Headphones designed for both recording andmixing? Jon Musgrave is intrigued
KEY FEATURES DESIGN: Closed back, over ear TRANSDUCER: Dynamic TRANSDUCER DIAMETER: 50mm FREQUENCY RANGE: 10-35kHz IMPEDANCE: 32 Ohms MEAN SOUND PRESSURE LEVEL: 99dB MAX. POWER HANDLING: 1800 mW ACCESSORIES: 3m cable (minijack to minijack), adapter 3.5mm to 6.3mm FEATURES: Twist-lock minijack on ear left cup WEIGHT: 364g (incl. cable)
In an ideal world, one set of headphones would suit all our studio tasks, but the need for isolation coupled with personal sonic and comfort preferences mean we often end up with multiple pairs. Up for review I have the t.bone HD 815, a new budget headphone designed for both recording and mixing.
The HD 815, much like t.bone’s new HD 515, is a closed back over ear design. Aimed at the budgetconscious buyer, and available solely from Thomann, the price including delivery to the UK is £38. That said, out of the box, these feel anything but cheap. With plenty of metal in the construction, including the ear cups, they should be robust enough for regular studio use. And they look pretty good as well.
With t.bone’s new logo on the ear cups and subtle left/right labelling on the headband, the all black design is both slick and minimalist. In terms of construction, the ear pads and headband incorporate plenty of padding coupled with a super soft covering, and the panel-stitched ear pads add structure and depth.
The headband includes some, though not loads of, length adjustment, and the ear cups themselves have limited rotational movement, which isn’t ideal. Even so, I found the fit pretty good with the ear pads properly enclosing my ears. It’s worth noting that the ear cups do not fold in for storage. Audio connection is via a twist-lock minijack on the bottom of the left ear cup, and the included 3m lead is fabric-covered, much like the individual ear cup leads. Nice touch. Even so, the twist-lock minijack socket is too narrow to accommodate a regular minijack plug, so you’ll probably need to contact Thomann should you need a spare lead.
Designing a headphone that suits both recording and mixing is a challenge
For recording you need your headphones to offe
