If you have finally decided to buy new studio headphones there are some things you should know before the purchase. In the next few paragraphs, we are going to go through the few factors you should take into account as well as giving you a list of the five best studio headphones according to us.

Having a good-quality pair of studio headphones is a great advantage if you are recording in a small space. At the same time, it allows you to save some money because they can successfully replace studio monitor speakers.

If you are ready, let’s start!

Open-Back or Closed-Back?

When it comes to the different types of headphones, we have to pay attention to only two types when choosing headphones for our home studio. These are closed-back and open-back headphones.

And to dig a bit deeper into details, when it comes to closed-back or open-back design here are the elements you should be aware of.
Open-back headphones are known for sound leakage which is not desirable when recording vocals. The microphone can pick up some of the sound leaking out of the headphones and ruin the recording. However, open-back headphones are a great option if you are you are recording withing a box or you have a quite space to work in.

Closed-back headphones are a better choice if you plan to use them for many different tasks. They will definitely eliminate any sound leakage so if you are recording at home you may find these much more useful.

Comfort

Another key factor is the comfort. You already know that you will have to wear these headphones for longer periods of time and this is the reason why you need the most comfortable ones. Choose headphones with good materials on the ear cups as well as correctly shaped ear cups. Avoid leather, because of the sweat. Over-ear headphones are for example a more comfortable choice over on-ear headphones so pay attention to that.

Frequency Response

As for the frequency response we want to buy headphones that don’t enhance the audio by boosting the bass or using some advanced technology. This is most frequently found in gaming headphones or consumer music headphones and we definitely don’t want any enhancements when listening to our mixes.

Why is flat frequency rate important? Well, primarily because it will let you create cleaner mixes and the music will be much more accurate which is pretty important in mastering the music.

Impedance

Impedance tells us how much resistance the headphones give to the signal from the audio source. We measure it in ohms and basically a higher impedance means that the headphone drivers are more powerful and according to that a more powerful amp is needed.

Let’s say you have some headphones having let’s say 200 ohms. When you are listening through your phone or an MP3 player you will notice that the maximum volume peaks lower than you expect it. But if you plug these headphones into an audio interface the volume can be pushed much higher and will remain crisp and clear.

Some companies know that their users will use the headphones on various devices so them make the same product in different impedance ranges. Thanks to this the user which uses the headphones on the smartphone will still experience the best possible sound for that device.

Unfortunately, there is a small number of modern smartphones today that have a 3.5mm jack. Because of that you won’t be able to use your headphones unless you have a Bluetooth transmitter with digital audio connections. It will make it possible to pair your wired headphones to a Bluetooth device.

Our Selection of Best Studio Headphones

The following headphones are the ones we would personally recommend if you are looking for studio headphones.

AKG Pro Audio Professional Headphones

- Type: Over-ear, open-back

- Frequency Response 10Hz – 39800kHz

- Impedance 62Ω

- Other: Great build quality and extraordinary comfort

KRK KNS 8400

- Type: closed-back circumaural

- Frequency Response 5Hz – 23kHz

- Impedance 32Ω

- Other: Comfortable, lightweight, excellent design

Audio-Technica ATH-M50x

- Type: closed-back, over-ear

- Frequency Response 15Hz – 28kHz

- Impedance 38Ω

- Other: Strong build quality

Sennheiser HD280Pro

- Type: Closed-back

- Frequency Response 8Hz to 21kHz

- Impedance 64Ω

- Other: Good quality, comfortable, affordable

Beyerdynamic DT 770 Pro

- Type: closed over-ear

- Frequency Response 5Hz – 35kHz

- Impedance 38Ω, 80Ω and 250Ω

- Other: Comfortable, strong build quality

We hope that you will have no trouble finding the best studio headphones for you. Your job now is to read other user experiences and online reviews, sum things up and then, if possible, go to the store to try some models on your own. That would be the best way to see which studio headphones are comfortable enough for you because you will definitely spend much time wearing them on.