Are These THE BEST Studio Headphones?
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- Опубликовано: 22 окт 2022
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Hello, I'm Nicholas Di Lorenzo, Studio Owner, Mixing and Mastering engineer at Panorama Studios.
I'm an Italian-Australian born and raised in Melbourne. I've been a creative professional for 10 years managing some pretty awesome projects for artists, labels and producers all around the globe.
What motivates and drives me?
My family,
Good food,
Great coffee.
You can find me on many platforms:
Instagram: / panorama_mastering
Facebook: / panoramamastering
Twitter: / panoramamasters
Kit: kit.co/Panorama_Mastering
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It is really good to have a Mixing Pro doing a review and educate us why this headphone makes sense, rather than having an average guy stating his views on the sound.
Thanks man!
I have them, They're amazing!!!! Took my mixes to another level. Theyre not hyped at all. What you hear is what you get and you can hear EVERYTHING
Got a pair of these MM-500, I'm hooked big time! AMAZING video mate, you Rock!
Yeap; they don't leave my side; I feel like a carpenter with my toolbox as they go everywhere with me; Thanks for passing by, muchly appreciated!
Genius. You’re taking reviews to the next level. Cheers.
Glad you like the review! THANK YOU!
He's repeating basic info he's reading somewhere. A beginner trying to be an engineer, lol
Love to learn how small details like cup shape changes acoustics. Great vid!
Thanks mate!!
banger review, tossing up between these and the Dan Clark E3s
Great video Nick! These are really cool headphones 🎧
Thanks man!!! - I think these guys are based in OC! Not far from you!
Got a pair of LCD-X 2021 a year ago and (once I'd got used to them) my mixes improved significantly. It made it much easier to hear exactly what was going on in the mix and transformed my low-end as previously I was mainly guessing below 100hz. This led to better mixes and better translation. I have no idea if they're better than any other $1k+ headphone because I didn't audition any other (what's the point when it takes weeks to get used to them) but, for me, they were the most significant upgrade to my mixing setup in 2021.
This is pretty much how I feel about Audeze's as well!
They are the real shit.
Nice to see a pro's impressions of these. I[ve used a ton of Sennheiser and Audeze headphones, having spent a lot of time in apartments and condos where big monitors had limited use. I currently have the LCD-X 2021 version, and the LCD-5. Both are pretty amazing. All headphones are a compromise to me, but these give me just what you talked about, an experience that sounds like I'm listening to really, really good studio monitors.
Thanks for sharing! Yeah; they're super headphones IMO; ! Very glad to have them at the studio :)
Great video! I’m an ME and have been using the MM-500s daily for the last couple of months, and I love the focus these bring to the mids for accurate decision making - masters are ending up translating really nicely using these. I have also have a pair of LCD-X 2021s and feel they go a little deeper, so I do cross-reference masters on those. I’d say the MM-500s are like a pair of high-end near-fields where the LCD-X feel more like a pair of big mains in a great room… it’s a luxury to have both, but that brings a lot of confidence in how masters translate :)
Thanks for watching and sharing your insight!!
This is the comment i needed to read
I am a music producer. If this headphone is the real deal for mastering engineers, why does Audeze LCd MX4 still exist and not discontinued. Based on the MM 500 being the best at this category, that means $ 1699 MM 500 should plummett the $3000 MX4 right? On Another note so now that the MM 500 exist, which is better now to mix and master on $1699MM 500, $3000 MX4, or $4500 Lcd 5?
Was looking for decent monitor / mixing headphones and FINALLY found someone who has something worthwhile to say.
Thanks mate; just so you know; all these months on; I'm still using these; and even took them on a family holiday and was setting up sessions with it;
Definitely the best headphones ever made for mixing and mastering!
I think so too!
Great info I did not find on other audiophile websites.
Hey Sir. I got the MM500 Frequency Response from Audeze but it's a little different to read. It shows the mid was a dip, which is different that what i m hearing. Would you mind explaining the graph a bit? Much appreciated ❤
Thank you for a great review.
Have you tried LCD-5 or LCD-4z? If you have, which of these three do you feel translates the mix or master best?
