Been a while since I posted requesting advice but it’s a gift outside my knowledge and scope.
So, to explain. The headphone I need to locate is one that’s good for those who want to record vocals as it’s for a relative of mine who does this as his hobby using Pro Tools. Mind you I don’t know the first thing about proper equipment involving this sort of thing or what would be a good headphone for this use case. I do know he really enjoys good bass and a good V signature(and a preference for leather pads) headphone but I would think V signatures wouldn’t be the best for vocal recordings so maybe something along the lines of a Harman curve or something? Dunno that’s what I am asking. I’d like to keep the price point within the $200 range if possible however, he does not have an amp which is definitely going to be an issue. The only sort of amplification he has in his possession is a focusrite scarlet gen solo 3 which in my opinion is pretty weak. It’s a gift so I am not going to go all out and buy him a setup and its just his hobby.
Open to recommendations or insight into this.
Guess I should add this but I did let him try DT 990 a bit of ways back while I was doing my own testing… He felt the 990 were quite a bit too bright for him. I let him try my old sundaras(before they busted) and he really liked their sound however he wanted more bass and more in the vocals. I would take it he would need it to be closed back as well.
I mean if he’s looking for like a v that can be used for light production the 770 250 ohm is pretty good in that regard, although I would be a bit worried about the amp situation as the focusrite really can’t get it done that well. I guess I should ask is he planning on using the headphones during recording? Since if that’s the case you would want something closed back, but otherwise an open could be fine. Perhaps look into some senn hd280 pro which are pretty solid for midrange and bass, and the sony mdr 7506 for a pretty enjoyable yet usable for production sound, both of those should work with the focusrite and later improve on a nicer amp
Then I would say the new 280 pro or perhaps actually also some focal listen pro, which honestly would most likely suit his needs well imo. I do still think the 770 250 is usable for vocals if you either eq or fully understand it’s shortcomings but the listen pro or 280 pro would most likely be easier to pick up and work with. On 2nd thought the 7506 might be too lean in the low end for his tastes so scratch that one. IMO if you are going to mainly be doing vocals the 371 is a bit recessed in the midrange for my tastes
That is a pretty solid headphone, but honestly I think they didn’t sound that great direct out of the interface, I actually might want a stronger amp for that one
been a while since I listened to those. Aren’t those the W signatured Focal? Though they are at $300 I assume you can find them much cheaper from 3rd party. Those however, have velour pads yea? Like I mentioned previously he has a hard preference towards leather based pads. Pleather, leatherette, sheepskin, etc. Less you can swap out the listen pros pads no problem however, that incurs additional cost.
Not sure about the 280 but I will save it for further searching.
Last time I tried that interface with the 990 250 ohm it couldn’t drive it… You think switching over to a 770 80 ohm would be better in that regard?
I mean you can’t have everything at this price point and restrictions lol, haven’t tried changing pads on there so can’t speak to what you can do
there, seems like 280 pro it is lol
Correct it’s not going to work well lol, 770 is a bit easier to drive but its still not going to work well
Hmmmm personally no because you get a more v shaped signature with less refinement
Note to self: buy this for myself later. I remember that focal in the shop. First W signature I tried and it sounded good to me quite unique.
Look, in a free world I would twist his arm and yell at him to buy an amp. Who sits there and wants to record music without the proper equipment? No, he prefers the absolute bare bones minimum lol. Makes it hard to really buy him anything to begin with.
noted
duly noted.
interesting. So heres a bit of an side idea then. You say 250 ohms would be alright for him(and its a v signature which he likes and responds well to leathers this I already know for certain its a beyer kind of in my ball park lol). I am pretty sure I can find a 250 ohm 770 for under $200 by chance you know of a respectable amp that can power these and just connect to his focusrite? Would probably leave me with a pretty small budget of like $60 or $70 for the amp but I think I can find even a spark in that range if I recall correctly… Provided I can find a 770 250 ohm at like $125
I understand trying to keep a clean and pure signal chain, but for that to work well you need quality components lol
You could prob find a 770 250 for a good price, amp wise perhaps look for like a used magni 3 (even though it’s not my fave lol) or something of the sort
For the record this is what I get for letting them buy me a $1k headphone lmao. Only fair I return in kind during christmas I suppose.
I assume he will want the audio as clean as possible.
Will look into that one and dig around as well. You think the Magni 3 will be good enough though? I would assume he will want it as clean as possible for vocal tracks. I would’ve thought you would have told me an Atom
If you can find an atom in this price range used that would be preferable imo (as would a liquid spark), the magni 3 would do the job good enough so that’s why I mention it lol