I’ve tested 13 studio headphones this year and my top choice just landed a serious Cyber Monday deal - save $110 on the Sennheiser HD 490 Pro

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Save big on four of my top six studio headphones in the Cyber Monday deals

A pair of Sennheiser HD 490 Pro studio headphones on a light purple background
(Image credit: Sennheiser)

At the start of this year I was tasked with conducting some in-depth testing of studio headphones, as a musician who regularly mixes music at home and in a professional recording studio. Spoiler alert: out of all the headphones I tested, the Sennheiser HD 490 Pro came out as my top pick. With arrival of the Cyber Monday music deals, you can now bag them with a hefty $110 discount at B&H Photo.

My testing involved both subjective listening, and an objective, data-backed test where I measured the raw frequency response of all 13 pairs of headphones with a Neumann KH 100 dummy head. Measuring against the Harman curve, I found the HD 490s were very close to the ideal, but for me they ticked a lot more boxes than just sound quality.

I love the huge, oval-shaped ear cups that make them an ultra comfortable wear for anyone, no matter what your ear size. They also come with multiple pads that affect the frequency response, and a hard case so you can keep them safe from harm when travelling.

Sennheiser HD 490 Pro
Save 26% ($110)
Sennheiser HD 490 Pro: was $429 now $319 at BHPhoto

The Sennheiser HD 490 Pros are my top-rated headphone out of 13 pairs I personally tested. Not only is their sound profile incredible for mixing music, but they’re ultra comfortable too, ticking all the boxes a producer could need in a studio headphone.

Read more: Sennheiser HD 490 Pro review

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It’s not just the Sennheisers that are discounted though, with three more of my top six cans getting some nice reductions in the Cyber Monday sales, too. So whether you’re a beginner mixer looking for your first set of headphones, or you’re a veteran producer who needs a top-quality mixing headphone, here are some more great options you can look at.

Sony MDR-7506
Save 13% ($15)
Sony MDR-7506: was $113 now $98 at Sweetwater Sound

The Sony MDR-7506s were my pick as the best budget studio headphone, and now they’re even cheaper in the Sweetwater Cyber Monday sale. They’ve not got a huge discount by any means, but a $15 reduction takes them just below the $100 mark, making them even better value for money than they were already.

Read more: Sony MDR-7506 review

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Beyerdynamic DT 770 Pro X
Save 17% ($40)
Beyerdynamic DT 770 Pro X: was $229.99 now $189.99 at BHPhoto

The Beyerdynamic DT 770 Pro X are my top pick for a pair of monitoring headphones. Their closed-back design makes them very adept at reducing bleed during vocal takes, and they sound absolutely phenomenal too, so will be inspiring for your performers. With a nice $40 discount at B&H Photo, you can bag these studio staples for a lot less during Cyber Monday.

Read more: Beyerdynamic DT 770 Pro review

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Audio-Technica ATH-M50x
Save 19% ($30)
Audio-Technica ATH-M50x: was $159 now $129 at Sweetwater Sound

I picked out the Audio-Technica ATH-M50x as a great option for the beginner mixing engineer. They’re not the flattest in terms of frequency response, but do a nice job straddling the line between analytical and listener-friendly, making them a great starting point if you’ve never owned a pair of studio headphones before. With a nice $30 discount at Sweetwater, they’re well worth picking up.

Read more: Audio-Technica ATH-M50x review

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Matt McCracken
Matt McCracken
Junior Deals Writer

Matt is a Junior Deals Writer here at MusicRadar. He regularly tests and reviews music gear with a focus on audio interfaces, studio headphones, studio monitors, and pretty much anything else recording-related. Matt worked in music retail for 5 years at Dawsons Music and Northwest Guitars and has written for various music sites including Guitar World, Guitar Player, Guitar.com, Ultimate Guitar, and Thomann’s t.blog. A regularly gigging guitarist with over 20 years of experience playing live and producing bands, he's also an alumnus of Spirit Studios, where he studied studio engineering and music production.

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