Open-back vs. Semi-open vs. Closed-back headphones: Which is best?

Which headphone system to prefer always depends on your personal listening preferences.

Open-back headphones

Open-back headphones are ideal if you want to listen to music as naturally as possible at home in an undisturbed environment, or if you need high fidelity in the studio. These headphones do not shield much from the outside and sounds from your surroundings also penetrate the headphones and you can hear them. In return, they have a better spatial imaging and stereo stage and less distortion from resonances and reflections that closed-back headphones have.

Advantages:

• transparent sound
• very good spatial imaging
• good ventilation and thus hardly any heat buildup

Suitable for:

• Home use
• for monitoring
• Mixing and mastering in the studio

Disadvantages:

• Sound penetrates almost unhindered from the outside to the inside and from the inside to the outside

Not suitable for:

• Recording rooms in studios
• for commuting by public transport

→ all current tests of open-back headphones can be found here
→ to the list “the best open headphones”

Closed-back headphones

Closed-back headphones seal more tightly on your ears and isolate you better from your environment. Thus, hardly any music comes out and ambient noise hardly penetrates inside. However, the closed housing can cause resonances and reflections that distort the sound image. Another side effect of the closed housing can be a more emphasized bass range.

Advantages:

• powerful sound
• good external damping

Suitable for:

• Recording rooms in studios
• drummers
• DJs
• Live technicians

Disadvantages:

Less neutral/natural sound
Heat buildup under ear cups when worn for long periods of time

Not suitable for:

• Road use
• Audiophile
• Mixing and mastering

→ all current tests of closed headphones can be found here
→ to the list “the best closed headphones”

Semi-open headphones

Semi-open headphones are a compromise between open and closed headphones and try to combine the advantages of both systems. They are more comfortable to wear than the closed variants, the isolation from the outside world is okay, also the sound turns out more natural.

Advantages:

• good wearing comfort
• good sound

Suitable for:

• DJs
• for monitoring, mixing and mastering in the studio

Disadvantages:

• low frequency outside noise can penetrate inside

Conditionally suitable for:

• Recording rooms in studios

→ all current tests of semi-open headphones can be found here
→ to the list to the list “the best half-open headphones”