Looking for good headphones for my Genos

[Toril S]

Hello friends
I am looking for some good over ear headphones for my Genos (and other keyboards).
They must be over ear, but light. I tried some Audio Techincas in the store today, and liked them, but they were not for sale.
I am looking for the WOW feeling when I play (the sound, not the player, unfortunately!), a sound with clear sound but also some bass! Any suggestions?

EDIT: I see there is another thread about headphones. But I wonder if any of you have headphones from Audio Technica?

[RobertM]

Hello  Toril,
I will put in a vote for AKG K72.
Lightweight, overear, self adjusting,  reasonable bass, and I've never noticed any distorsion. Used on SX900 and others
Regards,
Robert.

[Toril S]

Thanks Robert😀

[PhotoDoc05]

Toril,
I just bought new Sony MDR-7506 headphones, and I'm very pleased with them.
Very comfortable weight to wear, over the ear, and closed back. They also have a coiled wire that gives you plenty of room to move around.
Frequency response is very good, quite flat, and sound great!
Jerry

[overover]

Hi Toril,

there are "over ear" headphones with a closed , semi-open or open type system. (The AKG K72 is a "closed" type.)

Closed type headphones usually offer better acoustic isolation and are therefore often used for (microphone) recordings.

Open type headphones usually offer a much more natural sound and are therefore better suited for many applications than closed systems. I use the "AKG K712 Pro" on the Tyros5 and Genos. These headphones do not sound "like headphones", but you get the impression that you are hearing real speakers. Therefore, the K712 Pro is also well suited for mixing purposes.

Important: With open systems (such as the K712 Pro) you can also hear something outside. If other people are present (e.g. at home) this can be annoying for them ...


Best regards,
Chris

[Rick D.]

I just got some noise cancelling Bose 700 headphones and love them.

Rick D.

[Toril S]

Thanks Jerry, Chris and Rick D

[michael]

Hey I would go for the Audio Technica ATH M50XBT  they are great
Michael 

[mikf]

I had the Bose noise canceling Headphones. They had great sound, and nice on a plane where you want sound deadening. But  I was never completely comfortable playing with them, because you hear nothing. Someone coming up behind you can give you a start and you don't hear a doorbell, phone ringing, or someone talking to you. But in any case I left them lying unused for a number of months and the battery leaked and destroyed them. Apart from losing the phones the battery is in one of the earpieces and I thought about that substance leaking into my ear. So I am not keen now on any phones that need batteries.
Mike

[Joe H]

I use AKG K271 MkII.  They sound great.  They are over the ear - closed back.

Joe H

[Gunnar Jonny]

Different people, different taste and needs, and not to forget about the hearing that change during the years.
I really love this ones that suits me perfectly: SHURE SRH 840
https://www.shure.com/en-MEA/products/headphones/srh840

[Rick D.]

Mike,

The new Bose 700's are rechargeable and last 19 hours on a single charge. They also have adjustable levels for noise-canceling, so you can hear as much as you want to hear, or on a plane not hear that screaming kid with mortified parents LOL!.
They are also Bluetooth or wired, which you need for keyboards.
You won't be sorry.
https://www.bose.com/en_us/products/headphones/noise_cancelling_headphones/noise-cancelling-headphones-700.html#v=noise_cancelling_headphones_700_black

Rick D.

[RoyB]

Toril

I believe headphones are very subjectives and individual preferences vary significantly. I have bought and discarded through 'trial and error' too many heaphones over the years, and have come to the conclusion that I just cannot rely on other peoples' reviews when it comes to my own preference.

I currently have 3 models of headphones:-

AKG K92 - good price, gets good reviews, very comfortable, but I just don't like the sound very much. I find they are OK for commercial recordings, but they don't seem to suit my keyboards very well (mid-high ranges don't seem to have the right balance). Don't use them.

Sony MDR V6-  old model now, and very similar to Sony's MDR 7506. I used to use these with my keyboards.