My pleasure; I have heard the LCD-5's but never used them long enough or in sessions to get a real feel for them;
Im definitely considering buying a pair. my usual problem with headphone mixing is that sometimes the translation is a little midrangey or muddy compared to my monitors. and compression tones lack a little of the openness of being in a room with speakers. have these been translating well? mainly wondering just the sound good department. I will almost always volume balance on speakers or just a laptop if thats all I have.
Hey Shooga;
I've been thrown some curve-ball prductions and mixes; and surprisingly I've been leaning on these headphones and getting incredible results which translate to my main monitors and outside the studio!
So far pretty damn impressed!!
Warmly,
N.
hello, just want to use one earphone and don't want to be tired of switching devices all the time depending on the type of music. I listen to 80% classical and 20% jazz and pop. I have also seen the mm500 so far, and I think the instrument part is quite good, and the vocals are in the front, so the female voice sounds good. Do you recommend other headphones at this level? I think the sound field of the mm500 is okay. For classical music, the instrument tone is not too modified. , the low-frequency dive is enough for jazz. I don’t know if I understand this right?
its kinda funny that you are bringing up the lcd-x as a heavy audiophile headphones when they are notoriously heavy in the audiophile community. audeze is kinda known as the neck breaker brand cos so many folks cant use their headphones due to the weight. its great that the mm-500 are lighter, but its been something we've been yelling at audeze for for years. not something that only mixing engineers talk about. most brands like hifiman and abyss make considerably lighter and more comfortable headphones than even the mm-500 with planar headphones like the hifiman arya and abyss diana being around 400g.
glad you liked the mm-500s tho, they are a legitimate improvement over many headphones in that price bracket. especially on the drivability front
(also, a lot of us audiophiles are also musicians and audio engineers. we've just learned to communicate and understand the same terms when folks talk about "warm" or "bright" headphones)
Nice to know! I am not inside the AP community, but good insight!
Should i pick the Audeze mm100s over the Beyerdynamic DT 1990 pro?
Always full of great insights mate. Have you by any chance AB'd these again the HEDDPHONE. I tried the LCD-X and found them way too hyped in the low and and scooped in the mids for accurate mix decisions.
No I haven't AB'd against the HEDDPHONE sorry... I'd be interested to hear your thoughts listening to these against them or the LCD-X's!
@@panorama_mastering I’ll be shooting these against the HEDDPHONE this week and I’ll also shoot them out against the LCD-X. I’ll keep you posted
@@MonkeyMarc have u tried these mm500 for mixing only?
@@VST2323 I’ve only tried them for about 30mins referencing my mixes. I tried the HEDDPHONE on the same day. I liked both but ended up preferring the HEDDPHONE as they where more dynamic and had more details with-ought being hyped.
@@MonkeyMarc ook thanks so the headdphone are better then these for total mix thanks
I got the Neumann NDH30s... they match my KH310/750 setup so well I can't imagine even auditioning other cans. Have you tried them and, if so, what are the key differences? I've never seen a lower THD (0.03%) and I love that the drivers are angled to be hit your ears more like monitors.
I haven't tried those before!
I'm scared to delve into the world of headphones; I found my pairing and they work well... but I know how far-and-wide different designs of headphones can become!
Hello, still happy with the neumanns?
@ChrisKeyman Absolutely love them! They match my Neumann monitors so well I'd find any other headphones difficult to work on.
@@mixphantom0101 I am between these and the ollo s5x
hi! please could you tell me where did you get your custom 1/8th plug cable for the mm500 ? thanks in advance !
Koala Audio Cables here in Australia!
Hey, Nicholas. Which headphone amp would you recommend for heavy headphone mixing? Despite owning a Prism Lyra 1 audio interface, I never get to utilize the pristine DA conversion=>studio monitors due to my living situation.
I currently use the Neve RNHP w/HD 600s. But, I just ordered the MM-500s and wondered what you might recommend.
I was looking at an RME ADI-2 DAC FS and a RME ADI-2 Pro FS R AD/DA Converter - Black Edition.
Thoughts?
The low impendance of the MM500's work on just about any headphone amp... hell I even use my macbook pro headphone out to drive them and they sound great!
