I I have some AKG k240s that I got pretty cheap open box on eBay. I like them a lot, they’re probably the best headphones I’ve ever had even though they were pretty inexpensive. If I could change anything about them I would make them closed ear instead of semi open in the back. Because I can’t hear worth a shit.
About wired versus wired though, a friend of mine is pretty against Bluetooth headphones for this purpose. I, on the other hand, really, really, really hate all these damn cords and cables everywhere lol, so I’m very tempted to get some bluetooth over-the-ears. What say you?
Bluetooth latency can get really high, like 100-300 mS. You’ll notice any delay longer than around 30 mS, some people even less. If the headphones AND your transmitting driver (like Windows Bluetooth support) are both on newer versions like 5.3, you may be good to go. I would expect a fully updated Windows or Mac computer to be on the latest (v6 is here or coming soon), but check which Bluetooth version the headphones support. The lowest (slowest) version wins.
Any good pair of over-ear studio monitor headphones. I prefer closed.
I mostly use a pair of OneOdio. Another member (@Al1885 ?) recommended them. Good sound quality. I really like how they fold up. I especially like the feature that you can remove the cables or use different cables with different lengths/connectors.
You want wired, not BlueTooth to practice. BT is inherently a bit laggy, which will throw off your playing. Doesn’t matter when playing music back, but does when you are plucking strings.
The most common studio monitor and DJ headphones ever made, the Sony MDR-V6/MDR-7506, are about $100. Somewhat nicer monitors like my Beyerdynamics DT-990Pro are still under $200. The AKG K240, which are perfectly fine, are about the same price as the MDR-7506.
The Beyerdynamics DT-990Pro aren’t too expensive. What’s the difference between open-back and closed headphones? Why are open-back better?
So far my knowledge of headphones has been just as a listener of music, with noice cancelling headphones. I never got myself a studio monitor headphone so I don’t know much about them. My current headphones just happen to work well with my headphone amp.
Like most things in this hobby, it’s subjective. For some, its a sensory thing, for others its just a preference thing. I’d try both if you aren’t sure. I prefer closed back, I feel like I can dive into the music and cut everything else out with closed backs which is useful when I’m recording / mixing something.
I find open back more comfortable, my ears don’t sweat as much. I like my closed back a lot more for pitch shifting or playing with a lot of background noise since they have better isolation.
If you order from Thomann, I’d consider picking one of each up seeing what you prefer and sending the loser back. Like @Billn says, you might find them a lot more comfortable.
I’m sure they are more comfortable. But the noise around me would annoy me. If a window is open I can hear airplanes, or my husband in the kitchen, etc.
Closed-back headphones are best when monitoring a recording session so you just hear the output of the DAW or other recording software and not also the ambient sound. I have 2 pairs of 250 ohm Beyerdynamic DT-770 Pros for that. Open-back headphones are great for listening, but don’t block ambient sounds. I prefer a bit of both, so I use a pair of 250 ohm Beyerdynamic DT-880 Pros semi-open headphones for mixing or plain old listening.
I can imagine an open-back headphone would be nice when playing with a semi-hollow bass, because otherwise a noise cancelling headphone would cut out the other sounds made by the bass (I would only hear what comes through the amp).
Note that Beyerdynamic and several other headphone manufacturers offer headphones with difference impedance. BD has 32-, 80- and 250-ohm versions available. The 32-ohm headphones are for use with a low-powered headphone amp like you’d find on a mobile phone. The 250-ohm versions require a good quality headphone amp like you’d find on a good audio interface. It’s slightly better precision in sound reproduction makes them more suitable for mixing and mastering. The 80-ohm version is another beast entirely (different coil design vs. the 32- and 250-ohm versions).
Here’s an interesting article comparing the DT-770 Pro 32-, 80- and 250-ohm versions.
