This is a fairly lengthy review/comparison, and for easier reading, I've divided it into a few sections you can jump straight to via the links in the list below. I also list some alternative headphones worth checking out at the very end.
- Introduction
- What's Included?
- Build and Physical Properties
- Comfort
- Sound
- Conclusion
- Alternatives to the K361/K371
Introduction
Alongside Sennheiser and Beyerdynamic, AKG is one of the classic three giants when it comes to studio-grade headphones. So when they release new cans, it's always interesting to see what they have to offer. As I watched a lot of reviews of AKG's new affordable closed-back headphones; namely the K361 and K371, it made me curious to try them both myself, since they appeared to be very polarising. About half the reviewers preferred the K361, while just as many favoured the K371. And that's the fun thing about audio I suppose; it's very much subjective and a matter of taste and what you listen to and use them for.
I bought a pair of both of these headphones off of Amazon with my own money to test and will share all my opinions and findings in this combined review/comparison, to hopefully make your decision easier. Enjoy!
Tuned by Harman
First off, some backstory. In 1994, AKG was acquired by the American company Harman International Industries. Harman was in turn acquired by Samsung in 2017, so technically these are Samsung headphones. The K371 box even has a label on it, stating that AKG is "A Samsung Company".
Going back to Harman, this is the company behind the Harman target curve, which is a specific frequency response curve that Harman has established for headphones specifically, through a lot of testing with ordinary human listeners. The goal of the Harman target is to achieve a sound signature most people subjectively tend to prefer in their headphones. It's supposed to closely represent the sound of quality speakers sound in an ideal room, at the same time.
Since Harman now owns AKG, it's to no surprise these (fairly) new headphones from AKG are designed and tuned very close to the Harman target. Especially the K371, while the K361 measures a bit flatter. Something I will cover in more detail further down, talking about sound quality. But let's go over what's included with each headphone first!
Studio Headphones?
These are marketed as professional, studio headphones. What you typically look for with studio gear is durability and neutrality. The latter is especially important when you do critical work, such as mixing and mastering music, as you want an untainted canvas before you colour it, so to speak.
Due to their tuning towards the Harman curve, these headphones don't even aim for neutrality, however, but more for pleasure listening. This makes the whole "studio headphones" marketing a bit misleading. If you mix audio on gear that is already tuned for "fun" listening, your mixes will come out a bit wonky. Flaws in the production could potentially also go unnoticed if the sound is already coloured by your headphones in the studio. So if you plan to use headphones with "fun" tuning like these AKG's, you're best off only using them as a consumer reference headphone, not for actual studio work.
If you need something more neutral for actual studio use, check out my list of recommendations of other closed-back studio headphones at the end of this review!
What's Included
At a first glance, you can already tell that these are very similar products since the boxes look nearly identical. The contents are also very similar, with the cables being their main differences.
 |
| The K361 and K371 come in nearly identical boxes. |
 |
| The AKG K361 comes with two straight cables and a carrying pouch. |
 |
| The AKG K371 comes with two straight and one coiled cable, as well as a carrying pouch. |
Build and Physical Properties
These headphones are weird, to put it bluntly. From afar, they look pretty much, if not completely, identical. However, when you inspect them closely you'll notice that just about everything about them is different. Every single part of these headphones seems to be made out of different materials. Even the parts that are plastic on both pairs, use different kinds of plastic. It's like one company made the K371 and another reverse-engineered it and made a cheaper knock-off in a different factory. And in some aspects, they managed to outshine the original. But oddly enough, both these headphones are made by the same company. Both headphones have a small print on the left yoke, saying "Harman International Industries Incorporated". Why they went their way to make two versions of every single part is just mind-boggling, and I can't see how that would be feasible for AKG/Harman as a company.
Different Cabling Systems
The K371 has a 3-pin mini-XLR connector and its cables have a small button you have to hold in to disconnect the cable. Many other AKG headphones share this connector, making it easy enough to find aftermarket cables for these headphones. The K371 comes bundled with three cables; one that is too short, one that is too long, and one that is, well, coiled.
