Grabbing a pair of the best budget studio headphones can be a great way to enhance your mixes without spending loads. Whether you need something to compare against your speakers, fine-tune the low end, or you’re planning on mixing entirely with headphones, you can get a lot for your money these days.
I’ve had my hands on every single one of the studio headphones in this guide, so I’ve gotten a great overview of how each performs. I’ve tested them objectively using the Neumann KU 100 dummy head in order to generate the raw frequency response, and I’ve listened subjectively to 20 reference tracks in order to make it easier for you to decide which is best for you. Check out my how I test section for more info on the process.
If you want to get to the good stuff, then I highly recommend you check out the Beyerdynamic DT 770 Pro X. They're pushing the boundaries of budget, but if you can stretch to a pair of these, you'll have a very capable mixing headphone indeed. For those seeking a true value-for-money option, the Behringer Alpha is an exceptionally affordable headphone that performs well.
For those who are new to studio headphones, I’ve put together a how to choose section that will take you through everything you need to know before buying. I’ve also curated a comprehensive FAQs that answers loads of common questions, and a glossary of key terms that will help you understand the technical lingo used in this guide.
My top picks
If you can stretch your budget to the Beyerdynamic DT 770 Pro X, you’ll have a pair of headphones that deliver professional-quality sounds. Another legend of prorecording studios, these closed-back headphones are excellent for mixing, mastering, and monitoring.
The astonishingly cheap Behringer Alpha’s are incredible value for money, giving a surprisingly premium feel and excellent sound quality despite the low cost. If you want to spend as little as possible, these are a good choice.
Despite the recent internet hate, the Audio-Technica ATH-M50x is still a fantastic value studio headphone. They're not the flattest out there, but are a great starting point for beginner mixers, nicely straddling the line between pleasing and analytical.
Best overall
✅ Buy if you want the best mixing cans on a budget: The DT 770s are the go-to mixing headphones on a budget. You're getting a lot of bang for your buck here, and they'll cover a wide range of duties in the studio.
❌ Avoid if you need portability: These headphones are quite bulky and don't fold, so they could be a little cumbersome if you're the sort of musician who mixes on the move.
🎧 The DT 770 Pro X is an excellent upgrade on a studio classic, and in the grand scheme of studio headphones are relatively cheap. Whether you’re tracking instruments or using them to mix, they’re a great option for anyone looking for a pair of headphones to listen critically.
Overview: The Beyerdynamic DT 770 Pro X are the most expensive pair of headphones on this list at around $200, but honestly, if you can stretch your budget to these, you’ll have a headphone that easily competes with some costing twice as much. With a detachable cable, updated headband, and adjusted frequency response, it’s a brilliant all-rounder.
Build & comfort: You’re pretty much guaranteed to find at least a few pairs of DT 770s in pro studios, so it’s no surprise to find that these are very well put together indeed. They certainly feel as tough as many of the ones I’ve used in studios over the years, and beneath the faux leather headband there’s a thin, but strong metal, and the cups are also held on with metal attachments.
The drivers are contained within a hard plastic that is very solid feeling, while on the opposite side, the lovely plush cushioning offers a fantastic level of comfort. The ear cups are circular but very large, so I don’t find any issues with them clamping down on my ears. The clamping force itself is reasonably solid, but not as tight as the MDR-7506s.
Frequency response: The DT 770 Pro X is the closest match I found to the Harman Curve in all my testing. The sub-bass response is excellent, making them a boon for those working in electronic genres, and there’s a slight boost around 150 Hz, so be careful of underhyping your bass frequencies with these.
The mid-range is relatively flat, so you’ll pick up plenty of detail with these, and as with most headphones, things start to peak and trough as we get to the upper mids and brilliance range. Beyer headphones are known for being quite bright, so it’s no surprise to find some significant peaks here.
Subjective listening: My overall impression when listening to reference tracks via the DT 770 Pro X was a feeling of balance. They sound phenomenal considering the cost, and close to some headphones costing two or three times as much. The low end is smooth, the mids are detailed, but the high end can be a bit fatiguing during longer listening sessions.
While playing Yosi Horikawa’s ‘Bubbles’, the closed-back design of these headphones becomes very evident, with the sound of ping pong balls feeling very much like it’s happening inside my head rather than via the medium of sound. Transients are quite sharp on ‘What’s The Difference’ by Dr. Dre, and I found the highs to be getting into the region of harsh at times.