Sony MDR-7510 - I have 2 pairs of these which I now use all the time and they are a definite improvement on the MDR V6. 1 pair is permanently connected to my Tyros, the other is permanently plugged into my PC. The sound of these suit me perfectly, I find the sound well-balanced and detailed with good but not over-powering bass (better bass than on the MDR v6). I find these sound good both for commercial recordings and with my keyboard. 

Regards

Roy

[ibrox2]

Hi toril
I have bought the nura head phones they are amazing
You hear the same sound that comes from the speaker
When I first tried them it was like having a new keyboard
Well worth the money you can either rent or buy don't buy
From ebay if you need any advice just ask and I will help
You       Thanks. Jim

[Toril S]

Thanks everyone! You are such good friends.

[mikf]

The new Bose 700's are rechargeable and last 19 hours on a single charge.
https://www.bose.com/en_us/products/headphones/noise_cancelling_headphones/noise-cancelling-headphones-700.html#v=noise_cancelling_headphones_700_black

Rick D.

Rick - Mine were rechargeable. It was the rechargeable batteries that leaked.

[Rick D.]

Mike,
The last two pairs I have had had replaceable batteries. I never had a problem with those.
I will have to keep an eye on these rechargeable ones. I have had them about a year now.
You should have sent them back, they would have backed them up.
Bose has been a great company to work with. They like the customers happy.
Thanks,

Rick D.

[Graham UK]

In my early working life I worked selling headphones into retail so have sampled all examples.
Taking into account that we all have different ears but present day prices I can't come to terms with these overpriced Headphones.
I have used and owned expensive £100+ pound headphones. I also use a low priced Sennheiser HD 206 £23 which provides sound quality well above their selling price and are excellent and worth checking out if your budget is limited.

High priced products don't always produce better sound quality.

[Rick D.]

Graham,

You're right about everyone's taste being different.
My whole House is full of Bose, to me, they have the sound I am looking for.
I run my Genos with two Bose L1 Compacts, I guess my ears are trained to Bose. When I was younger I was a big fan of the Koss Pro 4 AA's.
Some people think the Bose are light in the midrange. To me they are great.
You're also right, they are not cheap, but shop around, you can find deals.

Rick D.

[Graham UK]

Rick D.. Interesting because I also have a pair of KOSS Pro4 AA

[Toril S]

In the hunt for good sound I have purchased both Bose, and Sony bluetooth noice canceling headphones, a couple of years ago, but even though they are great for listening  to music on my phone they are too much when I connect them to the keyboard. Tried Shure and Sony studio headphones, but was not happy. So I dug out my old KOSS UR18 headphones. No, they do not have the best sound, but they are super lightweight, and I can hear sound around me. I will try out the once you suggested. Ears are  unfortunately getting older.

[Rick D.]

Graham,

Are they still in business? I haven't heard about them in years. When I said I had Koss when I was younger, I was going back 50 years LOL!

They were great headphones, and I believe at the time they were used by most DJ's and had a spot to screw in a microphone.

Ahhhh the memories!

Rick D.

[DonM]

I have a couple of pairs of Koss Porta Pro phones.  They are quite inexpensive, but very good.  They are open design.  Oh, and they are guaranteed for LIFE!  I have replaced two pairs after stepping on them.  You have to pay postage, but that's all.
My closed phones are Marantz Professional.  LOVE EM!

[ibrox2]

Hi tori

You really should try the nura headphones
They are exceptional. You can rent them and
They replace them every two year. Or just
Buy.     Jim

[Lije Baley]

Hello friends
I am looking for some good over ear headphones for my Genos (and other keyboards).
They must be over ear, but light. I tried some Audio Techincas in the store today, and liked them, but they were not for sale.
I am looking for the WOW feeling when I play (the sound, not the player, unfortunately!), a sound with clear sound but also some bass! Any suggestions?

EDIT: I see there is another thread about headphones. But I wonder if any of you have headphones from Audio Technica?

Hi Toril!

Instead of just taking advice from you, let me offer some advice to you for a change But before I make a recommendation, please tell me, what purpose would these headphones serve - playing/listening at home or playing live? Also, what sort of a price range do you have in mind?

