The best studio headphones - Studio headphones in comparison - closed or open studio headphones?
High-quality studio headphones make your work much easier, whether you’re mixing or recording. We introduce you to the best models.
Our favorites:
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Open or closed? Why it makes a difference!
Studio headphones are explicitly used in a studio environment, that’s clear. But what this studio use looks like for you always depends on how you work. Basically, if you record a lot with headphones, you should definitely buy closed studio headphones! This will prevent bleeding. Bleeding occurs when the ear cup is not well shielded. The microphone then not only picks up the vocals, for example, but also the playback from the headphones. The recording of the voice is therefore cleaner with a closed design.
However, open headphones are used by mixing or mastering engineers, for example. These are not shielded as well, so a lot of sound escapes to the outside. This can be perceived as disturbing in a public environment. However, the advantage for you as a user is that it sounds much more natural when you wear it for hours on end, as the environment is not completely shielded. What you hear therefore seems more natural and offers you a better perception of spatiality.
Closed headphones for monitoring and recording - Open headphones for mixing and mastering
So what are semi-open models? They combine natural sound with slightly shielded headphones. They are therefore an intermediate solution, but we don’t necessarily recommend them. The semi-open design is relatively rare anyway.
The best headphones for your studio (closed)
The Beyerdynamic DT 770 Pro has become an integral part of studios around the world and is now familiar to every producer. These closed-back headphones are perfect for recording, but are just as suitable for any other audio work.
The removable and replaceable ear pads are an important feature. After all, a lot of dirt collects here over the years and with new pads it almost feels like a new purchase.
The new revision of this model is the DT700 Pro X* – the novelty now is that the new stellar.45 driver means that no further amplification is required and the beautiful sound quality of these studio headphones can also be used with smaller devices such as smartphones without any problems. The wearing comfort has also changed, with the successor fitting a little tighter around the head. This revision is offered at a price of approx. 200€, like the previous model.
Shure is better known for microphones, but with its SRH series, Shure also offers studio headphones. The 840 has a fuller bass and extended frequency response compared to the SRH440. The wider, padded headband also increases comfort during long periods of listening, making this model ideal for professional monitoring.
The Sennheiser HD25 is primarily designed for one target group: DJs. The design is lightweight and flexible (because they can be folded away), making them perfect for the constantly traveling DJ. The cushions lie on top of the ear cups, which greatly reduces wearing comfort and makes continuous use over several hours almost painful. As the cables are exposed, they can quickly become damaged and have to be replaced.
In terms of sound, however, the lightweight model surprises with its powerful bass: the technical data states that the HD25 can reproduce up to 16 Hz in the bass range, which is already very powerful for the size of the transducers.
The Sennheiser HD25 is fully designed for a specific use case. We would definitely not recommend these headphones for mixing and mastering.
We have not mentioned a specific model here because Audio Technica has the M series for studio use. These include the ATH M20x, M30x, M40x, M50x, M60x and M70x models. All of these models are dynamic, closed studio headphones that are suitable for recording, mixing and DJ performances. The numbers do not stand for anything specific, but indicate the quality and price gradation. The M20x and M30x, for example, have a fixed cable, while the cable on the 40 and 50 can be replaced.
The ATH m50x is often compared to the Beyerdynamic DT-770. This is probably because both models are very popular and are in a similar price range. However, we would like to mention that the two are VERY different. Audio Technica has a very clear idea of what constitutes a good timbre for them. The detailed treble in particular is their trademark. In terms of workmanship and comfort, we personally prefer the quality of Beyerdynamic. The materials here are of a higher quality and more comfortable.
The best headphones for your studio (open)
The DT990 from Beyerdynamic is probably the most popular open studio headphones, as its price-performance ratio is hard to beat. The sound is balanced, the workmanship is of high quality and they can be worn for a relatively long time.
As always with Beyerdynamic, this model is also available in 80 and 250 Ohm versions. However, the higher number not only means better quality from the driver, but also that the preamplifier has to generate a higher output level for the playback devices. An explanation of the impedance can be found below. Although these studio headphones leave nothing to be desired, there are two higher-quality variants that are also open studio headphones:
One is the DT900 Pro X, which is a revision of the classic and avoids the problem of impedances.
The DT1990 Pro is considerably more expensive but also of higher quality. A premium version, so to speak, which focuses on a natural stereo field. The dynamic Tesla neodymium driver makes these headphones special