The K361 has a 2.5 mm connector instead, that twist-locks into place at the headphone end. It might sound like they could then share cables with other headphones, like the Sennheiser HD500 series and Audio Technica ATH-M40x and M50x, since they also use 2.5 mm twist-lock cables? Well, sadly they cannot. AKG decided to cut their locking system a tiny bit different than everyone else does, so you can only use their intended K361 cables, which is just ridiculous! AKG also omitted the coiled cable with the K361, and instead only ships it with the two straight wires, where again, one is a tad too short and the other is way too long and tangly for most use cases.
 |
| Cable entries on K371 (left) and K361 (right) |
 |
| K371's mini-XLR and K361's 2.5 mm cable respectively. |
 |
| The K361's 2.5 mm twist-lock cable (left) is not interchangeable with Audio-Technica's (middle) and Sennheiser's (right) 2.5 mm cables. |
Different Yokes
Other prominent differences between the two headphones include metal yokes on the K371, which have a sparkly dark blue kind of look to them. The different shade yokes look a bit out of place since everything else about these headphones is black. The K361 has plain black plastic yokes, though, and while they might be more fragile than the metal ones, they at least don't stick out like a sore thumb, visually. The plastic yokes on the K361 are a bit coarse to the touch, though, as if the machine had done a rough job cutting them out. They could probably need a bit of sanding to feel smoother. The metal yokes on the K371, on the other hand, feel perfectly smooth right out of the box.
Wheezy Tech on YouTube had a lot of quality control issues with his early pairs of K371's, including loose yokes. I can tell on my pair that the size adjustment is indeed a bit looser on the K371 than on the K361. The left cup can even be shaken down on the K371. DMS had the exact same issue on his pair, with the size adjustment also being loose on the left side. That may not seem very assuring.
 |
| K371's sparkly metal yoke on the bottom, with the K361's plain plastic counterpart on top. |
Folding Hinges
All yokes aside, the differences don't end there. The two headphones have rotating hinges that allow the headphones to fold, which is quite nice for portability. The cups only rotate in one direction, though, and it takes a bit of getting used to which direction you can fold them. While the K371 has eight stops of rotation, the K361 has only two and can either be swivelled 90 degrees or completely folded in for portable storage. And they indeed get quite small when folded completely. Smaller than the M50x, for reference.
A minor annoyance with the folding is you have to disconnect the cable to fold them up completely. If you don't, the cable will bump into the headband.
The hinges have AKG's flower logo indicating the cans are in their professional studio series. The icon is embossed in shiny silver on the K371, while the K361 only has it slapped on with a bit of light-grey paint. On the K371 the hinges also have a metal ring surrounding them, whereas on the K361 it's just all plastic. These are minor differences, but it's small details like these that make the K371 again look a bit more premium.
 |
| The AKG's are slightly smaller than the M50x (here equipped with HM5 pads) when fully tucked in. The M50x's can still have the cable connected when folded, though. |
 |
| The cable blocks the headphones from folding completely unless removed. |
Headband
The headband has a crinkly, leatherette kind of texture on the K371, while the K361 offers smooth plastic instead. Both look decent enough, but the K371 arguably looks a bit more premium and doesn't get smudged as easily from touching it.
Both headbands have the same silicone padding on the inside that feels a bit like a water balloon when you squeeze it. It does give them quite a sleek, modern look though. The padding on my K361 feels a bit stiffer than what's on the K371, for some reason. Might just be a coincidence. Regardless, since the headphones are so light, the fairly thin padding is sufficient.
 |
| K361 headband on top, K371 at the bottom. |
 |
| Both models come equipped with the same silicone padding underneath the headband. |
Earcups, Drivers and Pads
The plastic cups are a bit different. The K371 once again has a nicer, more "rubbery" type of plastic, compared to hard plastic used on the K361 which makes it both look, and feel, cheaper, but potentially also more durable and less prone to scratch. It's the kind of cheap "plasticky" plastic you'd find on a $5 keyboard, though, if that makes any sense.
The K361 cups are also real fingerprint magnets and collect a lot of smudges. I've used and touched both headphones to an equal extent, and you can easily tell them apart just from how grimy the K361 looks.
Another little quirk with the K361 is that the thin lip running around the earpads is shiny, while it's matte on the K371. This is likely due to the different plastics used. It's a bit odd, though, since the K361 is otherwise all about matte, subdued looks, while the K371 is generally the fancier and shinier variant.
 |
| K371 on top has a bit nicer materials and a few metal accents, while the K361 on the bottom has a more plain and subdued look. |
Earcup "AKG" Logo
Right in the middle of each earcup is a round bracket with the AKG logo. The K371 has the logo embossed in silver, while it's just painted in light grey on the K361. Even the bracket material itself is different, where the K361 seems to collect fingerprints more easily.
Drivers - Same, but Different
The two models use the same driver. Removing the earpads reveal they have been assembled a bit differently, however. The K361 has a thin fabric covering the driver, while the K371 does not. This probably affects the sonic response in some ways, since the two headphones do sound very different from one another.
Same Earpads
One of the few commonalities between the two headphones is the earpads. Those are identical on both models, and they're made of protein leather with very soft foam inside. It's nothing fancy like memory foam or anything, but they feel rather comfortable to wear.
 |
| K361 driver on the left, K371 on the right side. |
 |
| Pleather earpads. The lip on the back slips into the earcup, fastening them. |
Durability
There have been some complaints regarding the quality control regarding these headphones. YouTuber Wheezy Tech was an early adopter of the K371 and went through no less than four pairs, all with different manufacturing defects until he eventually managed to get himself a good unit. And that final fifth pair of K371 was hand-picked by AKG, mind you.
I can luckily say neither the K371 nor the K361 I got to test show any of these visual flaws, however, so hopefully, they've had the time to sort out most of their QC issues with the K371 specifically, at this point.
These are very light-weight headphones, and that has their benefits and weaknesses. While they feel light on your head wearing them, they also seem quite delicate. They clearly weren't designed to be thrown around and abused, and might not survive getting dropped a lot or mistakenly sat on. For professional applications especially, they might not be very convincing in terms of their durability, or repairability either, for that matter. The softer, more rubbery type of plastic used on the K371 also appears like it could be scuffed and scratched quite easily.
There is also an exposed wire running through the hinge, which is a bit concerning. Especially when you compress the headband. When you do, the cable gets tucked in (or pokes right out) as well. This might put some unwanted stress on the cable that could have a negative effect on it in the long run. Time will tell whether it will hold up. Having the cable running inside the headband completely would have been preferable - like it does on the M50's and many others.
 |
| Exposed wire running through the headband hinge, here getting tucked out slightly as it compresses. |
Comfort
Clamping Force
A lot of reviewers complain about the clamping force is too strong, especially on the K371. DMS also said he would've liked deeper pads, as his ears would sometimes get too close to the drives and touch them. Everyone is different, though, and I had no issues at all with the clamp being strong. Had it been looser, they probably wouldn't feel very secure on my head. And that is coming from a guy with an XXL hat-sized nugget. Therefore I don't see why anyone, especially those with smaller heads, would feel the clamp the slightest uncomfortable. These are some featherweight headphones and quite flimsy, to be honest. And in my opinion, they might have benefitted from a tighter clamp, because when you push the cups closer to the ears, the sound gets a lot fuller. More on that later, as I discuss the sound quality.
Ear Room
Apart from having a fairly large head, I have equally large ears to go along with it (about 7 cm tall to be precise). What I tend to have most issues with, regarding over-ear headphones is the risk of the cups not reaching around the ear as intended, thus squishing parts of the ears wearing them. I found these AKGs to be acceptable in this regard. They are about as small as I would go, though. The pads kind of hug the ears, but they manage to go around them well enough so they don't get squished.
When attached to the K361/K371, the earpads have ear holes that measure around 6.5 cm tall, 4 cm wide and 2 cm deep. The pads are very soft, though, so even though my ears are a tad larger than the holes, I didn't feel any discomfort squeezing them into these pads.
 |
| AKG K371 and K361 are more comfortable than they appear. Especially when worn separately. |
Heat
Something worth considering, especially in the summertime or warmer climate in general, is heat buildup. Closed-back headphones rarely stay cool as long as open-backs, but I found these AKG's to get hot remarkably quickly. This is likely because they seal quite well and my ears fill up these headphones almost completely which doesn't leave you with much breathing space. But depending on your ear size and other factors, your mileage may vary. It's something worth keeping in mind, though.
Pulling Hair
A minor issue I had with these headphones was my hair would sometimes get pulled when taking them off. This is caused by the hinge mechanism in which the hair would sometimes get kinked.
Sound
Describing the two cans in general terms, the K371 sounds lively and dynamic and has a very nice, smooth timbre to it. The K361 is more restrained and flat sounding and sounds just a bit grainy in comparison to its bigger brother.
To me, the frequency response of the K371 appears boosted and hyped in some places and very scooped in others. While it can be quite engaging and fun to listen to with some material, its tuning makes some content sound a bit off.
Before we get into the sound in more detail, Oluv's Gadgets on YouTube made a nice sound comparison so you can have a listen to both headphones and get an idea of how they differ from one another.
Do They Need A Headphone Amp?
These are 32-ohm headphones with 114 dB sensitivity. In plain English, they're easy to drive with just about anything. I mostly tested them on the PC with an iFi Zen DAC and had it on the low-gain setting throughout all of my listening sessions.
I also did a quick test using them with my phone, paired with an Apple USB-C to 3.5 mm dongle. Both headphones sounded fine on the phone and I achieved a comfortable listening level at around 70 % volume in a quiet room. If you plan to take these out in louder environments like on the bus or plane, or just want a little more headroom in terms of volume, I would probably suggest a portable headphone amp, like the iFi Hip-DAC, to get a little more power out of them.
 |
| iFi Zen DAC v2 Desktop Amp Check Prices: US | CA | UK | DE | SE |
 |
| iFi Hip-DAC Portable Amp Check Prices: US | CA | UK | DE | SE |
Midrange
Midrange Scoop Disqualifies the K371 for Studio Work
As I mostly listen to rock music, the midrange is essential, since it's essentially where the guitar tone lies in the mix. Hence, if you listen to any type of music that relies on the midrange frequencies, such as any vocal or instrument-based music, the K371 is a hard headphone to recommend. The midrange scoop is to a point where I wonder if these K371 are defective in some way. It's bad enough as a laid-back music consumption headphone, but this is marketed as a professional studio headphone. I get distracted by the coloured sound just as I listen to music with the K371. Needless to say, I wouldn't even go near them if I were to produce and mix audio.
The K361, on the other hand, sounds decent in the midrange, and in a professional setting, I could see it used as a reference headphone at least. Something you could check you mixes with afterwards to get an idea of what it sounds like on consumer gear.
Both headphones have a scoop around 4 kHz (see measurement graphs further down), which is in the presence region. Scooping here makes them both sound slightly more distant or "open," and also less intimate. For monitoring or other types of critical listening, this might be an issue. For casual listening, I don't mind it too much. When I just want to sit back and enjoy music, I often perform a scoop with the EQ around 4-6 kHz anyway, for a more spacious, less ear-piercing presentation in general. It's a matter of preference, though.
Bass
One thing the K371 has to offer over the K361 is strong sub-bass performance, going all the way down to 2 Hz (yes, two Hertz). As the low bass performance is one of the main attractors of the K371, many probably wonder whether it's worth spending a few bucks extra for it, over the K361.
