Hi everyone, I will be purchasing a Tracker pretty soon and I just realized I don’t have a quality pair of headphones that I am long overdue for, as I plan to do more recording and music making at home. What headphones do you all enjoy using and recommend?
Hi @Jeffrey, i’m using this Audio Tecnica M70x. Crisp highs and clean basses. It also depends on the buget you have of course. (affiliation link for Amazon.it: https://amzn.to/43dLuIR)
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I can recommend the Beyerdynamic Dt 770 pro (80 Ohm/250 ohm). They’re a studio headphones for quite a low price, well established and relatively easy to repair. If you’re on a low budget i’d definitely recommend them.
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I also have this model but open. I can only recommend open headphones for music production. In my experience, you can use them for longer periods without getting the slight headache or head fatigue or head something I get with closed headphones after a while.
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Beyerdynamic 990 PRO (more or less the same as 770, but it’s the open type). Insane sound quality for the price. I spent half a day in a local headphones shop being able to compare lots of them, including much pricier ones (using hi-fi amps, if it matters), but still, I chose 990. Comparing to M70x, they have much better 3d feeling and more suited for both studio work and everyday listening, IMO, even though M70x is very detailed, indeed, like a microscope for sounds. 990 are crisp too, lots of high end, but not in that manner. Another thing: 990/770 are much, much comfier. My friend had M70x for years and he was blown away when he tried to wear them. The last one: even though it’s marked 250 ohms, it doesn’t mean you’ll get low volumes. They can be loud with both smartphones and music gear, including Play or Tracker. Audiophiles of all sorts say that with better amps you can get even better quality, but I’m happy with what I have now.
however, these things are highly subjective, try them yourself if possible. it’s not that ones are better than others, they just may suite different needs.
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I would just like to +1 the Beyerdynamic DT 770 and 990. Both are a great pair of headphones with a very pleasing sound.
770:
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Great for vocal recordings or if you need to record things without noise bleed -
They do get hot after a while on your head though because they are closed-backs.
990:
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Because they are open-backs, you can wear them for hours without issues
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Highs are very dominant, which can be problematic when mixing/mastering though, so keep that in mind.
If you are going to use either with the Tracker or the Play i would suggest you use the 80 Ohm versions. If you are going to use them in a studio setup, where you don’t connect your headphones directly to the devices, i would go for the 250 Ohm versions.
As @ambivalence has stated, the Tracker and Play have no issue driving the 250 Ohms especially if you crank up the Master Volume, but i personally would use 80 Ohms for either device.
Since i drive everything through my DAW and/or Studio Setup, i opted for the 250 Ohms.
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another (maybe too obvious) good thing about closed backs is the fact that you can’t hear everything around you. in no way the 770s are 100% sound proof, but you won’t be annoyed by small sounds from the environment.
->If you’ll only use your the studio open backs are definitely the better option.
As soon as you leave the studio though, using open backs can get really annoying.
my experience about this with the 770s is that i can wear them comfortably for around 4 hours without needing to take a break. with small breaks in between, it’s easy to use them all day long. this of course varies by person.
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Thank you everyone for the recommendations and things to consider! This has been really helpful.
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I have lots of headphones and speakers. I always check a mix on real speakers, because I find it incredibly difficult to judge mixes on headphones. That said, I love the Sennheiser hd25, they are closed back, more open sounding than earbuds, more bass than open backed headphones, not too exaggerated in the bass, treble can get a bit harsh when pushed, but you want that otherwise you’ll make really harsh mixes by mistake. I wear glasses and they can get a bit uncomfortable if you wear them for hours and hours, but they’re pretty good really, and not too expensive
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Good topic !
I cycle between these…
Sony MDR 7506 - best for comfort with a more enhanced sound but nice quality . closed back.
Senheisser HD 600 - truest sound, open back , best for mixing , good comfort.
Sony WF1000XM4 - in ear buds paired with a Ugreen 5.0 bluetooth transmitter . the best in ear buds for sound quality and this makes the tracker fully portable and wireless. Only marginal latency . this would be for trains, planes… etc not best for sounds quality but only due to the BT transmission.
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Hey Polyend family!
I’m looking to get some headphones for the arrival of the Polyend mini and was looking for some recommendations/info.
I’m currently looking at some ‘BEYERDYNAMIC DT990 PRO HEADPHONES‘ and had a couple questions you guys might have the answers to.
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Are they going to have enough volume on the Polyend mini? I see they need a headphone amp usually and wasn’t sure what the Polyend minis outputs were like.
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Open or closed back? I’m probably going to be using them in public so too much audio spill would be a shame but I would also use them in the studio so ear fatigue is a slight worry. Any info on this would be appreciated.
Any recommendations for other headphones are welcome!
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Since the Mini is not out yet, it’s kind of difficult to answer that 
BUT… if you get the 80Ω Version of the headphones, it’s definitely going to be loud enough .
It’s usually the 250Ω versions of headphones that may be quieter for devices that don’t have enough oompf.
If the existing Tracker is any indication though, it is capable of driving the 250Ω just fine, if you crank the master volume.
