AKG K-44 Headphones

Good evening gearheads

I was struggling to think of something good to write about today, then I realized the answer was sitting on my head. Headphones.
Every studio needs 'em. No one wants to think about them. They are included on the list of things that are absolutely necessary but certainly aren't exciting or even cool. They are just expected to be there and do their job.
Being a budget minded studio owner, I can't really afford to go for the default $100 phones that many pro studios have (Sony MDR-7506 [my personal fav] or AKG K 240 Studio [terrible leakage]). With a budget of $30 as the absolute max I can spend on cans, that really limits the quality possibilities. And as any experienced engineer can tell you, what the artist hears is detrimental to his/her performance. For years I used Sony MDR-V150 which can be had for as low as $15 if you know where to look. I own 5 of them. The problem with these is not that they are very present in the mid-range (I actually kind of like that), but that they are too small to really cover your whole ear. So extended wearing becomes uncomfortable. Luckily, I don't have too many sessions that last over 4 hours and I certainly am not wearing them the whole time. They also come apart quite often. Not beyond repair, but the adjustable part of the earpiece adjusts itself right off the unit sometimes. But I thought these were as good as I was going to do under that $30 price point.
Then I purchased something that came with free headphones, the AKG K-44. As soon as I put them on, I was blown away by how comfortable they are. The extra-large ear pieces are amazingly comfortable and the overall weight of the cans is so low that it barely feels like you're wearing them at all. A big improvement from the MDR-V150. But sadly there is only one other point that the K-44 excels in. They have a very clear and transparent sound. Very 'open'. This is great when listening to finished albums and such, but when listening to un-mixed, un-mastered audio while tracking, some of those hi frequencies easily distort. They also have a very 'uncontrolled' low-end. Not tight like the Sony's. The K-44 also leaks a good bit. So for those of you who love to listen loud while tracking, this may be a problem. Generally, it doesn't cause too much of an issue for me.
From an ergonomic perspective, in addition to the light weight and comfortable ear cups, they have a nice long attached cable that runs only from the left ear piece. So no cable dangling in front of the artist. It's very easy to throw it over your left shoulder and it's out of the way entirely (excellent for instrumentalists). And you never have to adjust them for size because they adjust automatically with an elastic band across the top.
All in all, a good set of headphones that retail for as low as $20. I'll probably be buying these as needed instead of the MDR-V150 simply for the comfort level.

Right now I'm sitting on my couch resting before a session tonight, listening to Jeff Buckley Live at Sin-e (Legacy Edition) on my iPod, through the AKG K-44. What an amazing talent, lost too soon.

Rock on

Ben
www.javboyrecords.com