair of sennheiser HD650s. They are gorgeous, comfy and the sound quality is exceptional.

My rationale for justifying the purchase is that I currently use Alesis Mk2 Actives which have a fairly hefty bass response and colour the mix too much. Whilst I know that some things (stereo separation, transients) can only be properly appreciated through using monitors, I would have thought that mastering audio using top quality headphones was better than using mid range monitors.

Does this make sense? Would it be better to eq, mixdown and master using accurate headphones or is it essential to hear things through speakers?

Answers on a postcard, first five entries win part of a horse.

:eh:

[Dj Swannie]

If you want to get a pair of headphones for studio use i would suggest getting some with a flat response, like beyer dt770 's or something similar. The sennhiesers are good for hifi repoduction but not for studio work as you will be hearing a coloured sound, a bit like using a good pair of hifi speakers as studio monitors i suppose.

I wouldnt choose a pair of headphones over a pair of speakers as you will find that bass & stereo imaging doesnt sound right coming from a headphone compaired to a pair of speakers.

as for prize, i would like a horses spleen or a right testical, just supprise me :lol:

[EmotionComplex]

yeah, using a pair of good headphones alongside an accurate monitor set up can have advantages but mastering soley with headphones is pretty much a no no.

like swannie said the way the stereo image and certain frequencies will behave in headphones will not be true to how the sound will move across a room, and also your seperating both l and r completly, speakers/monitors in a real room are allowed space between your ear and also there is an interaction between both speakers so each ear is hearing sound from both speakers as aposed to soley left/right.

not to mention they will wear your ears down considerably faster then a good pair of monitors performing in a space, or at least that has been my experience when using headphones to work on things.

[NFP]

I agree with emotion. Maybe listen to the mix through your headphones but master it through a pair of moniters because then you can tell much better how you want it to sound.