

This, however, is available for less than half the price of the best pick. Sennheiser HD 800 S: This headset was the best all-around pick until it was dethroned by its predecessor, the HD 820.Sennheiser x Drop HD 8XX: A cheaper, but effectively very similar flagship worthy offering from Drop in collaboration with Sennheiser.These are outstanding headphones for the mixing station-not so much for the booth. Sennheiser x Drop HD 6XX: This is the closest you’ll get to a true HD 650, but for half the budget.Sennheiser HD 58X Jubilee: While these are a exclusive, they’re still a great pair of open-back headphones you should check out if you want one great pair of headphones that can do it all (as long as you don’t use them outside with a lot of noise).Sennheiser HD 598SE: The large, circumaural design makes these headphones comfortable for extended periods of time, while the open-back design allows for a more realistic reproduction of 3D space.Sennheiser HD 280 Pro: This monitoring pair is widely regarded as some of the best budget-minded studio headphones that take a tank to kill.The suspended headband design is comfortable, and the velour earpads are great for bespectacled listeners. Philips Fidelio X2HR: This is a great 0pen-back pair of headphones that packs 50mm drivers and neutral-leaning frequency response.Beyerdynamic DT 1990 PRO: If you want absolute luxury and don’t mind paying for it, this set of open-back cans looks, sounds, and feels premium.Audio-Technica ATH-M40x: Although the ATH-M50x is often in the limelight, the M40X is no slouch, and provides a less emphasized low-end.Audio-Technica ATH-AD900X: While you don’t want to use this in the recording studio because the open-back design causes the sound to bleed through, it’s great to use during the mixing phase of music-making.

While it’s very comfortable, the size can be a bit unwieldy and you can get a better value headset. AKG K702: This pair of open-back headphones has its place in a studio but remember that it won’t have much bass.