“Volume level notwithstanding, the sound of the DT 770 is very Beyer. It's a relatively neutral profile overall, which is as you'd expect for a professional studio reference monitor headphone, but not entirely flat. There is a subtle bass bump due to the closed-back architecture, coupled with an emphasis in the highs that can be a little on the harsh side when dealing with overly-sibilant recordings.”
Read more: Beyerdynamic DT 770 Pro review
Test | Results | Score |
|---|---|---|
Build & comfort | Incredibly solid build and lovely feel to the ear cushions | ★★★★½ |
Frequency response | Toes the line with the Harman Curve, but can feel harsh in the top end | ★★★★½ |
Subjective listening | Incredibly well balanced across the frequency spectrum | ★★★★½ |
Overall | An absolutely stellar studio headphone considering the price | ★★★★½ |
Best value
✅ Buy if you want to spend as little money as possible: Priced well below $100, these studio headphones from Behringer are incredibly affordable.
❌ Avoid for serious mixing duties: The frequency response is not exactly flat here, so for those who are more experienced mixers, these won’t do the job.
🎧 If you’re on an absolute shoestring budget, the Behringer Alpha is superb value for money. They’re well-built, comfortable, and deliver enough detail for beginner mixer duties. That mid-range bump is very noticeable, however, so for more surgical mixing duties, you’d do better saving some cash for one of my other options.
Overview: Priced below $100 (yep, you read that right), the Behringer Alpha are the most budget of the budget studio headphones here. Despite that, they deliver some amazing features for the money, like a dual cable, a self-adjusting headband, and a handy hard case.
Build & comfort: Pulling the Alphas out of their hard case, I certainly don’t get the impression that these are cheap headphones. They’ve got a decent weight to them, and although the majority of the build is plastic, it doesn’t separate them from any other headphone on this list. Inside the headband is constructed from a thin, flexible metal, which is used to attach the ear cups via a bracket, which feels more than up to coping with studio life.
The ear cups are actually the thickest of any of the headphones I’ve tried for this guide, and feel really comfortable when I put them on my head. The clamping force is quite strong, so much so that the ear pads stay pushed together when they’re off, and will push beyond one another if you take them off in a hurry.
The self-adjusting headband is a nice touch too, meaning you can just pop them on and not have to worry about changing them to fit your head. Great if you’re collaborating with others and want to quickly chuck them the headphones for a closer listen.
Frequency response: Here, the Behringer Alpha does fall a little short of the competition. In my tests, I found the midrange pushes way above the Harman Curve, and this is reflected in my listening experience as they feel a little cloudy there. It doesn’t sound bad per se, but if I were using these for surgical mixing, I’d want some correction on them to get rid of that.
There’s also a dip in the 1-2k range, but as you move towards the upper mids, things start to look more similar to other, more expensive studio cans. There’s the typical dip around 7-8k and a peak at 10k before things start to tail off.
Subjective listening: Once I got used to that mid-range bump, I found the Behringer to be pretty good, but when switching back to another pair, that muffled feeling becomes a lot more evident. It’s especially interesting in the low end because that looks equally hyped on the frequency response graph, but when listening to Lil Wayne’s ‘A Milli’, it doesn’t feel particularly overpowered.
The stereo spread is nice, not the widest I’ve ever heard, but certainly enough to pick out all the elements in the busy mix of Radiohead’s ‘Paranoid Android’. With a higher-pitched vocal, that mid-range bump is also less noticeable and actually quite pleasing versus something with more top end like the DT 770 Pro X. The transient response feels similarly tamed on ‘What’s The Difference’ by Dr. Dre, even with the headphones cranked.
They’re open-back headphones, but the clamping force and thickness of the ear pads make them feel more like closed-back headphones when you’re wearing them. They’re not quite as ‘open’ feeling as other open backs I’ve tried, which may also be a contributing factor to that midrange and low-end buildup they suffer from.
Test | Results | Score |
|---|---|---|
Build & comfort | Very robustly put together despite the cost, with thick ear pads | ★★★★½ |
Frequency response | Big bump in the low and midrange versus the Harman curve | ★★★★☆ |
Subjective listening | Low and mids bump can make them feel ‘cloudy’ on certain tracks | ★★★★☆ |
Overall | A lot for relatively little money, but needs correction for proper mixing | ★★★★☆ |
Best for beginners
✅ Buy if you’re after your first pair of studio headphones: Costing relatively little yet providing an excellent mid-range focus, the M50x is a great headphone for first-timers.
