If you are looking for a suitable studio headphone, you should have at least some idea of what exactly you want to do with it, as the application possibilities in the studio can be very diverse and the required characteristics can therefore be very different.
Among the studio headphones so-called monitor headphones need to be real work horses, as you wear them for hours as a musician, singer or speaker during a recording session. If this is your type of application you’re after please choose headphones with a closed design to minimize crosstalk when using a microphone. Although a professional headphone should sound neutral, a certain sound character can be quite advantageous here. Thus, some singers prefer models with more present mid-range to better judge their own vocals. Drummers should use headphones, which reproduce the full frequency spectrum distortion-free even at high volumes. Since in professional studios headphones often change its user, it is important to have the possibility to clean the earpads with an ease and, if necessary, to change them.
If you are more into editing, mixing and mastering look out for headphones whose accurately reproduce a full frequency range, transients, spatiality, and dynamics. Here a lot of producers tend to use open or semi-open headphones.
But exceptions prove the rule! In addition to various all-purpose models there are also DJ and hi-fi headphones models whose are also perfect for studio use.
For a final purchase decision please consider the following bullet points:
Does the design reflect the desired application?
Do the headphones fit well and comfortably?
Does the equipment (interchangeable parts, cable length, etc.) meet my requirements?
Does the sound match my expectations and preferences?
With the Hi-X50, Austrian Audio have added an on-ear headphone to their product range that is designed to meet professional demands. Their Hi-X55 have already proven themselves as studio headphones in our tests with their high quality and their unique sound profile, now it’s the turn of their little brother.
The Audeze Mobius has already convinced us as a gaming headset, and now Audeze is adding to this and pushing the gaming headset concept even further with the LCD-GX: just under 1,000 Euros (RRP) will be charged for this luxury model! We look into whether these open over-ear headphones live up to their high-end claims.
The K371 and 361 – the new additions to AKG's 3 Series – have already fully convinced us in our tests. Now there is a Bluetooth version of both these headphones, identified with "BT" in their name.
The Sennheiser HD 660 S (New Version 2019) is a revised version of the popular high-end headphones. What do the new ones offer that the old ones didn't?
The Hedd Audio Heddphone is something very special: Here, the so-called Air Motion Transformer (AMT) is used in a headphone, and also as a full-range driver. This driver has already had a distinguished career in the field of hi-fi speakers and studio monitors.
Mackie's entry into the headphone market can certainly be described as successful. Especially the – second place in terms of price – MC-250 which convinced us with their price-performance ratio. All three previous models in the series (MC-150, 250 and 350) had one thing in common: they were all closed designs. With the MC-450, Mackie now introduce their first studio headphones with an open back, and these have all the advantages associated with such a design, like less heat build-up and the feeling of still being in contact with your surroundings.
With the TH-06, Tascam are aiming at producers, DJs and remixers who value fat bass lines.
Designed for studio and mobile use, the Eris HD10BT foldable, closed-back over-ears from Presonus support Bluetooth standard 5.0 and feature active noise cancellation, as well as a functional 3-button remote for device control.
The Vienna-based company Austrian Audio was founded in 2017 by former AKG employees (as we reported at the time on our german website). Two microphone and two headphone models are the first ventures for this still-young company, with the Hi-X55, tested here, the first over-ear model from the brand. But has this debut been a success?