Mixing Headphones (Help ?)

Thanks FF,

They have a detachable lead which is also not coiled (which i like).

yes they are great headphones I use them most, if you went for a pair of them as a midrange closed cup studio headset you would not be disappointed as they have become one of the industry standards over the last few years :wink:

Hi again,

i have been looking at a couple of pairs of headphones and related online reviews.

BeyerDynamic DT880 (250 Ohm) and the DT800 (600 Ohm).

What i don’t get is that i think you need to buy a headphone amp (although it says they can run without one to a certain extent) ?? If so, why don’t BeyerDynamic include one in the sale of the headphones (or at least as an optional add on) ??

Will driving headphones with an amp make any different to the fact that i am using them for Mixing / Mastering ?? What i mean is will the incusion of an amp interfere with my perceptions when mixing/setting Volumes is Cubase ??

Cheers guys,

Paul

One important piece of information is missing from your posts as well as your signature, and this is your audio interface.
Most interfaces have a dedicated phones output and is usually sufficient without requiring any seperate headphone amplifier. The Beyerdynamic DT880 are no different than most other studio phones in this regard though it appears to be available in a variety of impedance specs (32,250,600). Again you need to check your interface’s specs.

i thought my Audio Interface was the Steingberg C12+ which came with my Artist 6 package ?? This has a headphone output facility.

Or are you refering to something different. i am a novice so please bear with me !!

Yes the C12+ should be able to drive these headphones without the need for an amp.

Thank you.

But if i plug the headphones into my mp3 player then will i need i amp ??

Though if i was going to buy an amp would this Fiio £30 model do the job :-

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/FiiO-E-6-mini-amp-PORTABLE-AUDIO-amplifier-E6-4-Headphone-Earphone-MP3-mp-3-/251245182385?pt=UK_CE_MP3Access_RL&hash=item3a7f613db1#ht_3438wt_1142

If you want to use it with an MP3 player then you will probably need the 32 Ω model. Same might apply to the Flio, I’m not familiar with it.

i am looking to buy the 250 Ohm model to use for mixing with Cubase, but also to use it with my mp3 player. So for this latter medium i am guessing i will need the Flio headphone amp ??

Reply from Beyerdynamic


Hello Mr. Seaman,

thank you for your email! We offer a very nice headphone amp named A 1 http://europe.beyerdynamic.com/shop/hah/headphones-and-headsets/at-home/headphones-amps/a-1-220-240-v.html

and will soon show the new A 20 http://europe.beyerdynamic.com/shop/hah/headphones-and-headsets/at-home/headphones-amps/a-20.html.

So if you want a beyerdynamic amplifier to drive your phones, this is no problem! But you don´t need one necessarily. Any headphone output can drive a 600 ohms headphone, the question is: does it supply enough voltage to drive it loud enough. Apart from “loud enough” being a very subjective factor, it really depends on the voltage, the headphone output is capable to deliver and there is no international standard for minimal requirements.

In general, many battery- or wall-wart powered units work with lower internal voltages (which also may limit their output voltage) as gear with an internal power supply, but as always, this is just a rule of thump. You can power your studio monitors with a 3W triode tube amplifier, a massive Bryston or Crown Reference (or whatever) amp or a regular hifi-stereo amplifier: all three will work, but propably differently.

To our ears, the 250 ohms headphone models are the best compromise between achievable level with “most” headphone outputs and detailed sound. Due to their thinner wire for the voice coil (and therefore lower moving mass), the 600 ohms model sounds even more detailed but may eventually play less loud than the lower impedance version on several “regular” headphone outputs. For maximum level, regardless of the impedance, you will need a dedicated headphone amplifier. Either built-in into a monitor controller / interface or as an external unit like A 1, A 20 and several other amps from other manufacturers.

Kind regards,

Klaus Kirchhöfer
beyerdynamic GmbH & Co. KG

im using audeze, you would need to extend the budget (they’re $1k), but if its the one and only source for mix judgements i think its justifiable, you can be sure of your mix decisions on those.

I was going to suggest you try the 250 Ω model as it would indeed be a good compromise. I would also suggest you try it without an amp first before you spend extra money if it’s not needed.

According to Beyerdynamic:
VERSIONS
DT 880 32 Ω, for portable players . . . . . . . Order # 483.931
DT 880 250 Ω, for home hi-fi systems . . . . Order # 481.793
DT 880 600 Ω, for high end systems . . . . . Order # 491.322

check out the Spec sheet PDF on the Technical Data tab.

:astonished: :astonished: :astonished: :astonished: :astonished:

Thanks !! i am only a novice and so am not on the level of ever earning a living from Mixing.

Brilliant advice thanks. i totally agree. :smiley:

Let us know how it works out, Kinda interested to see if you can get decent volume out of your headphone output on the 250ohm ones.

It will be used via my Steinberg C12+ for Mixing in the foremost, and then just plugged into a regular mp3 player for general listening purposes (though this will will useful in helping me get aquainted to the ‘sound’ of the headphones in different instances).

I asked in here before buying my last pair of cans, and I was told to buy Grado SR80. Street price is about $100, and I love them! Nice, flat response in my opinion.

Note that they are open ear headphones.

Ta mate, though i think i am going to go with the BD DT800 250ohm.

Availability of Grado’s really depend on where you live though, there are none to be found in my area :wink: