Best Open Ear Headphones For Mixing

These are my first open ear headphones. No more earbuds for me!

I'm a mixing and recording engineer, and record producer.I've used these headphones for mixing and listening. I also know of mastering engineers that use them for mastering.What's great about them:- Comfortable to wear for extended periods of time Their open back design along with the design of the cushion prevents the ears from getting sweaty or overheated and doesn't press on your head too much. - Doesn't sound as boxy as the average headphones, again because of the open back.- In my comparisons was only beaten (sound wise) by the Sennheisers 800, or the AKG K812, both between X2 to X4 the price.- Because they're about $ I'm not afraid to use them or take them with me. It's not small money but I can confidently use them as I please knowing I'd be able to afford a replacement should something happen.What's not as good about them:- Open back comes with it's own drawbacks - can't use these in the live room as much if at all, they're noisy to the environment (if you're next to someone sleeping or in public) and the environment is nosy back at you (though this can be useful if you need natural sound to come through headphones).- They're not small, for carrying around. But I'd take sound over this comfort any day.These are the best I've heard in this price range, and I've tested a lot of companies thoroughly.

As a audiophile I have other headphones I prefer if I want to simply listen to music however as a pro AV tech, this Sony MDR-7506 is the ONLY headphones I want when doing any kind of pro use from checking a mic line in a live mixing situation to mixing audio for video, this is my choice headphone. The Sony sound is flat, not a lot of bass but is exactly whats needed when mixing as you want flat. The isolation is good when blocking outside sounds and I find the Sony will hold up to pro use, except the ear pads those are replaceable, I would suggest go ahead and order the extra ear pads as you will need them. I have been using my original set of Sony MDR-7506 at least 12 years of pro work and are simply fantastic! Never a short or any problems but I am on my 4th or 5th set of ear pads as in a pro situation I am very hard on these phones. You may find a better sounding headphone but when mixing or using in the field for anything pro AV, this is the headphones to buy!

Now that my whole family is working at home with me, I've had to mix in headphones more than I'd prefer. I've never had to be dependent on headphones for a mix the way I am now, and so was previously mixing on Sony 7506 headphones. As DJ headphones, the Sony's are great, but for mixing, it was frustrating to say the least! Getting these room some adjustment at first, reminding my brain what flat sound should sound like in headphones. Once I got used to them, I was able to trust them and use my instincts in my mixes in the same way as my near field monitors. Previous reviews praised how comfortable they are, and they ain't lying! I can wear these for hours and don't get all sweaty, or feel that pinch pain in the upper ear. I was also surprised in the low end response. At first, it seemed boomy, especially previously mixing on the Sony's. As my ears adjusted, I was really impressed with the low end clarity and how true they were. I mix a lot of boom bap style hip hop and electronic music with heavy low end, and these thing reproduce that sub sound nicely. Someone mentioned the mid range on these isn't quite as punchy. That's true, but you learn to adjust quickly, and without ear fatigue, you can get a feel for them quick. I was happily surprised to see extra cables and replacement pads! It might have said they come with those things in the description, but I didn't see it. So I was stoked when I saw that stuff in the package. While the price point is kind of up there, having used them for a while now, and realizing how they allow me to mix so efficiently, I feel it's worth it.

Cheap, VERY comfortable, and despite *strong* bass, it's not overpowering. I bought these to use while gaming and as a second reference while mixing music. The bass is strong and definitely forward, but not overpowering. It's pleasing to the ear. The mids and high mids seem well balanced, which is where it matter most in my opinion. Build quality is good. Nothing cheap about them. I really have to say a second time how comfortable they are. My old studio monitor headphones were unbearable after about forty minutes. These can be worn for hours at a time with no discomfort at all. The faux leather on the ear cups is also holding up nicely after owning these for about two years. No cracking or fraying. I've owned a handful of headphones over the years for mixing, listening, and gaming and these are my favorites in terms of comfort by a factor of ten.

These are an excellent pair of monitoring (I even do some light mixing with them) headphones. I got an open box set that made the price point even more attractive. While pretty comfortable, I do still find ear fatigue becomes a problem after an hour or two at the desk. (But that just encourages you to stand up and take a walk, anyway.)

I have been reading about these beauties for some time. I have a home studio with no shortage of high quality headphones for tracking but they are all closed-back style for noise isolation. Many pros insist that open-back headphones are best for mixing because of accuracy, a lack of bass buildup and reduced ear fatigue. Although the HD600s are advertised as "audiophile" phones, I have repeatedly seen them reviewed as being some of the most accurate units around for professional mixing as well. B&H had them on a special and I took the leap. When they arrived, like all new transducers, they were a little stiff and needed some breaking in. After running music�through�them for about two days, they really opened up. Now, I totally agree with the reviews I've seen. These babies are spot-on accurate. There is a slight bass boost which would be distracting if these were closed-back because the energy couldn't dissipate but with the open-back design it's present but not really noticeable. What really shines with these are everything above about 50 Hz which is ruler flat all the way up. I use SonarWorks Reference to fine tune the response and the "averaged" response compensation curve for the HD600s is within 3 dB through the mids and highs - the flattest curve for any phones modeled in the software. OK, now my ONLY gripe is that they have separate wiring to each earcup rather than the more conventional single sided cable input but that's a minor thing compared to the amazing sound. If you're serious about mixing and need accurate headphones, these are the ones.

My only problem is keeping them connected, but love these and my open ear headphones!

I have had these headphones for almost 10 years. In these 10 years, they have been THE BEST headphones I have used for mixing. I have used a bunch of headphones and studio monitors in that time, and nothing has beat them out, not even the infamous Sony 7506 (given, cheaper, but more prevalent headphones in studios) Things to note with these headphones; they are not super low end present. If you are getting these to listen to consumer music, you may not like them because they are not "boomy" or "full". These headphones are for users who are looking for definition and clarity for making a solid mix. The other note is a MINOR complaint; the part of the headset that rests on the top of your head/hair has worn out for me. The muffs also wore out, but I replaced them. If there is a way to replace the foam under the band, please let me know because I would love to have them looking brand new again. I broke the cable that came with the headphones by accidentally vacuuming it about 2 years in (stupid, I know), but the detachable cable saved me some money. Also nice if you want to swap out different size cables. I would highly recommend these to anyone looking to invest in headphones for studio mixing.

I use this model for monitoring and mixing in my studio. These headphones are the best I have ever used and goes right along in the same category as the SM57 microphones. Best sound and amazing price for the performance!