So, today’s topic is “best headphones for recording.” Whatever kind of music you’re into, there’s hardly any way to enjoy it properly without a solid pair of speakers or headphones.
Even the best-produced and best-mixed music can sound awful with subpar equipment. And if you’re a musician who plans on recording music at home or in a professional studio, there’s no way to do it right if you don’t have great monitoring of any kind. It’s not uncommon for instrumentalists or vocalists to have poor performance due to lesser-quality speakers or headphones.
With this in mind, we’ve decided to cover the topic of studio headphones and find out some of the best ones that you can buy today. After all, whatever your instrument of choice may be, monitoring is crucial for your performance and overall input that you, as a performer, will provide. Here below we have a brief list and a guide to some headphones for recording that we found to be really great.
Before we begin, bear in mind that we tried to cover the best headphones all around the price spectrum. There’s some lower-priced stuff in here as well that we thought is well worth the money. At the same time, we also mentioned some prestigious high-end options.
Best headphones for recording start with Grado SR60e
So we kick things off with a cheap but great option. The price is around $80; this means the vast majority of users will be quite satisfied with how Grado SR60e sound. These are stereo monitor headphones with an open back. They’ll provide solid comfort for the price, although you can’t expect anything too fancy for this price level.
But at the same time, users most often praise how they’re built and the overall sound quality. If you’re a beginner or an intermediate, this will be more than enough for you to get familiar with monitor headphones, and it’s possible that you’ll keep using them even in your later stages.
Shure SRH840
Shure have the reputation for being a manufacturer with some of the most reliable professional audio recording equipment of all time. While you might know them for their rugged microphones, here we’re focusing on their SRH840 headphones. These closed-backs also feature circumaural collapsible design and are fairly comfortable to wear, even for relatively longer studio sessions.
With an accent on the mid-range, they can be useful for guitar players and instrumentalists in general. At the same time, they can come in handy during the mixing process if there are any particular parts that you need to hear with more precision in mid to high-end sound spectrum.
Audio-Technica ATH-M50x
In the similar quality and price range as the Shure SRH840, up next we have Audio-Technica’s ATH-M50x. Also featuring a closed back, the slight advantage can be seen in the ergonomic features and the overall comfort. As far as the sound quality goes, you won’t go wrong with the ATH-M50x, especially knowing that they’re not that expensive. The strongest point of these headphones comes with a great response in the bottom-end of the spectrum.
Beyerdynamic DT-990 Pro
Somewhere in the same price range, we also have Beyerdynamic and their DT-990 headphones. What makes them special is the fact that they have open backs, giving them improved sound quality. You can get two versions of these, one that’s with 80-ohm impedance and the other one featuring 250-ohms.
The earpads are pretty soft and can be replaced, which is a nice touch. Made in Germany, they’re pretty rugged and well-built, while they still retain both ergonomic and tonal qualities.
Avantone Pro MP1
What’s really great about Pro MP1 by Avantone is that you can switch between three modes of operation. There’s the classic neutrally-voiced stereo; the second one is mono, while the third one has its own special contour and an accent on the mid-range spectrum. If you want a great pair of studio monitors that can also be used for regular music listening or even a reference after a full mix, then get yourself the Avantone Pro MP1.
AKG K-712 Pro
Now turning things up a notch, we have AKG K-712 Pro next. They’re a level above the previous few headphones when it comes to all the qualities – sound, built, operation, and ergonomic features. Needless to say, their price is also a bit higher, although it’s certainly justified.
These open-back headphones have a very wide frequency bandwidth, and can even be used for regular Hi-Fi listening. Very versatile and fully professional – something that you should definitely consider if you’re at least somewhat serious about your music career.
Audeze LCD-XC
The Audeze LCD-X are just a whole new level. This is a very expensive high-end product. You’re looking at a product dedicated to only the most serious musicians, producers, mixers, and engineers. What’s more, the accent is also on the somewhat unusual yet very stylish design.
They have a very high efficiency of 103dB per 1Mw, as well as 20-ohms impedance, all of which makes them one of the best studio headphones on the market. They’re also planar magnetic headphones with a completely weightless diaphragm. Now, that’s serious mindblowing.
All of the LCD-X headphones are handmade, all with ergonomic qualities in mind.
Our final pick for best headphones for recording is Sennheiser HD 820
To put it simply – Sennheiser H820 are the kings of all the studio headphones. They’re well over $2,000 and serve as one of the best examples of how state-of-the-art headphones should look and work like. These close-backs provide some of the most realistic and most detailed sounds. In fact, you’ll need to be careful not to mix up the high-definition recorded sounds with real life.
The ambient noise will be reduced to a minimum and you’ll be left with only the purest recorded audio. However, bear in mind that these are not exactly for the beginners. If you’re just starting out, you should probably go with something more affordable and accessible.
