The face of the music industry has drastically changed over the past decade or so. The way we consume music has shifted and the appetites are higher. At one point, we saw the rise of lower-quality audio formats, due to different streaming and downloading services that emerged. However, technological advancement, bigger servers with more storage space, and significantly faster internet connection speeds, have blessed us with good-quality audio-streaming right at our disposal.
However, if you’re into contemporary music, listening to it is not exactly a simple process. The level of production, mixing, and mastering is on a really high level these days, so you’ll definitely need solid speakers or headphones to reproduce the music the way artists, producers, and mixing engineers intended it to sound. The last thing you want is to get totally discouraged and miss out on new music just because you can’t hear certain parts of the spectrum so well.
Best Headphones for Hip Hop and How to Get Them
In order not to have your music listening experience totally ruined, we decided to step in and help you find proper headphones. In this particular guide, we’ll be covering the best headphones for hip hop and other related genres and subgenres.
Before getting into the exact models, you’ll need to be familiar with some of the concepts and standards in the industry. The first is sound quality, and regular “neutral” headphones might not be the best option for this kind of music. Instead, something slightly heavier on the lower-end will do the job well. Another thing that will impact the tone is whether these headphones are closed- or open-back. While open-back ones offer more bass, closed-backs will have more clarity and attack all over the spectrum. The choice comes down to personal preferences.
Aside from this, you should also look into the overall design, durability, as well as the price. Once you know the budget that you’re dealing with, then you’re free to go on and see what kind of headphones you’ll get. Below, we decided to include a few different options coming from different price ranges.
Behringer HPX2000
So we start things off with a simple and affordable piece like Behringer’s HPX2000. These are not the high-end quality headphones, but for their price, you’ll get a pretty solid sound and overall quality. And that’s exactly what Behringer is about. They’ll serve you for years to come, but if your appetites grow, you should definitely look into some other options later on. Other than that, these can serve well even as entry-level monitors for electronic music.
Pioneer SE-MS5T
Pioneer has a lot of great stuff in this lower price range as well. For this list, we’re including their SE-MS5T. Although not as cheap as the ones we mentioned above, these headphones are still pretty affordable, especially with the qualities that they possess. First off, their frequency response is extremely wide and covers anything from deepest basses up to the highest parts of the spectrum. These closed-backs are rounded up with a very good-looking design.
Koss Porta Pro
Although in the cheaper range, we’ve decided to include Koss Porta Pro due to their features and the retro design. Reminding us of the good old days of walkman devices, Porta Pro headphones are designed with comfort in mind. At the same time, they’re very light and are foldable, making them easy to carry around with you at all times. The comfort pads are also adjustable and allow you to balance things out.
V-Moda M-100-U-Shadow
The first thing we can notice with these headphones is their unique modern-looking and somewhat unconventional design. But don’t get fooled by it since V-Moda M-100-U-Shadow is a high-end product with dual-diaphragm drivers that deliver clarity all over the tonal spectrum. They’re very durable. Also, you can pair them with a special detachable microphone bought separately. This also comes as a good option for avid online gamers.
Cowin E7
With Cowin E7, you won’t need to worry about outside noise. Why? Because they’re designed to cancel out as much of it as possible. They’re relatively large, but are pretty comfortable and feature a few different color options for everyone’s liking. Of course, these are wireless Bluetooth headphones with an integrated 600 mAh battery. After a full charge, they can last for about 30 hours. And to make this package even more impressive, they also feature great sound quality, integrated microphone, and an affordable price tag.
Ultrasone PRO 2900
Although originally intended for professional musicians and music producers, it’s not rare to see Ultrasone’s PRO 2900 used by audiophiles and even casual music listeners who are willing to pay more for great sound quality. Yeah, they’re pretty expensive, but with such an amazing quality of tone and comfort, this is most certainly justified. There’s barely any other product that can compete with these headphones.
Our final pick for Best Headphones for Hip Hop is Beyerdynamic Custom One Pro
However, one of the potential competitors here is a pair of Custom One Pro Plus headphones by Beyerdynamic. The mindblowing frequency response, covering even way outside of the audible spectrum, shows what these are all about. You won’t only be able to hear the bass clearly, but you’ll also feel it with these headphones on. They’re fairly straightforward both in operation and design. Nonetheless, a single glance and a few seconds of listening are enough to change your view of headphones forever.
There’s one flaw though. Once you try them out, you won’t be able to step down to anything in the mid or low price range. As if this wasn’t enough, they also include the Custom Sound Slider control that allows you to change their internal EQ. If you’re into bass-heavy hip hop or any other genre with such tones, these ones are for you. Rock out loud!
