The best open back studio headphones for mixing and mastering

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Hello! We continue with the series on studio headphones. In this post, we will talk about the best open back studio headphones for mixing, mastering and gaming in relation to quality price. The open headphones are ideal for mastering music or when you want to have a natural sound, since the closed ones totally isolate the external noises and we can not get the real notion of the sound.

Also, read our reviews of the finest headphones with noise-canceling technology.

On the other hand, this type of headphones is especially useful for listening to music when you are away from home, doing physical activity, for example, because they have good quality, but they do not isolate you from outside noises, so you never lose the notion around you, something very important for your security.

Open headphones are of many types, but this time we will see the best open back headphones.

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The best open-air headphones: which one to buy

The open hearing aids are mainly used for mixing and mastering, since they allow for a more realistic sound image. This is due to the fact that some of the sounds that pass through the Bluetooth headphones are lost so it allows channeling of the “outside noise” to create a more natural environment so that the producer can achieve a quality mix.

Considering that the frequency response of the headphones is very important, closed headphones would not be a good option for this task. In this article, we will focus on some of the best open headphones on the market for mixing and mastering.

Also, see the top lighting headsets for your iPhone.

Sennheiser HD 600 Professional Headphone

Sennheiser HD 600 optimal Open Back headphones for gaming mixing

These Sennheiser open headphones are the best known and used in what are open headphones, with an open circumaural design, are ideal for mastering tasks. In addition, they are well known because they have a very wide range of frequencies, ranging from 12 – 39,000Hz, which helps to hear sounds that you can escape in a mix.

It is also a very good option if you are a music lover, since they have impressive audio quality and you will not miss a detail of what you hear, it has a good level of sensitivity, 97dB and an impedance of 300 Ohms.

The design is well achieved, the only thing that could have been better is the cable, since it has a cable from both sides and that may bother a little, but it is a detail. The length of the cable is 3 meters and it has a 3.5 mm connector, the small connector.

They are the best headphones for a recording studio thanks to their high quality.

Pros

  • Excellent sound quality
  • Easy maintenance
  • Uncomplicated design
  • Replaceable cable

Cons

  • Sub-bass roll off
  • No isolation

Discover more and the price here

Also, see the top gaming headsets wireless in the market.

AKG K-701 Stereo Headphones Open Back

AKG K 701 Stereo

One of the best open back headphones is this model of the prestigious brand AKG widely used in the studio by professionals, because it has a very high level of sharpness, in addition to having a range of frequencies of 10-39,800 Hz, a few Hz wider than the Sennheiser HD600, impossible to escape a sound.

It has a sensitivity level of 105 dB, a little higher than the Sennheiser model, which makes it have more volume and the impedance is 62 Ohm, which implies that it is a handset that puts very little resistance to the step of audio, this is a good thing, since you can receive audio with higher frequencies and at a higher volume, although you have to be careful with saturation.

The design of these headphones is very good. They have a classic touch and are adjustable, which is very comfortable. The cable is 3 meters and goes on one side, which is somewhat more comfortable than the models with two side cables. The connection is by a 6.3 mm standard jack, which is a large plug type.

They are headphones to mix and remaster any type of music thanks to the quality of their materials.

Pros

  • Open soundstage
  • Accurate Response
  • Very comfortable
  • Sharp Design

Cons

  • Not portable
  • Expensive

Discover more and the price here

beyerdynamic DT 880 Pro

open vs closed headphones sound quality reviews

This is a semi-open back headphone with wide frequency response, adequate impedance, flat sound without coloring, and comfort … Well, you will not find other headphones on the market that meet these with so much precision qualities, and best of all, at a very reasonable price for what you receive. 

The Beyerdynamic DT-880 Pro offers one of the widest frequency responses and, if they are characterized by anything, it is because of the flatness of the sound they reproduce. No coloring. Nothing to strengthen seriously. The flattest and most faithful answer you will find in this price range. And of course, we are talking about Beyerdynamic. 

They are the most comfortable headphones in the entire market. The comfort may seem a secondary factor, but if (like me) you are one of those who lock themselves in your studio at night and wear headphones for extended periods of time, you’ll be glad you made the DT-800 Pro (or any Beyerdynamic, since we are).

Pros

  • Sound quality
  • Comfort
  • Ease of use
  • Adapter

Cons

  • Treble emphasis
  • Needs an amplifier for best results

Discover more and the price here

Audio-Technica ATH-AD700X Audiophile

open back headphones best cheap

These are the best cheap open-air headphones from Audio-Technica. The best thing is that it has a wide range of applications that you can use both in the studio and at home in a home cinema, for example. The frequency range is outstanding: 5 – 30,000 Hz, being one of the models with the most frequencies in bass and treble.