❌ Avoid if you want something very honest: These blur the line between analytical and pleasing, so avoid if you want something for serious mixing.
🎧 Don’t believe the internet hate, these are great headphones for beginner mixers who want to start music-making. Just be sure to take into account (or correct) the hyped highs and lows.
Overview: One of the most famous pairs of studio headphones ever manufactured, the Audio-Technica ATH-M50x has become a modern classic. For precisely that reason, you’ll find some of the more elitist types in the music industry like to trash them, but don’t believe the hate. If you’re after your first pair of mixing headphones, you could do a lot worse than these.
Build & comfort: The first thing I noticed about the M50x when I unboxed them was just how flexible they are. Both ear cups swivel 180 degrees, which means it’s easy to flick one ear off to hear what’s going on in the room or just share them with a collaborator. This flexibility allows you to fold them up neatly and take them on the road, too.
They’re made of plastic but still feel very durable, and certainly enough to put up with the rigours of being used in a recording studio, home, or otherwise. The clamping pressure is a nice mix of tight but not too tight, and the ear pads are thick and comfortable.
Frequency response: Interestingly, my tests showed that the low-end is as overhyped as it feels when listening, probably due to the closed-back design. There’s a big dip in the low mids, which is where the ‘pleasing’ element of their quality comes in, but obviously, that means you might miss this area when mixing.
There’s a lot of movement in the 5-8k range, which is where a lot of harshness and sibilance are found. Again, this makes them really nice to listen to, but could mean you end up missing something during very surgical mixing. They also feature a large 10k bump, similar to what I saw with the MDR-7506s.
Subjective listening: Despite not looking like it on the frequency response graph, the low-end does feel very powerful when I put on the ATH-M50x. On Lil Wayne’s ‘A Milli’ that sub-bass is loud and clear, and it’s a similar feel on other sub-heavy tracks like James Blake’s ‘Limit To Your Love’. They sound great, but I would be mindful about overhyping the low-end when performing mixing duties.
The mid-range details are excellent on busier mixes, with everything coming through clearly on Radiohead’s ‘Paranoid Android’ despite so many elements happening all at once. Due to the closed-back design, they don’t feel quite as wide as some of the open-backs I tested for this guide, so on Yosi Horikawa’s ‘Bubbles’, there isn’t quite as much feeling of width.
“And comparing M50x to the old M50 the difference hits home as soon as you tax them with dense Electronic tracks. M50x goes deeper and feels clearer and more airy, with the M50 sounding more like the M40x. We'd happily mix with the M50x, which we would have shied away from on the old model.”
Read more: Audio-Technica ATH-M50x review
Test | Results | Score |
|---|---|---|
Build & comfort | Very well put together with flexible ear cups | ★★★★½ |
Frequency response | Balanced in the mid range, but some low and top end hype | ★★★★☆ |
Subjective listening | Nice balance between pleasing and analytical | ★★★★☆ |
Overall | Considering the cost, this is a lot of headphone for the money | ★★★★☆ |
Best for monitoring
✅ Buy if you need rugged build quality: The MDR-7506 is a studio stalwart thanks to its ultra-durable build quality and revealing sound.
❌ Avoid if you dislike coiled cables: Not everyone likes a coiled cable, and this one is particularly long and heavy, which could get in the way for some users.
🎧 Considering you can get these for below the $100 mark when they’re on sale, the Sony MDR-7506s easily make their case as one of the best budget studio headphones ever made. They’re not what audiophiles would call flat, but once you learn them, they will be a very useful tool in your mixing arsenal.
Overview: Having been around since the early 90s, the Sony MDR-7506 will need little introduction to anyone working in the industry. With an ultra-low price point, rugged build quality, and an excellent midrange representation, they’re an obvious choice for the best overall mixing headphone on a budget.
Build & comfort: The durability of the 7506 is the stuff of legend, and you’ll feel that as soon as you pick them up. They don’t feel particularly premium with the leatherette pads and majority plastic build, but you won’t feel bad about chucking them into a backpack without the case and taking them on your travels.