@@panorama_mastering Thank you!
Just bought the hitman ef 400 dac amp to drive these headphones. Hopefully can get even more out of these. I been using the hidiz dh80 for portable use. But wanted a desktop setup for a long time. These my first high end headphones and absolutely worth the money
Spot on!
How's the sound, how's the stereo width, transient response, how you'd describe the sound, are they comfortable on the head or they feel heavy after an hour of wearking them?
Fair request!
Transient response
Force = Mass X acceleration
The ultra-thin diaphragm paired with a fluxor magnetic array means it moves insanely efficiently; so transients are played back with exceptional accuracy;
Stereo Width; To be honest; when it comes to headphones; there's a L & R, for myself at least; this is pretty universal amoungst all headphones EXEPT when the perception is changed by the relative tonal balance; for myself these headphones balance exceptionally well; so the stereo field "FEELS" (Subjective term) perfect;
They are comfortable on the head;
The clamp pressure is moderate; but that's to get the best seal from the ear pads and relative response from the headphones;
Do you have any experience with the beyer dynamics 1990? Which one is more accurate if so
No experience with them no!
I switched on mastering / mixing on headphones 15 years ago at this point i tried and worked on almost every headphone there is just name it and after all this years i arrived to OLLO S4x. i can confidently say that 0.2 db change is drastic on this headphones (not on high frequencies tho ) . but i think most useful trick i learned is to how to calibrate headphones to 85 db . There is video called K-METERING WITH S4X STUDIO HEADPHONES . if you can dive in on that subject it will be great.
Nice ! I wish I was more into headphones to consider calibration; I'll check out that video and let you know what I think!
Hi, what about the ollo S5x and the neuman ndh30?
I am extremely happy with my studio monitors and my Sennheiser HD400 Pros. To me the HD400 Pros are perfectly linear at studio reference level (Equal Loudness Contour). So linear that you can use them for accurate binaural reproduction without adjusting FR. The angled drivers are great in terms of more accurate imaging. It also has extremely low distortion.
Can you review the MM-100's ? I'd like to know what we loose there, sound wise, not so much material wise, although comfort on the ears is also important, and the pressure if places on the skull.
I will definitely be doing this! Stay tuned!
Tried both MM500 and MM100 also the LCD-X. Both MM headphones shares pretty similar tuning but I kinda like the 100’s tuning a bit more than the 500, you’ll have a slightly bit air on the top also the 3k has a bigger boost, the 500 sound just a bit too smooth for my liking.
BUT 500 definitely have better low extension, punch, dynamic, detail and soundstage. Everything on the 500 just sounds more realistic and full compared to the 100. (Not by a huge margin tho) There’s a noticeable “hollowness” with the 100 you just couldn’t unhear when you compare to the 500.(It wasn’t that bad either)
MM100 are definitely great headphones for the price, the performance you got out of them is exceptional for what they cost, with a suitable cable upgrade they can come even closer to the 500 without breaking the bank and they’re most likely enough for most engineers to deliver good commercial mix on those. Even to some engineers I talked to said the 100 still sound too pretty for them to work on. I’d suggest you to compare them side by side also with LCD-X, NDH30 and DT1990.
The marked rise at 3kHz when applied to headphones is commonly done to compensate for the reduction in amplitude of natural ear canal resonance (which can vary between about 2.5 kHz and 3.5 kHz depending on the individual and is usually on the order of about 10dB). The occlusion effect is caused by any headphones' close and confined proximity to the ears, but is not as significant as the occlusion effect caused by fully-sealing earbuds and therefore should not be fully compensated. The lesser but still significant rise in amplitude response versus frequency between about 500hz and 2kHz will provide a sense of 'presence and clarity' that can be impressive but nevertheless is not justified by any actual standard of accuracy. I'm not questioning that they are excellent headphones, it's just that for the above and other reasons I question whether or not they are in fact as accurate as claimed. I hope to advance the resolution some of the general factors above (meaning not relative to any specific headphones) since they lie at the heart of long-standing issues in the field.
Thanks for your insight Mike!
This is why I love publishing to youtube and challenging my knowledge and others; it surfaces so many incredible insights like this! I sincerely appreciate it! A bit to research here for myself!