The sensitivity of this headset is 100 dB and the impedance of 38 ohms, which is easy to have a good volume and many different devices since the resistance is very low, something to consider.

These home studio headphones have a classic design, but are not uncomfortable, and have padded pads and an adjustable headband. The cable is 3 meters and the Jack is 3.5 mm.

Pros

  • Excellent sound quality for the price.
  • Comfortable to wear and lightweight
  • Open-back design with great soundstage.
  • Detachable cable.
  • Excellent fit for every head size.

Cons

  • A stubbornly hard treble
  • Could be more agile and precise
  • The bass needs to be tauter

Discover more and the price here

GRADO SR125e Prestige Series

open back headphones under 200

They are open supraaural headphones, of the Grado brand, a manufacturer known for manufacturing all their products by hand, this taking into account their price of them, makes them an interesting option. The frequency level goes from 20 to 20,000 Hz, perhaps somewhat lower than the others, but so is its price.

The SR125e Grade has a sensitivity level of 99.8 dB and impedance of 32 ohms, quite balanced, this makes it have a good volume level, but enough impedance to avoid saturations, although it clearly depends on tastes and needs.

The design of the headset, in general, is usually very simple. It also comes with a 2-meter cable, somewhat lower than the others, but as a counterpart, it is quite thick and therefore resistant.

Pros

  • Relatively cheap
  • Comfortable pads
  • Spacious, detailed, and well-timed sound

Cons

  • Distinctive looks and leaky sound may be too much for some.

Discover more and the price here

beyerdynamic DT 990 PRO

If you are looking for a more natural sound headphone compared to reference models, DT-990 might be exactly what you are looking for. They are designed to be a bit heavier on the bass, and generally, have a more dynamic sound compared to the reference headphones “sterile” and accurate. The highs are clean, the midrange well-rounded and a good low is what you can expect.

That is, if you connect them to a suitable amplifier, because the impedance of 250 ohms will be too much for most of the devices to deliver their true maximum quality. Do not be scared by this fact, because for these headphones it is worth the additional investment.

Pros

  • Comfortable
  • Great sound
  • Price

Cons

  • Requires an external amp
  • Can’t replace the cable

Discover more and the price here

AKG K 240 MK II Stereo Studio Headphones

top open air headsets review

Go back to the headset brand AKG. For many years, the AKG K-240 has been the reference model of headphones in recording studios around the world. They have passed through the hands (or rather through the ears) of every music producer worth their salt. Although models of superior quality have now emerged, they cannot be left out of any ranking. They are cheap, quite comfortable and give a good sound.

A very important option to take into account if you are starting and your budget is somewhat more adjusted (in fact, they are the first I had before moving on to the Beyerdynamic DT-880 Pro). As you see, these are the second generation, which incorporates a few improvements, but if your budget is even tighter, you can always go for the first generation of AKG K-240.

Pros

  • Comfortable suspension headband
  • Lightweight
  • Vocals sound excellent
  • Replaceable parts

Cons

  • Dubious durability
  • Quiet bass

Discover more and the price here

Advantages and disadvantages of open back headphones

Now, let’s see some of the most notable advantages and disadvantages of open headphones

+ PROS

  • Mainly designed for mastering and mixing sessions.
  • Neither are they as heavy nor do ears so fatigued as closed ones.
  • As the mixing and mastering sessions are usually long, the use of open or semi-open headphones is recommended for the simple reason that they avoid “fatigue” thanks to their natural ventilation.
  • Excellent for recording keyboards, electronic batteries … and for Gamersbecause they allow you to be attentive to your surroundings without losing focus on what you are doing.

– CONS

  • Mixing with helmets, no matter how good they are, will never give you the same quality as if you did it on studio monitors.

Buy open back studio headphones

If you are hesitating between buying open or closed headphones, buy open headphones because they have better quality and are more comfortable.

Honestly, any of the models on this list are very good options. The offer of headphones is incredibly wide, so there is a lot to choose from. That is why I have allowed myself to include only 7 open back headphones in this list, since I really know that they are all very good quality headphones and that they give very good results in a home studio. Therefore, I will recommend based on my personal tastes. For me, the Beyerdynamic is unbeatable. They are the kings of headphones, both for quality, price, and comfort. If your budget is more adjusted, I recommend that you go for Audio-Technica.

If I miss any model or have any questions, leave a comment and I’ll happily answer.

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