The clamping force is pretty high, and the pads will stay locked together when they’re not sitting on your head. This does mean they could press down quite hard, depending on your head size, although I found they were fine for longer listening sessions. One thing is that the ear pads are quite small, so if like me, you have oversized lobes they can press down here.
Frequency response: As we can see from the graph, there’s not buckets of sub bass here, which is something to think about if you’re working in bass-heavy music. The midrange is pretty flat though, which is what these headphones are famous for and makes them great for picking out details in the mix.
You’ll also notice a significant bump around the 10k mark and some further spikes below that. This is where all your harshness and sibilance live, so you’ll be able to easily pick up any occurrences of this when producing music.
Subjective listening: The level of detail offered by the MDR-7506s isn’t that far removed from my much more expensive options offered by Beyerdynamic and Sennheiser. The low-end stuff is audible, but it’s a little clouded on the very subby stuff like the 808 on Lil Wayne’s ‘A Milli’.
The midrange is, as expected, really detailed, so I get plenty of guitars and vocals when listening to the complex mix of Radiohead’s ‘Paranoid Android’. I can pick out all the little details of extra percussion and myriad guitar parts, and although it’s not as crisp in the high end as I’m used to on my more expensive HD 490s, it’s not a million miles away, which is great considering the cost.
“If you’re expecting a flattering, low-end emphasising smiley curve response á la Beats, you’ll be disappointed. Rather than focusing on beefing up the low end, these cans emphasise detail in the high-mid range, revealing harshness that might otherwise go unnoticed. This makes them a great pick for producing, programming or mixing, as any blemishes that arise in the sound of what you’re working on will be remorselessly revealed.”
Read more: Sony MDR-7506 review
Test | Results | Score |
|---|---|---|
Build & comfort | Very rugged, but others are more comfortable | ★★★★½ |
Frequency response | Nice and balanced midrange, not much in the sub and some high peaks | ★★★★☆ |
Subjective listening | Great for mixing purposes, but you’ll need to learn them | ★★★★☆ |
Overall | A studio legend for relatively little money | ★★★★☆ |
Best comfort
✅ Buy if you value comfort over all: With the memory foam ear pads/headband and a precise adjustment system, these headphones can be adjusted to perfection.
❌ Avoid if you don’t enjoy a closed-back headphone: The closed-back design can make them feel a bit too ‘close’ for some mixing duties.
🎧 If you want a comfortable pair of mixing headphones on the cheap, the Rode NTH-100 is very hard to beat. They look and feel far more expensive than their low price point suggests, and deliver a very flat frequency response that will make them great for mixing duties.
Overview: The Rode NTH-100 is another headphone that delivers a lot for relatively little cash, with some excellent comfort-oriented features like the memory foam ear pads and Alcantara headband. They feel decidedly more premium than their budget price point, and deliver on the sonic front too.
Build quality & comfort: Honestly, unboxing the NTH-100, it’s quite hard to believe they’re well below the $200 mark in terms of price. The whole thing feels very premium and incredibly well built. The plush Alcantara headband feels really soft on my head, and it’s the same feeling with the ear pads.
I love a more ear-shaped ear cup, and that’s what we have here, although for my large lobes, it is a bit of a squeeze to get them in there. For most people with average-sized appendages, I can’t see there being any issues here and once they’re on, boy are they comfortable. The memory foam element is designed to wrap around your head, and inside the ear pads is a ‘CoolTech’ gel, which makes them very comfortable for longer listening sessions.
Frequency response: The response of the NTH-100 during testing is very much in line with the Harman Curve, lacking slightly in the low end, but that’s not a bad thing in a pure mixing headphone. The bass and mid-range are very steady, and start to drop off towards the upper mids.
There are some peaks and troughs in the high-end stuff, again very similar to what we see in many other headphones, with a big dip around 7-8k. Overall, it’s a surprisingly good frequency response considering the cost of these headphones, which bodes well for its use as a mixing headphone.
Subjective listening: Spending some time listening to the NTH-100, I’m reminded why I don’t enjoy using closed backs for mixing. They feel very ‘close’, which enhances the bass and helps isolate you from any outside noise, but this does fatigue me over time. The low end is very balanced, sounding powerful but never overpowering when I listen to ‘Limit To Your Love’ by James Blake.
