The forward leaps in sampling technology and playability of today’s digital pianos now put them firmly on par with traditional instruments in terms of sound quality. When it comes to practicality, however, you could argue that digital pianos have several distinct advantages over their acoustic counterparts; they’re much lighter, they don’t need to be tuned regularly to sound their best, but most importantly they give you the freedom to be able to plug in a pair of the best headphones for digital piano and practise without fear of disturbing your family members or neighbours.
With all that in mind, the choice of headphones that you use with your piano can have a profound impact on the overall experience. The better your piano sounds in your headphones, the more inspiring your playing will sound, and this, in turn, will have a profound effect on how much you’ll want to continue with it. An uninspiring sound will quickly lead to disillusionment, making it likely that you’ll quickly tune out, switch off and go do something else.
So the ideal digital piano headphones for you should offer an even response across the frequency range, good exclusion from external distractions to help keep you focused on your playing and be comfortable enough to wear for long practice sessions. Digital pianos are designed to emulate the stereo spread from left to right across the keyboard that you would experience when playing an acoustic piano (low notes from the left, high notes from the right), so a wide stereo soundstage is also important in order to reproduce this natural stereo behaviour effectively in your headphones.
Whether it’s playing digital piano, plugging into a guitar amp, mixing a track or general music listening, the Audio-Technica ATH-M50x is my go-to pair for many multi-tasking musicians. They offer warm lows and glittering highs, they’re supremely comfortable, and they represent some of the best value out there. For similar performance at a slightly lower price, the Hi-X15s from Austrian Audio are worth a shout. One of the standout features is the build quality, which means they should last well if they’re looked after.
Now, if you're new to headphones for digital pianos, I have also included in-depth FAQs further down the guide to help you through the process of purchasing your first pair.
Best overall
Audio-Technica’s venerable ATH-M50x studio headphones are a firm favourite amongst audio professionals for good reason - they sound excellent, offer a pleasingly warm sonic signature, and are supremely comfortable, durable and won’t break the bank.
It’s no surprise, then, that these industry stalwarts make a perfect partner for your digital piano, with those fulsome low-end resonances, sparkly highs and concert hall reverbs reproduced with effortless clarity.
Although far from the cheapest cans on the list, a pair of these will more than return your investment in the long term, providing a personal piano partner to keep you inspired and practising long into the future.
"The M50x may be more expensive than the outgoing M50 (which is now under £100), but it's worth it."
Read the full Audio-Technica ATH-M50x review
Best on a budget
Fledgling ex-AKG employee-founded company Austrian Audio has made impressive strides into the headphone sector of late, not least of which is the release of two new budget studio-centric models, the Hi-X15 and its Bluetooth-enabled cousin the Hi-X25BT. Of the two, we’d favour the cheaper Hi-X15 for use with your digital piano.
Featuring the company’s High Excursion Driver Technology, build quality is remarkable for the price, with strong, all-metal hinges and soft, slow-retention memory foam earpads. The cable is detachable, and therefore replaceable should the need arise, although we did find it a little on the short side at just 1.4m
The sound is neutral yet nuanced enough to reveal all the detail and resonances in your piano’s tone. Not just a great choice for your piano, the Hi-X15’s are versatile and durable enough to act as a great pair of studio headphones too, and will cope easily with anything your studio cares to throw their way.
"Superb cans for those tracking and mixing on a budget. Their compact size and light weight will also appeal to pros on the move."
Read the full Austrian Audio Hi-X15 review
Best value
Shure’s mid-priced SRH440 closed-back headphone has been optimised for performance with professional audio devices, including your digital piano, and ticks all the boxes on the checklist of features you’d expect from a set of studio-quality cans.
These include an accurate response over an extended frequency range, an adjustable padded headband for comfort, collapsible construction for portability, and a locking, coiled detachable cable for easy replaceability and freedom of movement while playing.
That list, coupled with Shure’s legendary robust build quality, all add up to an excellent package for prospective pianists.
Best for Yamaha
Japanese heavyweights Yamaha have for years been synonymous with both acoustic and, more recently, digital pianos. It’s no surprise, then, to discover that they also manufacture a range of headphones to accessorise their comprehensive range of digital instruments, designed to be the perfect match for your Yamaha keyboard or piano.
