Sound Science on Headphones VS Studio Monitors

StMichaels

I did not want to derail and existing thread called "Time to focus on pianotechnics" where a user has a new set up with JBL Studio Monitors and the Ravenscroft library.

A comment was made that sparked my interest to create this thread:

@nick said:
@ErrkaPetti
thanks for the report and pics ... I have a similar thing with my monitors and piano apps, they‘re decent monitors but I much prefer to play the piano apps over good head phones.

Why is this? Monitors provide a more accurate representation of the sound VS Headphones? I think Monitors have a better dynamic range and is as neutral as once can get - does not discolor the sound. If the source is already mixed and mastered it will prob sound good on the JBL studio monitors.

I have run into a similar situation where I have a pair of headphones such as Sony MDR7506. Songs I am working on - beathawk piano sound for example sounds great through it (not mixed or mastered), however you play it on a non-reference monitor a small speaker - let say a bluetooth speaker like those JBL CLIP2 - I think in this scenario the speaker itself is for consumer market and discolors the sound because it adds more bass (lower frequencies).

Now going back to a piano sound library such as Ravenscroft or Beathawk Grand Piano, should these processed sample sounds not sound good on reference monitors if it sounds good on a reference headphones? Are you having similar results to what Nick's post also indicated?

Your thoughts?

anickt

The typical approach is to listen to a mix on multiple destinations (headphones, ear buds, good speakers, consumer speakers, car speakers) and adjust to come up with an “average” mix that sounds reasonable on all. Ultimately you have no control over how the end product will be heard but hopefully you can come up with a reasonable compromise.

ToMess

Room can change the sound of speakers A LOT. No matter how good of speakers you have, if your room is poorly treated, it wont sound like it should. Also you should have at least a 12" element in your monitors if you want to have any chance of hearing subs properly, better if you have a dedicated subwoofer. Those small studio monitors are meant to be paired with one, as they cant play bass properly. Hence they dont have a natural sound to them, even if they would play higher frequencies with high accuracy and flat eq curve. In order to get properly natural sound from speakers, you need many speaker elements that can cover sounds from sub bass to highs you barely hear, which are tuned to each other perfectly and are placed properly in properly treated room and preferably the room should be hanged to float in air. Ofc the amp needs to be properly set up to the speakers as well. Headphones just makes the issue of sound moving inside a room and changing so much easier and can offer a really good and natural sound very cheap compared to such a speaker setup.

Ps. Piano sounds better through my speakers than my studio headphones imo, even tho my room isnt properly treated. Headphones sound more like im listening to a recorded piano, but with speakers it sounds like there is a piano in my room.

Telefunky

It can't be emphasized enough, so I'll repeat the start of @ToMess 'es text:
Room DOES change the sound of speakers a lot unless the room is acoustically treated.
Good 'open' headphones eliminate a lot of this influence, while closed types (like the Sonys mentioned above) add a very artificial kind of acoustic space.
But for a 12" membrane you might consider the appropriate family/neighbours tolerance factor.

Lady_App_titude

I think the important point to keep in focus here is PIANO.

I have found that more than any other instrument, piano sounds different through different speakers or headphones than other sound sources. In fact, in past when people have done listening tests — for example, comparing high resolution audio to mp3, you might not hear much difference, unless the sound is solo digital piano. People will a/b using a mix and say I can’t hear any difference between 24-bit audio and mp3. And that may be true. But I say, do the same test with a solo digital piano. Some sounds, some instruments show differences more than others.

So, yes I agree with this statement. As a general rule piano, esp the digital sampled piano instruments that we use nowadays, sound better on headphones. Further, piano will show differences in various monitors (or headphones) than almost any other sound.

richardyot

Isn’t it basically because most studio monitors are biased towards the mid-range and highs, and in fact any hint of actual bass is almost sneered as not being “neutral”?

I don’t think it’s just piano either: a cello through typical studio monitors will sound thin and reedy rather than warm and full. A Les Paul played through a valve amp will be all mid-range fizz rather than full and meaty. An actual physical piano will have real weight to the sound that you simply won’t get when reproduced via a typical studio monitor because they are not usually able to reproduce the bass frequencies faithfully.

To reproduce bass you need to have big drivers. Most consumer speakers that don’t have adequately big drivers compensate for this by using compromises such as bass ports, which inevitably add some colour to the sound. A neutral montitor will more than likely not have a bass port, so the result is a theoretically more accurate sound that simply doesn’t have those frequencies (as opposed to a distorted version of them). Which is why you should usually pair monitors with a sub, or invest in expensive monitors with adequately sized drivers.

AudioGus

Anecdotaly speaking I found that mixing on speakers as opposed to headphones could produce a lot more stress in my marriage, which compromised the end results. Not sure of the exact science behind this.