They’re still like 1db too hot in that area tho.
I used Focal Clear MG Pro before and switched to MM-500 and the difference in translation is huge.
Amazing; I heard good things about the focal but never tried it;
But u still needed to get to know them ?
Thank you Nicholas for this informative video! So having compared the MM-500 against some other greats like Focal, Neumann, Beyers, the colossal HEDDphone and also LCD-X + LCD-2 we'd be confident agreeing with you that MM-500 is worthy of the sizeable investment if you needed one pro set of portable cans in the mixing toolbox. Aesthetics aside, of which there is nothing to complain about really, the BIG thing is how accurate to source they sound! Comparing headphones can often be so subjective but to us the MM-500 exhibit a stellar all-round performance for precise mixing and mastering purposes. Why? Because you can reliably trust what they convey. Classical Instruments sound very natural. You can easily hear the woody timbre of a clarinet for example or the texture & width of a kick drum. The sound is not hyped or deficient in anyway. Staging is spread convincingly in front of you as opposed to directly in your head and is not as wide as LCD-X. Weight compared to HEDDphone or LCD-X is dramatically better obviously. The clamp force is maybe not perfect but we didn't mind it at all and experienced less ear fatigue at higher listening levels actually than many others we've tried. Similar to Amphion monitors let's say. Overall these headphones were tailored for a specific purpose in the music making business and for the money they hit that purpose dead on. Solid low-end, very pleasing highs and accurate/present mid-range where most headphones miss the mark. Using a good DAC/AMP can make a notable difference.
Spot on; I'm very proud that these have come to market in the fashion Audeze has done so; My only gripe with it are the case; being too big and the cable. for someone who travels to LA annually for business as a studio owner and engineer; I like the LCD-1's portability to throw around; but I prefer the sound of the MM500's...
(I know I mentioned this in the video; but I'd love a case which was smaller and still offered that protection)...
@@panorama_masteringwhat is the best cable to use with these? I use a Meze audio silver copper cable! I never used the stock cable
Are the MM 500 better than the Hedd Heddphone for mixing and mastering? I am a producer.
I wouldn’t call 100gram weight difference with the LCD-X ‘21 ‘dramatically’ but that’s just me.
What about the neumann ndh30?
For sure they sound, and are Fantastic! For myself having my treated Room with Full Range Genelec system, sounds 95% identical with my Sennheiser HD800s and HDV820 Amp i know i am close to the source which we’re all after. Altho the Feel and emotions of sound and energy is way better in my room as it is on my headphones. Will listen to the MM 500 one day for sure but for now i am all good and trust my monitoring systems. Just need more producing, mixing and Mastering skills hahahaha😂
Where did you get the custom cable made?
www.koalaaudiocables.com/products/audeze-zmf-dual-4-pin-mini-xlr-headphone-cable-air-series?variant=37112140169386
i had the hedd heddphone.. they were terrible for me.. so i sold them.. too much hype about them but heygot an unnatural sound. im thinking getting another open end for the summer and this is on the list. For now i use monarch 2 in-ear i got . i really like them with a bit of eq on them they are superb and i find they are better than hedd heddphones even if they are in ear headphones.. :) they are great for reverb tails, and few other things, like crank them up and the obvious freequencies you need to turn down become so obvious on them. and got 10 drivers on each side which creates a very interesting way to listen through...
hm curious why your jack adapter didnt work. i use a grado mini adapter and it works. same with any other adapter really. try it no need to swap cables
Me too, because it worked on other headphones just not the audeze???
Great video! Do you do any EQ curve tweaks for the MM-500s or run them vanilla?
Both! (Don't ask me why... it's just become more habitual)
When i'm in the studio; I run them vanilla if I need to reference them.
If I'm out of the studio and setting up mixes etc, I use the curve by sonarworks!
@@panorama_mastering Thanks for the crazy fast answer! Hovering over the buy button, been doing to much research now on the MM-500 not to get :P
How do these compare with the Focal clear mg pro
Good question; I'm not sure; I haven't used the Focal Clear's before.
