Studio & Professional Headphones

Sennheiser's headphone design evolution is on full display with the HD 480 PRO. It's an excellent choice for studio professionals and aspiring producers looking to invest in closed-backs that offer a comfortable design, durable construction, and great sound quality.

Since the early 90s the Sony MDR-7506 has remained a companion for many audio professionals, and for good reason. Lacking in frills and luxuries, it does the job even if it's not the flashiest set of headphones and still sounds good.

Content creators, music professionals, and audio enthusiasts can all get something out of the Beyerdynamic DT 900 PRO X. The German headphone manufacturer continues to set the standard for what great open-back headphones should be.

AKG nails it with the K371 wired headphones; these tick all the important boxes when it comes to comfort, sound quality, functionality, and portability. No matter what genre of music you prefer, the K371 is going to make it sound good. Who says you have to sacrifice style for sound quality?

The Beyerdynamic DT 1990 Pro are made for professionals, and remains a great choice for audio enthusiasts. Those with cash to burn will get plenty of mileage out of these open-back headphones.

For a high price, you can get a really great sounding set of cans for your audio production or audiophile needs. The DT 700 Pro X looks the part and feels comfortable over long sessions. If you want to hear basically everything—and in style—try it.

Sony followed up the venerable MDR-7506 with the beefier, more maintainable headphones. Though they're not perfect, the Sony MDR-M1 should be a popular pick for content creators, as it appears to be just as rugged as the originals, but with updated sound, much thicker padding.

The Beyerdynamic DT 1770 PRO MKII is quite expensive and has a unique sound, but some may find this an interesting option. Still, $600 is a lot to spend on closed headphones that sound like this for most purposes.

The Sennheiser HD 490 PRO are a great option for anyone doing professional audio work. The design is tailored for producers and mixing engineers, with swappable ear pads providing sound and comfort options.

The Monoprice Monolith AMT is an excellent set of headphones to delve into the world of Air Motion Transformer drivers. However, it's a more of a hobbyist item than a highly-polished product.

The Sennheiser HD 280 Pro may be a little lightweight on bass, but if you're mixing or recording, it's a solid tool and offers a good value. It's not the most portable, but there's a spot in every studio where you could use it.

If you're a fan of Beyerdynamic, the DT 1990 PRO MKII builds upon its previous versions' success with the ability to change the tuning through alternative pads. While treble-sensitive listeners may want to keep looking, content creators and perhaps gamers with dough to blow might find a comfortable ally in these cans.

If you often mix on a studio monitor system, or are simply seeking a reference headphone, the Neumann NDH 30 are worth considering. They don't really have a wow factor, but they work well as a professional tool for picking out details in a mix.

While the Audeze MM-100 offers great build quality and planar magnetic drivers at a reasonable price, these headphones fall flat in performance. Some mixing engineers will appreciate the focus on mids, but most people should look elsewhere.

If you are looking for open-back headphones with an emphasis on treble to pick out details in a mix, the AKG K712 Pro are a good option.

Monoprice's latest planar headphones offer excellent sound and an expansive soundstage. Some elements remain unrefined such as the excessive weight, weak metal build, and possible design flaw in the cable.

We hesitate to reccomend these headphones because of their poor performance in the lab and difficulty competing with similarly-priced products. Wait for these to go on clearout if you want them.

AKG cuts too many corners with the AKG K72. They don't sound very good, and feel pretty cheap with stiff cushioning. That AKG retains the tension based headband and light clamp force are the main good points here.