OTOTO – Music Production Studio

Headphones, headphones...headphones everywhere...which pair do you pick? They are essential for any audio monitoring - whether you're a hard-core sound technician, music producer, or mixer. In this post, I've reviewed the best headphones for music production. Summary: If you need a quick answer, I recommend either this Sennheiser HD 650 or the Beyerdynamic DT 770 PRO as your top headphones for music production. The two models offer a flat frequency response to enhance your studio audio production. They are great, even with string instruments and extra vocals. Forget your regular earbuds or beats headphones. Check Noise Cancelling Headphones Under 50. Reviews: 7 Best Headphones for Music Production in 2021 1. Sennheiser HD 650 Open Back Headphone - #1 Pick Sennheiser HD 650 has earned top fame for good reasons – it has premium neodymium magnets and acoustic silk (allows ultra-fine damping), relatively high clamping force (but comfortable). Check Price On Amazon Thus, HD 650 takes the top spot for Best Headphones for Music Production. Considering the design, the Sennheiser HD 650 won't win a beauty contest. However, it has a solidly built design that speaks to Sennheiser's excellent sense of material engineering. Most importantly, most of its parts are user-serviceable - thus, you can take them apart, clean, or replace them. First, I like the Sennheiser HD 650's rich, powerful sound that has a great sense of authority – particularly in the bass. Also, the treble is smooth, but it's textured – but it's still well extended. This pair is great for intermediate to pro audio engineers. I feel that the HD 650 is even better for having a tighter sound and warmer tone - thus, the soundstage will come out a little more intimate and compressed. Some music producers claim that the HD 650 is veiled or slow - but, I don't agree with this. It'll not scratch the inner of your eardrum with trebles like the AKG or Bayer dynamic DT 880. Though, considering resolution and tightness, the HD 650 ranks up there with other premium headphones. It's apparent direct detail and resolution is lower since the treble seems to take a backseat in the sound mix. But, the HD 650 has superior technical capability. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y1l9Zej7UnY Read Also: Noise Cancelling Headphones Under 150 2. Beyerdynamic DT 770 PRO 80 Ohm Headphone - #2 Pick Beyerdynamic DT 770 Pro 80 has a legacy that spans over several decades. It's loved for use in recording studios by sound engineers and music producers. Check Price On Amazon Most audio engineers believe that the Beyerdynamic DT 770 Pro 80 is superior to the ATH-M50x – and still have a lower price. On sound quality, the DT 770 pro has excellent speed and widest soundstage – may be close to Sennheiser HD 598. On acceleration, the DT 770 pro has a quick frequency decay, fast attack, and fantastic detail rendering. If you don't mind the low-end frequencies, you'll find the boosted bass great for electronic music production - with warm sound and an adequate boost to the low end. I score these headphones highly for comfort – with its pillow and soft velour pads, which will have minimal pressure around your head and thus will work great for extended hours of music production. Despite not being highly portable, compared to smoothing like the ATH-M50x, the DT 770 Pro has a rugged aesthetic look. It has a precise, extended and punchy Bass (I believe they are bass-light), but also profoundly relaxed. Its bass response is more on the frequencies of the sub-bass and not mid-bass. Maybe you already know that the regular headphones require some mid-bass hump to produce acceptable bass – but the DT 770 Pro doesn't. To create a neutral and amazing studio-style sound –w with its detailed highs, full sound stage, and deep natural bass. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lAv6fcfslCY Read Also: Earbuds Under 50 3. Audio-Technica ATH-M50x Studio Headphones Next up is the Audio-Technica ATH-M50x (arguably the most popular studio headphone) –they’re versatile, great for music production, traveling, and reference audio while filming. Check Price On Amazon It trails the Beyerdynamic DT 770 PRO for recording, audio monitoring, video editing, and traveling. Why so? They offer a tremendous balanced, rich sound with rich deep lows, balanced mids, and detailed highs. Audio-Technica ATH-M50x has the "V-shaped" sound signature with some slightly accentuated the lows & highs. Also, you'll not require an amp for the ATH-M50x (they even sound great on the phone), are profoundly portable (they flex and bend without cracking). On the downside (well not literally), some producers claim that the headphones have a tight sound space – well, which I think is common in all closed back monitors. Luckily, they'll achieve excellent sound isolation when there are ambient sounds in the studio. It's over the ear type - and thus will fit around your ear and therefore cancels most of the background noise. They rotate well. They're highly flexible and will lay amazingly flat – and thus, they'll go right into your bag as you move to your studio or traveling. Also, it's possible to rotate the headphone all the way around. Thus, it's possible to hold a single cup and listen to anything, just like how the DJs do. Thus you can choose a card that matches your studio recording environment – may be at home, on the stereo, or when sitting on your chair. I love Audio-Technica ATH-M50x's audio quality – they are not just loud, but its sound quality is crystal clear – eve compared to the wireless Sennheiser. It has a proprietary detachable cable – comes with three types of wires (short, coiled, and a long straight cord). Read Also: Pop Filter for Blue Yeti 4. Sennheiser HD 380 PRO Headphones The Sennheiser HD 380 PRO has a great feel – ergonomically, it's almost similar to the HD 280s – but has key improvements. It has 54 Ohms impedance – and thus, you'll hear a full capability of sound in most devices. Check Price On Amazon Compared to the HD 280s, the HD 380 PRO is lighter and has a bigger ear cups – thus definitely more comfortable for your recording studio work. Sennheiser HD 380 Pro has the IAR – a feature that aligns the headphones' drives to your ear. This enables the audio to get directed into your ear canal. Therefore, you can simply turn the volume down and hence experience less fatigue – great for long mixing sessions or extended listening. Also, the Sennheiser HD 380 Pro headphones can easily fold up flat and thus readily fit into your bag while traveling or when aiming to do on-the-go music production. Read Also: Noise Cancelling Headphones Under 200. 5. Shure SRH1840 Professional Open Back Headphones (Black) This Shure SRH1840 comes with the 40mm drivers to provide accurate & balanced highs, smooth and bass. This is made possible by the incorporated neodymium magnets that offer between 10 Hz-30 kHz frequency response. Check Price On Amazon It has steel driver frames that are designed to prevent internal resonance, which will give you stable audio quality for different volumes. Also, its headband will allow you to adjust the headphones positioning to get a great fit and snug. Further, to encourage adequate airflow, the durable & lightweight (being 0.6 lb.) headphone comes with an open-back ear-cup build that will allow highly natural audio. The main change in the new model is that it has a cable that is detachable and is more comfortable. It has a 65-Ohm impedance that is designed to connect to amplifiers to improve the audio quality effectively. It has high-density cushions that substantially surround the ear and has slow-recovery foam for extra comfort. It'll give you top accuracy, rich bass & detailed highs. Read Also: Noise Cancelling Headphones Conclusion Good headphones offer a flatter but feasibly pure, cleaner, and more accurate sound. But, if you're listening to sound with highs and lows that are pushed or mids that are too back or too forward, you might make to bad editing decisions.

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