For starters, does the extended bass range make a difference in music? Not really. The lowest frequency most humans can hear is around 30 Hz, and a bass guitar's fundamental frequencies lie somewhere between 60 Hz and 1 kHz, with additional overtones extending as high as 5 kHz. Around 60 Hz is where the kick drum gets its nice punch, or "thud." And ironically, instead of boosting this frequency, it's instead slightly recessed on the K371. What you instead hear with those elevated sub-bass frequencies going between 10 and 50 Hz, is occasionally a loose flutter; a "flapping" subwoofer type of sound.
Also worth keeping in mind is that the K361 is really no slouch either in the lower frequencies. Both models have deep bass. The only difference is that the K371's is hyped, while the K361's is closer to neutral. Even on the K361, you'd have to go lower than 30 Hz before the bass response starts to roll off, ever so slightly. And again, that is about as low as most people can hear in the first place. If you're amongst the few who can actually hear lower, towards 20 Hz, those extra frequencies won't hold much musical value, even if Type O Negative should be your favourite band.
Contrary to what I expected going into this comparison, I actually found the bass on the K361 to sound more appealing. It just sounds a bit cleaner and punchier, at least with music. Where the K371's boosted sub-bass could potentially have an advantage, though, would be with movies or perhaps gaming, with lots of explosions and rumble going on. But for music listening, that hyped sub-bass doesn't add any bass impact at all, it only gives it a loose flutter that kills the bass impact if anything.
Neither of the headphones has a boomy bass, I would say. I would have actually preferred a warmer, thicker sound overall since it's apparently their strong suit.
Treble
The K361 has more energy in the treble, but I wouldn't necessarily say it's brighter in general. On some tracks, it does sound that way, but often it's the lack of low midrange that brings out the treble on the K371. This actually makes them sound more shimmery than the K361, at least to my ears.
Both headphones have rather spiky treble responses, but to be fair, most headphones do. Neither of the two models is particularly painful or fatiguing to listen to, though. I test listened to a track that had especially sibilant percussion on it (Prince of Lilies - "The Year I Broke"), comparing the two AKG's with my old Audio Technica ATH-M50x with Brainwavz HM5 pads. The track was plainly unlistenable on the M50x, especially when I pushed the cans closer to my ears (to simulate what its thinner stock pads would have sounded like). It sounded a lot less piercing on the K361, and slightly leaner still on the K371. It was of course even more pleasant to listen to on the Sennheiser HD600, which is known for having a lean (or "veiled," some might say) treble response.
Positioning and Pad Swapping
Oluv's Gadgets on YouTube also compared the two headphones. He mentioned how critical the positioning of the headphones is, as it drastically changes the sound, especially with the K371. He had to lean the headphones back a bit to get the best sound out of those. I tried the same thing on my pair of K371, and what do you know - having them leaned about 45 degrees back finally gave me that thick, warm sound reviewers describe with their K371's. I also noticed I got the same result just by pushing the headphones closer to the ears. This is very common with headphones. Distance and driver angle both make huge differences to the sound. And to me, it would appear that the drivers should have been positioned closer to the ears, ergo have shallower earpads, to sound optimal. So as the earpads get worn down and get more compressed over time, it could potentially make the headphones sound better.
The K361 also gets a slightly deeper and heavier sound when you press them closer to your head, but the changes in sound aren't nearly as drastic as was the case with the K371. It mostly gets louder. The K361 are also better balanced, to begin with, and they don't sound as hollow in the low mids as the K371 does. While the K371 kind of needs that extra boost of warmth, you can get by with the K361 as they are.
In any case, if you find these headphones a bit thin and hollow sounding, try thinner pads. Or at least have a try pushing the cups closer to your ears and see if you like how that changes the sound. Be cautious, though, and only try this at low or moderate volume. Things will get significantly louder when you push the drivers closer to your ears.
