Well known in the DJ world for their high-quality mixers and DJ equipment, you would expect Allen & Heath’s XD40s to be heavy on the bottom end for cueing up records in a blaring club, but we were pleasantly surprised to learn that’s not the case.

While the XD40s are a tad teeny on your ears, they don’t suffer for it, delivering an acceptable top end, crunchy mids and pleasantly rounded bass. Their closed back keeps the sound contained quite nicely, and they also fold up flat - perfect for travelling.

Being from Allen & Heath, these headphones definitely excel at club music and bass-heavy genres, though the mid is tight enough to extend to more acoustic genres too. Though the treble is perfectly tolerable, it does lack something in terms of balance.

The XD40s would be adequate for tracking and some early-stage mixing, but we think they’re most suited to exploring music apps and general listening.

35 Stars