These are an amazing reference headphone for mixing. I do not mix all in headphones since I use my mains for that BUT I do not print a mix without referencing the MM-500s. They tell you what’s up right away. They’re so revealing that sometimes I’m afraid to put them on - if you get my drift!! One of my best investments. A fantastic tool
SPOT ON!
Displacement is volume. Diaphragm area is not that important.I mean it is, just it's not the only thing at play here. The key word is electromechanical stiffness. Planar diaphragms are electromechanically stiff, because the coil lays on the entire area of the diaphragm. You got very close to it in your explanation (which is very good otherwise), except you described only benefits happening in the highs. In the bass, dynamic transducer fails to work because it's flimsy diaphragm cannot compress a high impedance load such as small volume of air. It gives and bends on upstroke creating compressed waveform with lots of second order harmonics. The way you deal with it is by lowering the impedance of air through venting the front and back of the earcup with a small vent. This vent is not sufficient to reduce modal resonances which is why in dynamic drivers you either get good bass extension or good treble, but never both.
What I described above is achieved even by small diaphragms like in Fostex T50RP. The only downside to small planar diaphragms is efficiency, because with smaller diaphragm area, you need more stroke for the same displacement and that means bigger magnet to diaphragm spacing and that means weaker magnetic field. Small planar drivers need heavy magnets and this kind of defeats the purpose of it.
Amazing! Thanks for sharing! Great notes!
These are the best!
Thank you
You're welcome
At $1700 they should definitely come with both 1/4” and 3.5m cables. Don’t mind the big box because they are expansive. Might end of getting these after all 🤣. Just don’t know if they are worth it more than the LCD-X’s
Very good video. But with a link to the product it sounds like an advertisement to me.
I took no sponsorship for this video or receive any affiliate income from the link shared.
Are they really game up from dt 1990 Beyers? I mean
Above and beyond!
@@panorama_mastering I mean, what about producing? And I don't have good room, basically can u get close with these headphones? At least good material for further mixing? I use dt 1990, I don't like them as much.. But how much of game changer these audeze ones are.. The means we need always learn new headphones even they are expensive to get good mixes, I many people seem to like these audeze m500 ones, I mean how true the hype is?
The hype lines up with the quality; YES there is a lot of influencer marketing on the product; but I can stand by it and say that it lines up with the commentary/quality of the product;
Nice Video
Thanks for the visit
are these headphone good for mixing?
Yes they are!
@@panorama_mastering ok are they better then the senhisser hd600 are they super flat meaning no color are hype?
@@VST2323 They have much more detail, better spacing, and better bass than the hd600. They reveal faults in a mix in an incredible way, pretty similar to amphions. If that is worth the extra 1400usd to you though. There are some diminishing returns above a certain level, the hd600 are very good for its price :)
@@Taketaketak ok thank you so much i will buy them soon.
@@VST2323 Yes. I had the hd600 for years. I have the mm500 as a lender for 14 days. I dont think i will be able to give them back. They are very good.
Audeze headphones are engineered to perfection
Spot on ! :)
The best investment for your monitoring chain is a set of studio monitors with hardware room correction/calibration.
The best investment i my opinion would be room ACOUSTICS!
Physics are something we can't hide from;
However; that's me being an idealist;
The reality is not everyone has the space to do so;
In which case you have room correction software and studio monitors;
OR
Headphones;
In todays day and age most 20-30 year olds getting into the game are often moving between spaces having to relearn the spaces and readjust;
I think headphones are an incredible contender as a best/worthwhile investment;
@@panorama_mastering: good points.
I calibrate and profile all my LCD displays so that I can edit my photos consistently no matter the gear I am editing on.
I believe that the same has to be done with speakers placed in any room. I can mix confidently on my Genelec 8331A as an amateur, as the mixes translate well. What I hear is what I get. Without correction my setup sounds like muddy crap. The most important thing is getting the frequency spectrum under control, because that lets you judge your EQ and instrument balance. I can live with slight issues in the time domain, because I can always use headphones to figure out the details. Plus, the human brain is pretty good at adjusting to natural reverb.