The lightweight, closed-back HPH-100’s sit squarely in the middle of the range, delivering a balanced bass and treble response especially suited to performing on digital instruments. Weighing only 148g and with swivelling earcups, these are super comfortable and a great option if you’re a Yamaha piano owner.
Of course, their use is in no way limited exclusively to Yamaha instruments, having been designed to faithfully reproduce piano sounds from any source. If you do own a Yamaha piano however, the HPH-100’s definitely warrant a look.
Best for Roland
One of the biggest digital piano manufacturers around, Roland also produces an extensive range of headphones to go with them. As the competitively priced, entry-level model in the RH range, the RH-5 is equipped with 40mm drivers specially designed to deliver a dynamic and balanced tone from beginner digital pianos upwards, plus synths and electronic drum sets (check out our guide to the best headphones for drummers for more specific choices).
Combining quality sound, a comfortable fit and an eyebrow raise-inducing bargain-basement price, the RH-5 should be near the top of your list if you’re a Roland piano owner not keen to shell out a huge amount on your headphones, but want the reassurance of that big name brand on the side of those padded earcups.
Best for Kawai
Kawai’s SH-9 headphones are relatively unusual in that they are a result of a collaboration between a respected piano manufacturer and a pro audio company to design a device specifically for use with digital pianos. Piano maestros Kawai have joined forces with fellow industry giants Audio-Technica to develop a dedicated set of cans specially optimized for the reproduction of digital piano sounds.
Originally intended for use with Kawai’s ATX3 & Aures piano models, it’s no great stretch to imagine that these should work equally well with most other brands and models of digital piano on the market. A semi-open back design and plenty of padding make the SH-9 a comfortable choice with a wide soundstage for extended practise sessions.
Best pro option
The Sony MDR series has been around for years and has a solid studio pedigree, borne out by decades of daily use in the recording and broadcast sectors worldwide. The current incarnation, the MDR-7506, is a brilliant combination of comfort, practicality and value.
Extremely comfortable to wear for extended periods, these are designed to expose details other cans might miss. On a par with headphones costing twice as much, the sound is punchy and clear throughout the spectrum (with a slight boost in the upper mids), while managing not to be overly flattering.
So if you’re after an accurate picture of your piano’s sound, complete with all nuanced resonances and reverb detail revealed, these pro-recommended cans are well worth considering.
"Sturdy, reliable and revealing, if your mix has issues, this veteran model still delivers the goods where it counts."
Read the full Sony MDR-7506 review
Best for sound
Another big pro-audio household name, Beyerdynamic’s current headphone range is huge, but the DT770 Pro is a standout model, easily capable of duking it out with the Audio-Technica ATH-M50x when it comes to its status amongst studio cognoscenti.
Extremely well-balanced across the audible spectrum and incredibly comfortable due to the soft, velour-padded ear cups, they’re able to be worn for long periods without issue while delivering a highly detailed sound, making them an ideal partner for any digital piano.
The DT770 Pro is available in several models of varying impedance, but for use with your digital piano, we’d recommend going for the 32Ω option. Not only will this most likely be the closest match to the output of your piano’s headphone amp, it’s also the most versatile option should you want to use your headphones for other studio-related tasks.
"The DT 770 PRO studio headphones represent excellent value, delivering spoonfuls of trusted Beyerdynamic quality, neutrality and practicality for a handful of dosh. Their lack of portability means that we wouldn't necessarily recommend these for use when travelling, but for home and/or studio use, these workhorse cans still have a lot to offer. A well-built, durable and great-sounding set of comfortable headphones that perform equally well at home or in the studio, the thousands of audio professionals that already love and swear by them can’t be wrong."
Read the full Beyerdynamic DT 770 Pro review
How to choose
There are four main considerations you should think about when choosing a pair of digital piano headphones. First is the frequency response. You want an even response across the frequency range to ensure you get the best sound possible in your ears. The better your piano sounds, the more you will be inspired to play.
Second, you want the isolation provided by your headphones to be enough to naturally block out external noise and unwanted distractions. A pair of closed-back headphones will do the trick here. Don’t be tempted to buy a pair of noise cancelling headphones, for reasons we’ll go into below.
Then there’s comfort to consider, especially if you plan on playing for hours at a time. Are the headphones heavy? Is the headband adjustable and made of forgiving materials? And what about the ear cups? Are they padded and constructed with breathable materials? Ear sweat is no joke. The less fatiguing your headphones, the longer you’ll want to play.
