Best Sony headphone for mixing music?

Question

Im trying to set up a small home studio space in my bedroom here in Chicago and need a solid pair of cans for mixing indie rock tracks. Ive been looking at the MDR-7506 since everyone swears by them, but Ive also seen a lot of people say the WH-1000XM4s are better for everyday studio work even though they are wireless. My budget is around 150 bucks and I need to make a decision by this weekend before my mixing sessions start... which one actually works better for actual mixing without coloring the sound too much?

JosephTen · Accepted Answer

Jumping in here because frequency response curves matter way too much for indie rock. Before you buy anything, what kind of acoustic treatment do you have in that bedroom?

<a href=" https://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/search?Ntt= Audio-Technica+ATH-M50x+Professional+Studio+Monitor+Headphones&BI=8941&KBID=10361&SID=12345&DFF=d50" target="_blank" rel="nofollow sponsored">Audio-Technica ATH-M50x Professional Studio Monitor Headphones might suit you better if you need slightly more accurate sub-bass translation

Watch out for Bluetooth latency issues if you track live parts too Let me know your room setup!

backdoor · Answer

> frequency response curves matter way too much for indie rock Late to the party here, but looking strictly at technical data points, neither of the user-mentioned consumer models hit accurate neutral targets for critical mixing work. The XM4 introduces significant harmonic distortion in the low-end due to active DSP processing even in wired mode. For an indie rock bedroom studio working around a 150 dollar limit, you should analyze frequency response graphs on sites like Sonarworks or rtings.com before pulling the trigger. Since standard industry monitors were already mentioned, a better alternative for precise transient response and flat frequency reproduction in this exact budget bracket is the Beyerdynamic DT 770 PRO 80 ohmStudio Headphones. They offer a much more controlled impedance rating of 80 ohms, which translates better to standard audio interfaces without needing a dedicated high-gain headphone amp. Practical tip for your setup this weekend: download a plugin like ToneBoosters VstPlugins MorphIt or use trial software for room correction if you are cross-referencing your mix on monitors later. Also, ensure you disable any onboard motherboard audio enhancements on your PC, as they heavily color the frequency spectrum and will ruin your mix translation on external sound systems.

VidictSmoth · Answer

Honestly, skip the bluetooth ones for mixing. Grab the classic Sony MDR-7506 Professional Studio Monitor Headphones instead. They are well under your budget and completely honest with frequencies.