If you were me in a small room, would you bother getting....

[Pagan]

If you were me in a small room, would you bother getting somewhat decent monitors like the krk 8s? I was thinking of getting headphones, maybe the Beyerdynamic DT-990 PROs while using old consumer hi fi speakers to just to know how speakers sound like since mixing on headphones is kind of tricky. Plus I don't want ear fatigue.

I can't really get the room treated, it's a bit smaller than a dorm room, there's books everywhere (can't put them elsewhere), an eliptical machine, and tons of crap. My point is that panels can't fit anywhere since it is a SMALL room.

I decided to go for better cans in the same situation. My personal "studio" is in an untreated medium-sized room, but stuck in a corner on a tiny desk, there's no way I could fit anything bigger than 4" monitors which don't actually improve anything in the low end department. There'd still be horrible reflections as well.

I ordered an Objective2 headphone amp DIY kit and a pair of AKG K712s. I have a nice full-range system and access to a small studio to check my mixes, but I'm quite optimistic these will yield better results than my current closed K272s. Not like I've had any actual time for music, but hey, that's life for us mortals- you either have plenty of free time, or then you have money.

[arkos]

Dude, that's a very bad habit. I have my headphones set to a fixed level. If my ears get too tired, it's time too take a break. But I never ever crank them up.

I know mate, it's always during night producing and I'm always high as fuck so I forget to take breaks etc.

[Aureliano]

How important is a headphone amp? I'd like to try a pair of 701s but I'm not sure about paying for an amp at the same time. I could probably afford it, but I don't quite understand how big an impact an amp will have on my listening experience. Would buying headphones without an amp make them redundant?

[over9000]

i have focal alpha 80s and they are great monitors, but two big for my room. Reflections all over the place. Ill move them soon to the attic. I also have some old akgs that i use sometimes.
If i were you and you budget is limited, ill get the headphones first.
Then maybe the smaller model of the Focals 65 or 50 or the ADAM s6x or s7x. A mate of mine has those, they are very nice too.

[Lost to the Void]

How important is a headphone amp? I'd like to try a pair of 701s but I'm not sure about paying for an amp at the same time. I could probably afford it, but I don't quite understand how big an impact an amp will have on my listening experience. Would buying headphones without an amp make them redundant?

If your audio interface or whatever, lacks the power to meet the correct impedance of the headphones (such as 701`s) then it can have a significant effect. Overall it can mean you can`t get decent volume out of the phones, but it also means you aren`t driving the coils properly so you can also lose some performance.
The K701`s are 62ohm

[bounduk]

I'd avoid the KRK's for the time being. I actually think if you know your headphones inside out, you can get some solid mixes on them.

[MattAltmanMusic]

I just got a pair of Beyerdynamics... Absolutely love them. Great for final mixdowns IMO