It responds really well to the hard transients in ‘What’s the Difference’ by Dr. Dre, sounding sharp and snappy but never harsh. The stereo spread is really nice, too, although it doesn’t feel quite as wide as some of the open back headphones on this list. There’s plenty of detail on more complex mixes like Radiohead’s ‘Paranoid Android’, so you’ll definitely find these usable for honing in when mixing down your tracks.
“The NTH-100s are a storming success for Røde’s first foray into the world of headphones, with innovative design cues, and a clear and faithful recreation of sound, comfort, robust and quality construction throughout. These are some of the best headphones we’ve tested in a long time.”
Read more: Rode NTH-100 review
Test | Results | Score |
|---|---|---|
Build & comfort | Memory foam ear pads and super comfortable headband | ★★★★½ |
Frequency response | Really balanced across the full spectrum of sound | ★★★★½ |
Subjective listening | Sounds great on a wide variety of mixes | ★★★★½ |
Overall | A super comfortable headphone that can handle mixing duties too | ★★★★½ |
Best lightweight
✅ Buy if you want a lightweight headphone on the cheap: The design of the AKG K240 makes them extremely comfortable on your head and easy to take around with you.
❌ Avoid if you mix in bass-heavy genres: They’re a little lacking in the sub-bass range, so if you mix EDM or hip hop, look elsewhere.
🎧 They may appear basic, but the AKG K240s are a well-respected headphone that can be found in numerous studios across the world. The semi-open back design makes them well-suited to playing a variety of roles, and I especially enjoyed the lightweight feel of them on my head.
Overview: I’ve had a pair of AKG K240s in my home studio for the past seven years, and despite looking a little worse for wear, they’re still going strong. I use them as a monitoring headphone, as it’s easy for musicians to chuck them on without having to adjust anything, and they don’t feel as constricting as a true closed-back pair. With that in mind, I wouldn’t use them for vocal tracking, as you can end up with more bleed than you’d like
Build quality: Having long-term tested my pair in the real world, I can firmly attest that these headphones will put up with some serious abuse. I’ve not exactly looked after mine, chucking them unceremoniously in a box when not in use, sans any case, but they still keep on trucking.
They feature the AKG self-adjusting headband, which means you can just chuck them on and get on with your recording, which I think is an underrated feature. The ear cups are circular though, and on my slightly larger than average ears, that does make them feel a little cramped around the lobes. That said, the overall light weight of them means you can wear them for very long mixing sessions and not feel any pain at the top of your head like you might get with other, weightier cans.
Frequency response: Looking at the frequency response graph, it’s easy to see why these aren’t great for EDM or hip hop. That lack of sub bass is definitely noticeable when you listen. There’s a bass and low mid hump, which actually makes them sound pretty pleasant when listening to less bass-intensive genres like rock and metal. It looks significant on the graph, but I didn’t feel like it holds them back as it did the Behringer Alphas.
There are some dips in the mids and upper mids, but these are pretty slight and like most of the headphones I’ve tested, a dip around the 7-8k range. Like the MDR-7506, there’s a big peak around 10k which will help you pick out certain harsh frequencies, another tick in the box of these being a nice low-cost mixing option.
Subjective listening: Having listened to these headphones quite a lot of the years, I’m well aware of their limitations in the low end which are immediately noticeable when I put on ‘Paradise Circus’ by Massive Attack. When the bass guitar kicks in around the two-minute mark you can hear it, of course, but it just lacks a little impact.
The mid-range detail is excellent though, with vocals and guitars coming through really nicely on Turnstile’s ‘Never Enough’. There’s plenty of space in the stereo field, with hard panned elements feeling nice and wide and Yosi Horikawa’s ‘Bubbles’, the semi-open back design helping aid the sense of a natural space to them, getting very close to sounding like a pair of studio monitors.
“In terms of how the K240 sounds overall, we found them detailed, spacey and natural-sounding. We couldn’t fault the overall clarity, with plenty of detail discernible at each end of the spectrum and a soundstage that was smile-inducingly wide.”
