Affordable Headphones for Mixing: Sennheiser, Sony, AKG

In this review, we discuss three of the best affordable headphones for mixing: Sennheiser, Sony, AKG.

A great pair of headphones is the best way to really focus on your mixes. They eliminate room sound, speaker issues, and poor acoustics that can get in the way of scoring really great parts. If you’re still using garden-variety headphones or (perish the thought) earbuds for mixing, stop: They don’t offer the isolation and flat frequency response you need to create a great mix.

Here are my top recommendations for high-quality and affordable headphones for mixing that will really help you step up your music with a reference level for recording, mixing, and mastering. While no product is absolutely perfect, all of these are very good-value headphones, so there really isn’t a bad choice.

Sony MDR-7506 Studio Headphones

These headphones have been the standard in audio studios since the early 1990s. If you watch the extra material on any movie that was scored and conducted by John Williams or Hans Zimmer, you’ll recognize these headphones.

The neodymium magnets make these headphones quite loud when necessary, but they’re also very sensitive to quiet sounds. The 7506s have very good isolation and separation. I find them also quite capable of dealing with very loud signals without distortion, though in the studio this can be a bit more forgiving than the actual sound file will exhibit in a film or DVD.

Some people have complained that the foam ear cushions wear out too fast on the 7506s, but that’s never a deal breaker, as there are plenty of companies that sell great replacement cushions. Another potential issue is that the cable construction makes them a bit difficult to repair when you get a broken connector, so just watch out for that.

My own experience with these headphones is that they sound very clear; they have a very flat frequency response and very good external sound isolation. Additionally, the folding design is really useful if you wish to take them from site to site as a reference.

AKG K240 Headphones

These headphones became very common in audio studios in the mid 1980s. The interesting part about these headphones is the XXL-speaker diaphragm design. By designing the thickness of the cone to varying forms, the K240s have a very natural frequency response. It isn’t flat like most engineers prefer, but they sound like most common acoustic speakers, making them very useful in mixing and mastering for theater and film work.

The semi-open design enhances bass frequencies, but it can sound sloppy and also makes the K240s a little less capable of good isolation. This isn’t a problem in a smaller studio with one or two instruments, but live recordings and multiple-player work may become problematic. I like the self-adjusting headband, but some people feel that it doesn’t get tight enough.

These are very comfortable headphones that you can wear all day, but I wish they were a bit more flat in the frequency response. One thing I love about these headphones is that the cable has a mini XLR connector to the phones so you can have a few extra cables and you can change them really easily, which can save the day in short sessions.

Sennheiser HD 280 Headphones

I first used these headphones in 2003, and I have been a fan ever since. It seems like Sennheiser looked at all of the above headphones and took the best qualities to combine them into a really excellent set of cans!

I really like the fit, as they are tight but not uncomfortable. You know you have them on, but you can wear them all day. The headband pad is nice, and the swiveling ear cups are a nice touch for those of us who don’t have square heads.

The sound is really even across the frequency spectrum and the specs don’t indicate how loud they sound, though I would question the 8Hz low end – they seem a bit wimpy on subwoofer sounds when I do surround sound effects below 50Hz. While the bass response can be soft, it’s very tight and it doesn’t color bass-heavy soundtracks.

The 280s offer a lot of isolation from external sound (they’re specified at -32dB, which is better than most earplugs!). Additionally, all of the parts are easily replaced, including the cord (not as easily as the K240s, but way better than the 7506s).

The Bottom Line

You’re going to find that almost everyone has 7506s, so you should have a set for standard monitoring comparisons, especially if you are working remotely, as at the least, you’ll be listening with the same headphones.

The 280s will give you a lot of bang for your buck if you do a lot of music, but I suggest the K240s if you do a lot of music, sound effects, and dialogue recording/mixing in a small studio. If you record orchestras, bands, and/or loud sound effects, go with the 280s for the isolation and comfort.

If you aren’t sure, go with the Sony MDR-7506s, but be careful with that cord and pay close attention to your meters.

Tom St. James is an award-winning composer, songwriter, sound designer, and audio engineer. He owns the studio BASSIC Productions as well as other sound and music-related businesses. Tom teaches audio and music. He also writes training material for colleges, music schools, audio studios, and blogs.

Featured image by foeoc kannilc (CC BY 2.0)

What are your recommendations for the best affordable headphones? Let us know in the comments!