And finally, is the supplied cable long enough? Too short and you may end up unwittingly pulling out the plug and damaging your digital piano’s headphone socket. Get enough length so that you can comfortably move around in front of your piano whilst staying securely connected.
Glossary
- Active Noise Cancelling (ANC): Tech that blocks out background noise so you can focus on your music.
- Closed-Back: Headphones with sealed earcups that keep sound in and noise out, great for practice.
- Cushions/Pads: The soft material around the earcups that rests on your ears, making long sessions comfy.
- Drivers: The tiny speakers inside your headphones that actually produce the sound.
- Ear Cups: The parts that cover your ears can be round or oval, big or small.
- Frequency Response: The range of sound (from low bass to high treble) your headphones can play.
- Headband: The part that sits on top of your head, keeping the headphones in place.
- Impedance: A number (in ohms) that tells you how much power the headphones need; lower is usually better for digital pianos.
- Latency: The delay between hitting a key and hearing the sound through wireless headphones (lower is better).
- Open-Back: Headphones with vents or holes for a more “natural” sound, but they let in (and out) more noise.
- Over-Ear: Headphones that fully cover your ears for more comfort and better sound isolation.
- Swivel Earcups: Ear cups that rotate for a better fit or to rest the headphones around your neck when not playing.
FAQs
Why can't I use Bluetooth headphones for digital piano?
Connectivity-wise, we’d always recommend going for a wired rather than wireless pair of headphones to go with your piano. This is because, although several current models of piano feature Bluetooth connectivity, Bluetooth audio on pianos is not designed to stream audio from the piano to a set of Bluetooth headphones.
Instead, a piano’s Bluetooth feature is usually only so that you can stream audio from another device, such as a mobile phone or tablet - perhaps you’re working through some online piano lessons - through the piano’s speakers to play along to, or transmit MIDI data over Bluetooth to a DAW running on a separate device - like Garageband on an iPad, for example.
Although the idea of Bluetooth headphones for your digital piano may seem attractive at first, the delay or latency incurred in decoding the audio to a data stream and transmitting it over the air to your cans would have a detrimental effect on your playing. Although often only a few tens of milliseconds, this latency can mean that you’ll hear the sound of each note noticeably later than you actually played it, enough of a lag to make playing impossible. We cover similar themes in this article on the pros and cons of using Bluetooth headphones to produce music.
With cabled options, however, there are no such latency issues, the only real concern being that the cord should be long enough to allow expressive freedom of movement when playing.
Can I use noise cancelling for digital piano?
Headphones that feature active noise cancellation should also be avoided when choosing a pair to use with a digital piano. Active noise cancellation algorithms can cause artefacts in the audio, which can detract from the quality of your piano’s output, and will be extra noticeable with solo piano performances.
All of the headphones on this list are therefore traditional, cabled models with no active noise cancellation. We’ve got models made by the big piano manufacturers themselves for the perfect match to your particular brand, plus contributions from the usual suspects in professional pro audio, so your perfect pianistic partner should be somewhere in this list!
How we choose
Here at MusicRadar, we are experts in our field, with many years of playing, creating and product testing between us. We live and breathe everything music gear related, and we draw on this knowledge and experience of using products in live, recording and rehearsal scenarios when selecting the products for our guides.
When choosing what we believe to be the best headphones for digital pianos available right now, we combine our hands-on experience, user reviews and testimonies and engage in lengthy discussions with our editorial colleagues to reach a consensus about the top products in any given category.
First and foremost, we are musicians, and we want other players to find the right product for them. So we take into careful consideration everything from budget to feature set, ease of use and durability to come up with a list of what we can safely say are the best digital piano headphones on the market right now.
Find out more about how we test music gear and services at MusicRadar.
Meet the experts
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With more than 17 years of experience, MusicRadar is the premier music-making website in the world. Run by musicians for musicians, we offer expertly written gear round-ups and high-quality, authoritative reviews by an extensive team of highly experienced industry professionals.
Below you'll find more information on the expert author of this guide.
Dave is an expert in all things keys, from beginner keyboards, to digital pianos, synths and beyond, and has been a music technology writer and product tester since 2007, contributing to the likes of Computer Music, iCreate, MusicRadar and Attack Magazine. Dave has also programmed and played keys on recordings by a range of world-renowned artists including George Michael, Kylie and Gary Barlow.
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