Read more: AKG K240 review
Test | Results | Score |
|---|---|---|
Build & comfort | Lightweight but durable with self-adjusting headband | ★★★★½ |
Frequency response | Lacking in the low end but nice balance in the mids | ★★★★☆ |
Subjective listening | Incredibly well balanced across the frequency spectrum | ★★★★☆ |
Overall | Great as a low-cost studio workhorse, and great for mixing less bass-heavy genres | ★★★★☆ |
Also tested
So those are my top picks, but there are many more great options to choose from that offer something a little different in terms of features and performance. I've selected some more of our recently-reviewed favorites below:
How to choose
If you’re looking to buy your very first pair of budget studio headphones, then this is a good place to start. The number of options can feel overwhelming at first, but you can still get some great results with cheaper headphones once you know what to look for. Here’s the most important aspects of studio headphones, based on 20 years of music-making experience.
1. Use case
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The first thing you’ll need to identify is which task you’ll be performing the most. Different headphone types excel at different things, so these are what you should go for depending on your use case:
- Mixing in a quiet space: Go for an open-back pair of headphones which will give you more natural detail.
- Recording vocals or instruments: Go for a closed-back pair here, as they will stop sound of your click track bleeding into the microphone.
- Mixing in a loud space: Again, go for the closed-back headphones in this instance, as it will prevent external noises from interfering with your process.
2. Check impedance
You need to make sure that your audio interface or device can drive your headphones of choice, so checking the impedance of your chosen cans before you buy is of the utmost importance, as this can drastically affect the quality of your sound. If in doubt, go for a lower impedance pair.
3. Forget wireless
Wireless headphones aren’t good for mixing and recording music. While most of us would love to do away with cables, the latency and compression that wireless headphones impose on your mix will cloud your ability to make good decisions. Go for a wired pair of headphones if you’re mixing and mastering music.
4. Don’t forget about comfort
Everyone has a different-shaped head, which means a headphone that’s really comfortable for one person can be the complete opposite for someone else. Comfort is a huge part of being able to mix on headphones, so make sure that wherever you buy from has a good returns policy.
5. Take time to learn
Once you have your headphones, don’t expect your mixes to instantly get better. You need to spend some time learning your headphones before you can get your mixes to translate well on other systems. So spend plenty of time listening to your favourite tracks and A/Bing them with your own mixes in order to understand how your particular headphones affect your mixing decisions.
How I test
I’ve been making music in one form or another for over 20 years now, and in that time I’ve used countless studio headphones. I spend my time between a home studio setup and a professional recording studio, and I frequently reference my mixes on headphones to get a fresh perspective on things.
This is all my subjective opinion though, and as you might be aware, no two human beings will hear exactly the same, so just because I think a pair of headphones sounds great, doesn’t mean you will. That’s why for this guide I also performed objective testing, utilising a dummy head to measure the frequency response of each of the headphones in this guide.
The idea is that between the subjective view of experience, and the objective view of how a pair of headphones responds, you’ll then be able to select the ideal headphones for production, mixing, and mastering.
Neumann KU 100 dummy head
The objective portion of my testing involved using a binaural microphone, kindle provided by industry giants Neumann. The Neumann KU 100 dummy head features two microphones that act just as actual human hearing would, which makes it a great way to compare different headphones across this guide.
To ensure the tests were fair, I made sure to do the following:
- Decouple the dummy head from any surfaces that may resonate sympathetically.
- Loudness match the sound sources to ensure parity across every test
- Test all of the headphones in the same room to deliver a level playing field.
REW Testing Software
I chose REW as my testing software, because it’s an easily available piece of freeware that anyone can use. Initially designed for acoustic room treatment, it has a frequency response portion for audio device measurement, and offers an easy way to export data as visual graphs. This made it a no-brainer for my testing.
Each pair of headphones was tested five times for the guide, being reseated after each test to account for any discrepancies in the placement. The results were then aggregated into an average via the software to get the frequency response.
Harman Curve
The Harman Curve is an average sound profile for headphones that most ears should find pleasing. It’s not perfect of course, any many sites out there prefer to use their own preference curves, but for the purposes of my testing it gave me an objective way to compare the headphones against one another.
The Harman Curve is based on testing of hundreds of pairs of headphones with hundreds of users to find an ideal sound profile. It doesn’t mean that if a headphone doesn’t perfectly match the curve that it sounds bad, though. Instead think of it as a way to determine your own listening preferences, so when you know the particular curve of a headphone well, the raw frequency response data can help you determine if a second pair of headphones will be to your taste.
Subjective listening
I’ve been listening to music for a very long time now, so as part of my testing I also subjected each pair of headphones to 20 industry-standard mixes across a selection of genres to determine how they performed. I tried to find mixes that were bass-heavy, complex, or made particularly good use of the stereo field to judge them.
