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Hi everyone, I just bought a p515 and now I'm looking for good headphones to go with it, but it's been a tough search with a lot of information, so here I am, asking for your advice.
So far I've found that there are closedback headphones and openback headphones, and the latter would probably be the best if I am in a relatively quiet environment? (which I am). I was wondering how much 'ohm' headphones should have for a DP?
Which headphones do you recommend for a DP with a price between 100$ and 250$?
I have exactly the same question… I just got Garritan CFX and I’m now in the market for some good headphones. My understanding is that you’re looking for a pretty flat frequency response for classical piano, just as it is with studio monitors. So am I right in saying that headphones that people mix music with and have a flat/neutral response would be good for digital piano as well - thoughts?
I have exactly the same question… I just got Garritan CFX and I’m now in the market for some good headphones. My understanding is that you’re looking for a pretty flat frequency response for classical piano, just as it is with studio monitors. So am I right in saying that headphones that people mix music with and have a flat/neutral response would be good for digital piano as well - thoughts?
IMHO --
That's what I'd pick. Some of the old headphones -- Senn HD280, Shure MDR 7506 -- have had long production runs, and are in lots of studios. They may not be perfect, but they're proven.
What you _don't_ want is headphones designed with extra-strong bass response -- I believe the "Dr. Dre" models are in that class. The less "color" the headphones have, the better they reproduce what your DP is putting out.
Over the past few years, there's been lots of posts praising the Senn HD5xx phones, which are open-back. I haven't tried them, but they're a popular favorite.
. Charles --------------------------- PX-350 / Roland Gaia / Pianoteq
If you stay in the neighborhood of 50-100 ohms, should be fine without needing an external headphone amp .... as you get around 200 ohms or higher, may need an amp... the wild card factor is that DP manufacturers consistently do a good job of not publicizing basic specs on their models’ internal headphone amps.
Also, i think Charles meant to say Sony 7506 .... oldies but goodies.
- Kawai MP7 and LSR308 monitors - Roland HP-508 - DT770 Pro-80 and MDR-7506 phones
I’ve just replaced my Beyerdynamic DT880 Edition 32ohm headphones with a pair of Sennheiser HD560S.
The DT880 are good but to my ears the treble was a little harsh which was adversely impacting my tinnitus. And the bass a little pronounced.
The HD560s seem to be smoother overall and are more gentle to my ageing ears. One thing that surprised me is I immediately turned the volume down on the HD560s. They seemed to present a bit more detail somehow.
Sony Pro MDR-7506 are spec'd at 63 ohms. One reviewer measured it as 80 ohms. Impedance is an average across the frequency spectrum, and I think that difference is a measurement issue. I trust the Sony number more, but either should be fine for a digital piano headphone output.
I own two pair of these and find them quite useful, but I need much smaller and lighter headphones for playing piano, so I don't use them for that.
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Beyerdynamic 770 -80 ohm cause it has straight cord, built like a Jeep, incredibly accurate, beautiful sound w my Kawai digital BUT get a small headphone amp- Has the cashmere suede fabric and it’s like you in a tomb. 4 years rigorous daily use .. pieces can be individually replaced too. Con—you will be startled out of your wits when someone disturbs you. I use it for mixing and editing too—I had open headphones before but it’s like drinking decaffinated coffee.
I tried AKG K 271 mkII (closed) and open AKG K702 and Sennheiser HD 650. My favorite for piano playing so far is AKG K 702 - it has the most detailed sound and the best soundstage of the three, that’s said I prefer the tone of HD650 for almost everything else.
Take this impedence talk about ohm and stuff with a grain of salt. In general it is true that higher ohm headphones are harder to drive, but there are exceptions. AKG 7XX series for instance have only 62 ohm but they are hard to drive. Another rule of thumb is: open back headphones are harder to drive than one with closed back. And again, there are exceptions.
The big question is, if your DP can handle them?
I read here and there that entry level Roland DP have weak headphone amplification, but I don't know about P515. But it is a Yamaha. And Yamaha is one of the best hifi companies out there. In short: I don't believe a Yamaha DP has problems with AKG-K712pro / Q701 / K702 / K701, even if they are harder to drive than some 250 ohm headphones from other companies.
My advise for open-back headphones: AKG-K712pro / Q701 / K702 (sorted from "best" to "good", but don't buy K701) Sennheiser HD560s (and if you have access to massdrop, HD6XX and HD58X Jubilee are said to be exceptional value for money)
On closed back headphones I would have advised Beyerdynamic DT-770, but I don't recommend them as they don't have a detachable cable and mine is broken and now I am mad about this product-line.
My advice for buying headphones (or speakers) is ... just try them yourself.
Some stores offer a means to try test their headphones in-store. They're likely **not** connected to a piano like yours, so just judge the sound using some music you bring with you on your phone. If you like them, buy them and try them on your piano. If you don't like them, return them.
If your local retailer doesn't allow returns: (a) don't patronize them and (b) buy headphones online instead.
In case (b), you can't try the phones ... but you need not care. Try them at home and return them if you don't like them. I did that once. And some people here claimed to have done so numerous times.
On closed back headphones I would have advised Beyerdynamic DT-770, but I don't recommend them as they don't have a detachable cable and mine is broken and now I am mad about this product-line.
It doesn’t look that hard to change the cable yourself.
Admittedly a lot more work than a detachable cable.
Every other piece looks easy to change and is available for purchase. Including the head band cover and ear cups which from my experience are the things that wear out on headphones.
I just bought a pair and the cable seems fine, should last for some time. As the video mentions the dt 770 cable in the newer models is better.
The dt770 pro was the best combination of sound and especially comfort for me.
A Mac said, go try some out for yourself. Two additional things to think about:
1 - Your keyboard's sounds are no different than playing music... you are pretty much playing back a recording. Use music that you like to evaluate... listed for bass (deep and tight), treble (present but not bright or edgy) , overall natural human voices, and comfort. 2 - Go to any store that sells headphones.... Magnolia (Best Buy) or other dedicated stereo or home theater stores are great places to listen to headphones.
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