Open Backs WILL spill audio out. There is no way around that. So i guess it depends on the volumes you usually listen to.
I personally have the 770s Closed Backs and the 990s Open Backs. For longer sessions i prefer the 990s. For recording vocals or guitars i prefer the 770s.
I do not use any of those two outside of my studio though. I prefer IEM’s on the go.
If you want to have a look at IEM’s, i can recommend the Moondrop Aria’s.
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Nice one. For studio use I’d probably go for the 250ohms as I have a AU with decent output. Figured some of the Polyend devs might be on here with some info on the minis output but If the tracker has a decent volume than presumably the mini will too.
Which pair of your studio headphones do you prefer?
Those in ear headphones are probably more suitable for the mini as I plan on using it on the go. How have you found the arias? Battery or wired?
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If i’d have to choose between the 770s and the 990s. The 990s are my clear favorite. Sound quality wise they are both pretty evenly matched i’d say. But for comfort i much prefer the 990s, as they get less hot on my head for longer sessions.
I like the sound and the frequency response is pretty good for how cheap they are. They are wired, cord is replaceable though, which is great for longevity.
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Thank you 
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I’ve got some headphone opinions.
Best headphone under $99? - Sony MDR-7506 Headphones: I owned these, the audio jack got bent and cannot be replaced. Ear pads wear out, cannot be replaced. Sound good for the price, don’t expect years and years of use.
Audio-Technica ATH-M50x - I think around $169 - worth the extra $70. if you want them on the go, they fold up nicely for travel. Mine saw heavy use for years and took a beating. Might recommend getting a case. I broke a headphone off of these, but was an easy fix to solder back once, then it kept breaking and I threw them out. Actually the way they fold up might have been why they broke. I spoke to a guy at Audio Technica about it and he said I should have emailed and they would have fixed them.
I would pick these over the ATH-M20 or M30 100%. They have a replaceable audio jack, which adds a lot of life. I think the bass is boosted pretty heavily in this whole range. I would probably only recommend over the Dt 770 if you want something that folds up to travel with.
My favorite headphone - Audeze LCD-X - these are expensive, not as expensive as some of Audeze’s headphones but they never leave my studio. Maybe it is partially perceived value because of how much they cost but they are the most sonically accurate headphones I own. They are huge and heavy but sound fantastic.
Audeze MM100 - $399 Audeze Headphones | Uncompromised Audio | Planar Magnetic Technology - I don’t really feel like I need another open back headphone with the LCD-X but I listened to them at their NAMM booth and the fidelity was fantastic. A closed back version of this would be an instant purchase.
Audio Technica ATH-WP900 - Portable Over-Ear Wooden Headphones | Audio-Technica - Bought these looking for a closed back travel companion for the Mini. Priced a little high in my opinion but they are very light and fold up better than the ATX line in a way that takes up more space but is sturdier and less chance to break. Great for travel, highs are a bit bright but overall really like them.
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My budget recommendation is Beyerdynamic DT-250 - not 100% sure if discontinued but they crop up on eBay. Great sound very open and neutral for closed headphones, I can verify this based against the amount of correction applied by sonarworks headphone plugin - the answer is significantly less than my sennheiser hd600! They are I think same same ear pad size as Sony mdr7506 so similar comfort, except all parts can be replaced and cable removed or even replaced to a straight cable if you are handy with a soldering iron.
(I haven’t tried the 770/990 options but likely to be good too knowing Beyerdynamic!)
My other recommendations is sennheiser hd600/hd650 which are both very good and comfortable!
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The earpads on the MDR are notorious for falling apart after a year so, but you can most definitely replace them with original Sony pads or third party pads. The 7506 has been around forever. I have three pairs from three different decades and never had any issues other than having to change the pads. They have been used by artists and sound engineers for over three decades on many famous albums. Are they perfect? No. But they are a great value at $99 these days. My first pair cost me $250, and that is in 1990 dollars.
These days there are so many excellent headphones that it is hard to decide what to use for what scenario (music listening vs. music genres vs. music production). I do have both the Audeze LCD-X and the LCD-XC. I actually like the LCD-XC better. With a little EQ they are outstanding.
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Ah yeah I’m sure I’m wrong on the MDR pads, but mine have been recycled now because the jack got bent and that couldn’t be swapped out. Would agree, still a great value for $99.
On the LDC X vs XC - I wanted a reference headphone and researched these a lot. I went with the X after watching too many videos and a couple recommendations from producer friends. What do you prefer about the LDC-XC over the X?
I must caveat that my LCD-X is the previous generation circa 2017. Audeze did update the drivers in 2020, I believe. That was around the time I got the LCD-XC. So my sound comparison was between the newer XC vs. the older X.
What I like about the XC:
- Very good isolation, better than most closed backs
- Good soundstage for a closed back
- Like most Audeze’s, with EQ the XC can sound like a TOTL headphone. Incredible bass that is deep and clean and doesn’t muddy up the sound, mids that don’t lack in any frequencies, and good highs. Without EQ they sound good, but they EQ really well (don’t have the issues of other headphones where changing some frequencies will kill others).