Combining my own feedback with the objective data means you should have a good overview of what a pair of headphones will sound like before you buy, hopefully helping you to make a more informed buying decision.
Read more about how we test music making gear and services at MusicRadar.
FAQs
How good are budget headphones for mixing?
These days, budget studio headphones can be really good for mixing, but they do tend to exaggerate the highs and lows in my experience. That said, like any headphone you’ll need to learn their profile, and once this is done there’s no reason you can’t get a great mix on a cheaper pair of headphones.
Are open-back or closed-back headphones better for mixing?
I prefer open-back headphones for their wider stereo image and more natural feel when it comes to mixing, with closed-back headphones being my weapon of choice for the recording phase. Some engineers prefer closed-backs for mixing however, so there’s no correct option, simply the headphone you’re most comfortable with and know the best.
Can I mix and master entirely on headphones?
Yes you can, and for those on a budget mixing in untreated rooms, headphones are a much better option than studio monitors. Taking the room out of the equation will give you a much clearer view of the mix, however, it doesn’t necessarily mean it will translate well to speakers. The best way to ensure translation is to check your mix on as many different sources as you can.
Will cheap headphones translate well to speakers?
Yes they will, once you learn the particular qualities of your chosen headphones. By referencing your mixes on other systems, you’ll be able to determine where exactly your headphones exaggerate the frequency spectrum, and adjust your mixes accordingly.
Do I need a headphone amp or DAC?
For most users, a regular audio interface should do the job just fine. You’ll only need a dedicated headphone amp or DAC if you have a pair of headphones with a very high impedance, and these are typically much more expensive than the budget range.
How important is isolation?
Isolation is important when mixing in a noisy environment, or when you’re recording instruments. This is why most music-makers prefer a closed-back headphone for mixing on the go or recording instruments, while open-backs are the headphone of choice for mixing in a quiet space.
Why does impedance matter?
Headphones with a higher impedance need more power to drive them, which can affect the low-end representation. Those with lower impedance need less power, so they are much more versatile when using with smartphone or laptop headphone outputs.
Should I EQ my headphones?
If you know the frequency response of your headphones, then applying EQ can help flatten them out. In my opinion though, it’s more important to learn your headphone’s sound as they are. There might come a time when you’re not able to use your preferred EQ curve, whereas if you learn your headphones natural sound well you can use them anywhere.
Key terms
- Amplitude: The perceived loudness of a sound or signal.
- Clamping force: How tightly the headband presses against your ears and head.
- Closed-back: Headphones wil ear cups that are sealed in order to offer better isolation.
- Colour: A way of referring to boosted frequencies with headphones, like boosted bass or an overly bright top end.
- DAC (Digital to Analogue Converter): A device that changes digital audio into analogue sound, found in audio interfaces or available as a standalone device.
- Driver: The component of the headphone that produces sound. Larger drivers typically offer more detail and better low-end performance.
- Fatigue: What happens to your ears during long listening sessions, accentuated by too much volume, harsh high-end, or uncomfortable headphones.
- Frequency response: The selection of frequencies a pair of headphones can reproduce and whether they emphasise or de-emphasise them.
- Harmonic distortion: Unwanted harmonics produced by the driver. A lower harmonic distortion results in a more accurate sound.
- Impedance: A measure of electrical resistance, which in headphones determines how much power is required to drive them. Higher impedance means more power and vice versa.
- Isolation: How well headphones block out any external noise. Closed-back headphones offer the best isolation.
- Latency: The delay between an audio signal playing and you hearing it. Not much of a problem with wired headphones but can be problematic with wireless ones.
- Low-end: The bass part of the frequency spectrum.
- Midrange: The centre of the frequency spectrum, where most of the details are audible.
- Neutral: A way to describe headphones without much colour.
- Open-back: Headphones with a vent that allows air and sound to pass through.
- Sensitivity: How loud headphones play at a particular power level, with higher sensitivity meaning louder output with less power.
- Soundstage: The sense of depth and space you hear in the stereo image.
- Stereo imaging: How well the headphones place instruments left to right and front to back.
- Translation: How well your mix holds up on multiple speakers, headphones, earbuds, and other listening systems.
- Transient response: How well the headphones react to transient sounds like snare drums or plucked strings. The faster the response, the clearer the sound is.
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