Cheers!
Antun

[Toril S]

Just playing at home. And not too expensive😀

[travlin-easy]

I also use the Marantz MPH2 headphones, they're outstanding, cost about $100 and a must for recording and eliminating feedback from the mic.

Gary

[Lije Baley]

Kust playing at home. And not too expensive😀

Hi Toril!

I wrote a detailed reply but it seems to have vanished!

So, I will reply to your questions once more.

Some members have recommended fairly good headphones but my recommendation would be a Sennheiser HD-560S.

First and foremost, it is an "open-back" headphone which means the sound can easily travel outside of the headphone and also travel inside into your ears. The benefit of this is that it offers lower distortion (as the sound naturally leaves the headphone and doesn't "bounce" inside it) and there is a feeling of "openness" (the sound appears to come from open space around you) which gives it a more natural feel of how we perceive sound in real life. Sennheiser is the company who introduced the first open headphone in the sixties, the iconic HD-414.

The downside of an open headphone is that you can hear others around you and they can also hear what you are listening too. However, the HD-560S isn't as open as some other "open" headphones so it does not leak as much sound and does offer a bit of isolation. More importantly, you intend to use the headphone at home and so, there is no need to worry about your surroundings as they will be quiet enough and won't disturb your listening.

The headphone is made from high quality thermoplastic and in that regard, it is a typical Sennheiser headphone. Also typical is the light weight and comfort it brings. Being plastic automatically means VERY low mass and the cushions being VERY soft means you will be able to enjoy them during extended listening sessions without discomfort. Keep in mind that they will get more comfortable with time, as the headband loosens up a bit and the cushion padding becomes softer.

Also, do not be discouraged by its plastic construction. Sennheiser headphones are known to last a very long time and it is not uncommon to find people still using their twenty-year-old Sennheiser headphones. Driver (speaker) failures are extremely rare with Sennheiser so that's good too. Also, their service network is vast so finding spare parts in the future will be easier than with most other companies.

I would describe the sound of the HD-560S as being "neutral fidelity". It means it doesn't exaggerate any particular part of the frequency spectrum which in turn means it is equally well suited for listening to any musical instrument. Speech intelligibility is also excellent so lyrics are easy to discern. I this respect, I would say it is an ideal headphone for setting up multi-track recordings because it is easy to judge the loudness of each particular track and so it is also easy to achieve a proper balance and let me tell you, I own some VERY expensive headphones and do not find them as well suited for this task as the Sennheiser HD-560S.

The midrange transition into low-end and high-end in a very natural manner. The low-end in particular is something you will immediately notice – it is well-rounded and deep but does not colour the midrange. The high-end is extended and remarkably void of sibilance.

It is both high impedance and high sensitivity which is really how a proper high-performance headphone should be designed. The only device that cannot drive this headphone to a loud volume will be a very cheap smartphone. Anything else, including a keyboard, will have a better headphone output and will therefore be well suited to driving this headphone.

In case you are wondering, the HD-560S is not too far away from Sennheiser's renowned models like the HD-600 and HD-650 which have been something of a "quality standard" for headphone quality for two decades. The difference is that the more expensive models have better "fidelity" within midrange itself. So, string instruments like violins and violas but also pianos have a more realistic quality to them. These headphones also cost more and sometimes, a lot more. They are also not without their problems and the biggest one of them being is the need for a separate, dedicated headphone amplifier which only raises the cost even further. With the HD-560S, you can get fairly colose to that standard of reproduction without any additional cost.

MSRP for the HD-560S is 200 € but you can find them for as low as 145 € if you shop around. I would not say they're "cheap" but considering you are getting a very high performing headphone that is well suited for both music listening and production, I would say that the price is still reasonable.

I must also admit that the HD-560S probably offers the highest value for money among all the headphones in my collection.

I hope I've been of some help to you, Toril.
Cheers,
Antun

[Toril S]

Thanks Gary and Antun😀

[Alistair53]

I use Audio Technica ATH-M20x Professional Headphones excellent quality audio reproduction and solid build-quality.