To me headphones have always been an important part of the recording process, yet they always seem to get overlooked when buying gear. Obviously no engineer would usually base their entire mix process on what they’re hearing back through a set of headphones, but a good set of studio headphones makes for a nice reference, especially if you cannot afford more than one set of studio monitors or you are a mobile musician/mixer on the go. They are also important when it comes to tracking a band or group of musicians together. I regularly see deals at the big box music stores on multiple sets of cheap headphones for outfitting your studio. That’s great in theory, but if you’re recording a band and they can’t hear themselves well because of the low sound quality of the headphones you’ve provided, you may not be capturing the best performance you could be getting which will make your overall work suffer in the end.

I have been a Sony MDR-7506 user for most of my recording career (going on 17 years now). Along with the AKG 240, they are practically industry standard when it comes to a good quality, yet affordable set of studio headphones. I bought my first pair shortly after attending the recording program I went to college for. They lasted several years and were replaced a few years ago with another pair. This particular set is known for its’ flat yet non-fatiguing frequency response. Unfortunately they really are not built as well as they could be and replacement parts can sometime be hard to track down. The material that covers the ear cushions started shredding after just a couple years of moderate use, and the cable also began shorting out intermittently from time to time. Keep in mind I keep these either in a drawer or on a headphone hanger attached to my outboard gear rack when not in use, so it’s not like these were abused or in an environment that would cause such rapid aging that quickly.

Enter Direct Sound. I actually found out about this company through my day job where I provide solutions for various acoustic and other sound related issues. Steve Rois, Direct Sounds’ owner and managing partner contacted me regarding some barrier materials we carry that they wanted to test with some of their future products. Intrigued by our conversation, I went over to their website and delved into their headphone line a little further. Direct Sound’s headphone line is concentrated primarily on headphones that isolate. Their target demographic definitely seems aimed at drummers and musicians who want to isolate outside noise so that can concentrate on practicing to whatever they are listening to without being interrupted. What sets them apart from some of the other companies that produce isolation headphones, is the actual sound quality of what the headphones are able to produce. These are basically studio grade headphones that are built into an isolated headphone shell.

Functionality

I had an upcoming recording session where I knew I was going to need some good quality headphones that also provided decent isolation, so I took a shot and ordered a set of the EX-29 model, which is listed as Direct Sound’s “Best” quality studio headphone. The EX-29 is comparably priced to the aforementioned Sony and AKG headphone models and boasts a simple, but sleek design which is available in black or white finishes. A neat feature that I’ve never seen until now is the “Red is Right” that is standard on all Direct Sound headphone sets. Basically, the inner cushion of the right speaker is colored red so that you can easily tell which side goes right and which goes left. No more struggling to find the little “R” or “L” indention marks found on most sets. The EX-29 is supplied with an ample 9 ft. cord and a gold-plated 1/8″ plug with 1/4″ screw-on adapter (also gold-plated). There is also a little rubber hanger attached to the jack that allows you to slip the 1/4″ adapter in it if you are not using it. I can’t tell you how many 1/4″ adapters I have misplaced over the years, so that was another handy feature I liked from the get-go. Other features include a heavily padded headrest and the set can fold-up neatly for storage when not in use.

Sound Quality

Of course the most important aspect of a set of studio headphones is how well they sound. The EX-29’s closed back drivers list a flat frequency of 20 Hz-20,000 Hz. When A/B’d with the Sony MDR-7506 I felt that the EX-29’s exhibited a little more focused bass response and not as fatiguing high-end. The mid-range also seemed to be more balanced and not as harsh in the upper 800 Hz range. Of course some of this could have been aided by the isolated design of the set. This of course is one of the main selling features of these headphones and what really puts them in another league when compared to other conventional studio headphone formats. Direct Sound’s literature claims a 29 dB passive attenuation when using the EX-29. A ten decibel reduction is perceived as half as loud to the human ear, so this reduction amount is quite significant. My test of this reduction was with the record I am recording with New Outliers (see my previous posts). That record was recorded in the bands rehearsal space, which was basically a converted two car garage. Since I was going to be in the same room with the band while we were tracking, I knew I needed a set of headphones with excellent isolation but that would also help me with dialing in good quality tones at the same time.

In Use

The Direct Sound headphones were the perfect choice for this application. With the EX-29’s, I was able to comfortably setup the input levels for the tracks we were recording while being positioned close-by to the sound sources. I was also able to hear the nuances of the instruments enough to make decisions on mic placement and any equalization corrections that were needed to get good quality sounds down during the basic tracking process. This made the mixing process much more efficient as I already had great sounding tracks to work with. The band was so impressed that they decided to invest in a set of EX-25 headphones (Direct Sound’s mid-level set) for each member as well. This worked great as there was virtually no bleed from the headphone mixes going into the mics when doing guitar and vocal overdubs. Overall, I am really impressed with Direct Sound’s product and support so far.  They are building a very good quality, made in the US product, that is an affordable alternative to the name brand headphones currently on the market for musicians and project studio owners like myself. I would not hesitate to recommend them to anyone looking for a good quality set of headphones.