Odyssey
2:23 Great rap
Audiophile reviews *are not the same as* Studio / mixing / engineering reviews
And even then; within the audiophile community not all reviews are equal; some are very technically and data driven; which I enjoy; whilst others are based on pseudo science and sales verbiage;
@@panorama_mastering I like people who focus on the music rather than the data
@@CheekyFest according to that logic you should get Beats by Dre
@@invalid4045 why?
@@CheekyFest because drop it like....:)
$1699?? In Europe they are €2000… WTF?
Yeap 1,699 USD;
I honestly, can't justify spending anywhere above 800 on studio headphones. It becomes such a diminishing returns situation. I'm running the Beyerdynamic DT 1990 PRO headphones and have tried audeze, but I just think the audeze don't sound a ton different given the dramatic difference in price.
As someone who is educated to masters in acoustics and electroacoustics (loudpspeaker/transducer design) - I get the points of the video and audeze and why they may sound the best. But for me second best doesn't seem to sound much worse - differences are negligible.
But as a disclaimer, I do think Audeze are the creme de la creme. They do sound very good indeed but again, just don't offer enough of a difference to warrant the cost.
Hey Matthew;
I completely understand where you're coming from; over the past 10 years I've found myself torn to find a pair of headphones I could actually work on; and Audeze are the first which have ticked enough boxes for me to have a workflow outside of a studio setting;
I'm interested also to see where Audeze are able to push the development of their products over the next decade; because I still feel there is a gap which is achievable to be closed between studio monitor workflow and headphones;
Warmly,
N.
@@panorama_mastering I think you hit the nail on the head here. They're exploiting boundaries of transducer design for headphones which is something I welcome a lot! But like you said yourself, there is also nothing like the visceral experience of actual monitors.
It's not even that expensive for what it does.
You know this is premade affiliate link based shill review when you hear "a higher impendence" instead of Impedance. And i am not even a native Eng speaker
No affiliate link. and excuse me for saying a word wrong. I do struggle with some parts of the english language.
Slate's VSX blows Audeze away. No comparison. I've got the LCD-1.
I don't know if I can completely agree on this;
@@panorama_mastering Understood. VSX v4 is sitting in front of high end speakers in fully treated rooms and using Trinnov. How can headphones be better than that for mixing? You can't hear the details in the same way because spatially it's very different, ie: VSX sounds like the real deal - not like headphones.
Nothing against VSX here; but I want to ask, by what comparable metric/measurement are you quantifying VSX v4 sits in front of high-end speakers?
@@Macaroni108
@@panorama_mastering The studio owners and Steven Slate are real the metrics. Of course, you either believe them or not. Do you think they are bullshitting and VSX isn't close to those rooms? Slate probably has charts and curves too, but that doesn't prove what you hear.
Plus, thousands of VSX users have heard their mixes improved significantly in terms of quality and translation, something they could not do before with 'headphones', or their less than favorable room and speakers.
And there are a number of VSX users who have similar high end speakers and tuned rooms and they confirmed the accuracy of the VSX experience. Some to the extent where they actually sold their expensive speakers in favor of VSX.
Audeze are certainly top of the line re headphones, but they are way out of the reach of the average musician/engineer. And as amazing as they are, they do not deliver the same auditory experience. No regular headphone does, even with crosstalk implemented. Close, but no cigar.
Also, several Audeze owners have confirmed that VSX captured their sound quite well too. So there you go.
That’s opinion. I am not challenging you to make offense but to open up as much dialogue and points of data as possible.
Those opinions aren’t invalid, but they’re opinions, just like my point of view is an opinion where there is no data to support.
But making a comparitive claim to say they’re ahead of high end speakers in a treated room with trinnov is not data backed, it is simply conjecture.
And also the studio owners and steven slate have bias and vested interest in backing these claims, because there’s financial incentive behind doing so.
This is why I try to open up discourse around it. Not to dispell, or dissprove claims, but to pull together a more comprehensive understanding.
You are mastering clips maybe or unknown artists... Nobody is going to give you major. Mastering jobs as an unknown RUclipsr.
I think you're hearts in the right place; you're right this isn't the place to find mastering jobs;
This RUclips channel is a biproduct of my actual work in the studio career which I'm proud of the successes it's brought me and those of I've worked with;