I considered using Brainwavz HM5 pads on these had I found the stock pads too small for comfort. However, as those pads are even deeper than the stock ones, they would likely just make the K361/K371 sound even tinnier, so I wouldn't necessarily recommend them for these headphones.
Soundstage
The K371 takes the cake as far as soundstage goes. The recessed midrange makes it sound airier in general and the highs get more separated and spacious. The question is, however, if the hyped sound signature makes up for it. For some content, it might.
The K361 also has a pretty good soundstage for a closed-back. It certainly sounds more wide and separated than the ATH-M50x, for instance.
Measurements
The below measurements are courtesy of venerable headphone tester and enthusiast Oratory1990.
 |
| K361 frequency response graph |
 |
| K371 frequency response graph |
The graphs indicate that the K371 follows the Harman target curve a bit closer than the K361 does. The Harman target itself has a significant midrange scoop, however, and when the K361 deviates from this by retaining a bit more low and high midrange, it sounds a bit more neutral in the process, so I wouldn't necessarily say it's a bad thing.
In my listening experience from both headphones, the perceived difference between the two was a lot more significant than these measurements show, however. And in the case of the K371, I think this has a lot to do with their positioning and whether they are properly sealed.
Conclusion
Best Value: Draw
The two headphones sit very close price-wise, where the K361 usually goes for about €90, and the K371 is usually around €120. The small price increase might suggest better sound quality from the K371, but I can't say that is the case. They sound different but suit different needs and tastes.
If you take sound quality out of the equation, I would probably pick the K371 just for its better, more premium-feeling materials and better cable system alone. But at the two headphones' respective price points, they seem fairly priced, relative to the build quality of each headphone. The K371 seemed to have a lot more early issues in terms of quality control, but hopefully, these are no longer prevalent.
Test Winner Overall: AKG K361
The K371 might be more engaging to listen to at times, and it has a smoother sounding treble and more soundstage. I would still opt for the cheaper K361, though, simply for the low mids on the K371 being way too recessed. It alters the sound way too much to sound natural, especially with any guitar-driven music, as it leaves out essential frequencies, making rock music sound like "vocals and drums" for the most part. The K371 could potentially suit other genres better and perhaps also work fine with movies since it has a lively, dynamic sound and a pretty decent soundstage for a closed-back.
The K361 feels more true to the source, though, and would be my only recommendation of the two if you plan on using them for music/sound production in a somewhat professional capacity.
Like Z Reviews stated; while a select few songs sound good on the K371, all songs sound good on the K361. I just wished the K361 had a hair better clarity in the top end, more cable options, and felt less cheaply made. There are no perfect headphones, but at its modest price, the K361 is a nice option for sure. Anyone interested in the K371 I would recommend auditioning them before buying. Or do as I did and order through Amazon, and simply return them if you're not satisfied.
Get the AKG K361 and K371 through the links below:
AKG K361 & K371
Find them on Amazon and eBay
(As an Amazon and eBay Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases.)
Alternatives to the AKG K371/K361
If you aren't convinced either of the K361 or K371 is something for you, let's check out some other closed-back headphones that are arguably better suited for studio use. Although, if your main use is mixing and audio production work, I would probably look at a proper set of desktop studio monitors first, but that's a discussion for another time.
AKG K553 MK II
The AKG K550 and K553 are the models the K361 and K371 are meant to replace. They are very different animals, though. The K550/K553 is large and bulky and is built like a tank, and has a much flatter frequency response. The original K550 and K553 come equipped with long cables that are attached. The MK II version of the K553 remedies this, however, and offers AKG's more commonly used 3-pin XLR cable (same as the K371), that can be easily removed and replaced.
While it's less ideal for travelling and portable use in general, you'll probably find the K550/K553's more accurate and reliable for studio use than the K371/K361 are. If you can still find a pair, be sure to give them a listen!
AKG K553 MK II
Get it on Amazon
(As an Amazon and eBay Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases.)
Beyerdynamic DT-770 Pro
The DT-770 is a studio classic sitting right at the same price point as the K371. Like the just mentioned K553, it's big and bulky, though, and has a long, non-removable cable, which makes it suitable for home and studio use and not much else. In terms of tuning, it's not completely neutral but is a bit closer to neutral than the K371, especially. The DT-770 has a couple of mud cuts in the bass/lower midrange, which result in a tight and punchy bass response. It also has a deep scoop at 4 kHz to provide a bit of air in its soundstage. While marketed as a professional studio can, the DT-770 is "fun" enough to double as an enjoyable listening headphone.
The DT-770 comes in three flavours, or levels of impedance, namely 32, 80 and 250 ohms. Many seem to prefer the 80-ohm variant, both in terms of its sound signature, as well as the "jack of all trades" quality of the 80-ohm impedance, making them sound good and loud enough with most devices. Compared to the 250-ohm version, the 80-ohm'er has a bit tighter, more articulate bass, making them more enjoyable to listen to.
Beyerdynamic DT-770 Pro
Get it on Amazon
(As an Amazon and eBay Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases.)
Audio-Technica ATH-M50x & M40x
You'll likely find the M50x and M40x at prices very similar to the K371 and K361, respectively. Similarly to the AKG's, the Audio-Technica's also have removable cables, and fold up easily as well, making them very portable. They have better build quality than the AKG's though and seem a lot more durable. Both the AKG's and the M50x's have wireless Bluetooth options as well.
The M50x was extremely popular some years ago but has since caught a lot of flack from the audiophile community, for its narrow soundstage and harsh, unapologetic sound signature. That's the thing, though. These are designed as studio cans, to easily find nasty peaks in the mixing.
I personally use these with the large Brainwavz HM5 pads, making them extremely comfy, well-sealed, and cool for long sessions. I rarely use them for regular music listening, though, but mostly for guitar playing. And for that, their revealing and unforgiving sound make them an excellent choice.
Audio-Technica ATH-M50x
Get it on Amazon
(As an Amazon and eBay Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases.)
The M40x has a more laid-back sound signature, and a lot of people (audiophiles) seem to prefer it over its bigger brother for casual music listening.
Audio-Technica ATH-M40x
Get it on Amazon
(As an Amazon and eBay Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases.)
Sennheiser HD 280 Pro & HD 300 Pro
Sennheiser's HD 280 Pro is another studio classic, and its higher HD 300 brother is even more accurate and flat. Depending on your usage, both are good options. For casual, fun listening, the HD 280 might be preferable, since it has slightly boosted bass.
Both cans come with attached cables, but they can be folded similarly to the M40x and M50x, for a higher level of portability when they're not sitting on your nugget. Stylistically, they have a very no-frills utilitarian look. After all, they're designed to be audio production work tools, and fashion-minded people probably wouldn't wear them in public.
Sennheiser HD 280 Pro
Get it on Amazon
(As an Amazon and eBay Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases.)
Sennheiser HD 300 Pro
Get it on Amazon
(As an Amazon and eBay Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases.)
Sony MDR-7506
The MDR-7506 offers a lot more than its generic model name may suggest. It is Sony's "go-to" offering in the professional headphone market and has become a bit of an industry-standard, alongside other headphones mentioned in this list. Sony makes it clear what the cans are intended for, since they even have "Studio Monitors" clearly printed along the headband.
Sonically, they measure fairly neutral and are extremely revealing, making them a great choice for monitoring. For studio use, these are easy to recommend at around $100.
Like any good professional headphone, the MDR-7506's are built to last and are constructed to be repaired easily in case of any mishaps, with a lot of spare parts available.
They come with a long coiled cable attached, though, which can be a bit limiting for portable use for instance. Since they are very easy to drive, you could use them with portable devices without any extra amplification. As long as you don't mind that long, bulky cord weighing down your phone, that is.
Sony MDR-7506
Get it on Amazon
(As an Amazon and eBay Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases.)
Post a Comment