4 Best Budget Studio Headphones 2024 – Really Good Value

The Yamaha HPH-50 is marketed as affordable studio monitoring headphones. Despite being affordably priced, they feature great build quality, as expected from a major manufacturer like Yamaha.

Sound is produced via 38mm neodymium drivers that are tuned to the closed earcup design. A swivel mechanism and velour pads round out the headphone for comfort and fit.

Being from Yamaha, it is popular among those who play electric piano, pianos, and other classical instruments, because they sound lively and present.

It also works particularly well for monitoring electronic drums.

The sound signature is fairly neutral and vocals are audible and clear, making the HPH-50 a good general monitoring and tracking solution for home studios.

But note that you the bass frequencies are a bit lacking, which can be a problem when mixing.

Still, the Yamaha HPH-50 are one of the best cheap studio headphones for monitoring instruments like electric piano, electronic drums and synthesizers.

Specifications

• Type: Closed-Back
• Driver Type: Dynamic
• Driver Diameter: 38 mm
• Magnet Type: Neodymium
• Frequency Response: 20Hz-20kHz
• Maximum Input Power: 1000 mW
• Sensitivity: 103 dB
• Impedance: 35 Ohms
• Weight: 4.64 oz
• Cable: 6.5'

In terms of sound, it offers a balanced sound with pleasing warmth and bass, but treble accuracy is slightly under-emphasized. Some users find it comfortable for long sessions, but others may find the ear pads less forgiving.

The ATH-M20x's pros include its attractive price-to-performance ratio, relatively accurate frequency response, and suitability for bedroom music producers, podcasters, and home studio owners on a budget. However, some cons to consider are its quiet bass, somewhat cheap build quality, and unforgiving ear pads. Cable replacement can also be challenging.

In conclusion, while it's not the cleanest-sounding option, the ATH-M20x performs well considering its price. If you're on a budget, it's worth considering!

Specifications

• Type: Closed-Back
• Driver Type: Dynamic
• Driver Diameter: 40 mm
• Magnet Type: Neodymium
• Frequency Response: 15 - 20,000 Hz
• Maximum Input Power: 700 mW at 1 kHz
• Sensitivity: 96 dB
• Impedance: 47 Ohms
• Weight: 190 g (6.7 oz), without cable and connector
• Cable: 3.0 m (9.8'), straight, left-side exit

The ATH-M40x headphones offer solid studio-quality sound at an affordable price. They deliver clear, balanced sound and have a sturdy frame and manageable clamping force for comfortable extended wear. While some users might find the synthetic ear pads a bit warm during long periods of use, the oval shaped ear cups accommodate larger ears and can be rotated and swiveled freely. However, the passive noise isolation may not be sufficient for noisy environments like commutes.

On the positive side, the ATH-M40x headphones provide clear and balanced sound, making them suitable for critical listening, monitoring, and studio work. They also come with a detachable coiled cable for convenience and mobility, along with sturdy construction and foldable ear cups for portability. At less than $100 USD, they offer excellent value for their sound quality and build.

In summary, the ATH-M40x headphones are a worthy consideration for producers on a budget or anyone who prioritizes audio quality over gimmicks. They are a suitable alternative to higher-end studio headphones, such as the ATH-M50x.

Specifications

• Type: Closed-Back
• Driver Type: Dynamic
• Driver Diameter: 40 mm
• Magnet Type: Neodymium
• Frequency Response: 15 - 24,000 Hz
• Maximum Input Power: 1,600 mW at 1 kHz
• Sensitivity: 98 dB
• Impedance: 35 Ohms
• Weight: 8.5 oz
• Cable: Includes two interchangeable cables: detachable 1.2 m - 3.0 m (3.9' - 9.8') coiled cable and detachable 3.0 m (9.8') straight cable

Not to be confused with the DJ oriented MDR-V6, the MDR-7506 is essentially the studio headphone version with minor changes in aesthetic and wiring (individual ground on the 7506 vs common ground on the V6) giving a slight imaging and frequency response difference between both.

MDR stands for the Micro Dynamic Receiver tech they developed for the headphone series. Sony changed the magnets to Neodymium from Samarium Cobalt sometime along the model's nearly 30 year production run so far.

The MDR-7506 has a flat midrange and honest overall sound signature, and this makes it suited for both monitoring and mixing. This versatility is a rarity in cheap studio headphones. This is the reason why the MDR-7506 continues to be a market favorite workhorse set of studio headphones.

Note that it can be a bit too bright sounding for those who are used to more expensive studio headphones. Still, it offers good enough sound quality for monitoring, and is one of the best inexpensive headphones at doing this.

Being foldable, the MDR-7506 is easy to store and carry around, making it a good all-in-one studio headphones solution for musicians and studio technicians that are always on the move. Be warned that the pads need to be handled with a little more care, and they can also get hot if used for an extended period of time.

Looking for one set of studio headphones to use for nearly all music production tasks? The MDR-7506 is tough to beat at this budget level especially for versatility in the studio. If you want nothing less than the best headphones under 100, then this is for you.

Specifications

• Type: Closed
• Driver Type: Dynamic
• Driver Diameter: 40mm
• Magnet Type: Neodymium
• Frequency Response: 10 - 20,000 Hz
• Maximum Input Power: 1,000mW
• Sensitivity: 106 dB/W/m
• Impedance: 63 Ohms
• Weight: 9.52 oz.
• Cable: 9.8 ft. coiled cable Connection, 1/8" Gold plated stereo jack plug and 1/4" adapter (6.35 mm)

Tracking and Monitoring

The ear cups of closed-back reference headphones have the best isolation. It answers the issue of sound bleeding into the microphone while recording audio. They also prevent external noise from affecting the perceived monitor signal. This signal isolation is also important for electric guitar headphones.

Don't make the mistake of using open-back headphones when tracking. Open backs can leak too much sound back into the microphone. There have been cases of open-back design headphones actually producing feedback because of this.

Mixing and Mastering

Sound quality often decreases as isolation of headphones increases, especially for budget headphones. Sound engineers consider Open Backs as the industry standard, to optimize sound quality and space over isolation when mixing. Closed-back headphones are not generally recommended for mixing and mastering because they tend to have sound build up, especially for lower frequencies.

You want the least amount of sound accumulation and a flat distribution of frequencies in order to have a clear and accurate mix for mixing and mastering. This is important if you want a well mastered song, or a good Remastered track. Note that good quality open back headphones are found at a much higher price point.

Flat Frequency Response

Studio headphones are often used for critical listening, such as monitoring a tracking session. The sound profile needs to be balanced, with a flat frequency response to set and compare sound levels for achieving an accurate sound. It's preferred to be as close to studio monitors as possible. Most headphones spec sheets list a 20 to 20,000 Hz frequency range, since this is the range perceptible to human hearing. Although, some headphones have an extended frequency range providing deeper responses.

Wider range frequencies make better tone, responses and handling in the lows, mids and highs. If you produce music or record instruments with a lot of bass, it's better to go for a Hi Fi pair with notable low frequency response. Premium studio headphones have wider frequency response, but some of the best affordable headphones mentioned here can come close.

Comfort and Durability

Studio recording sessions and audio work that includes mixing and mastering, takes up a lot of time. This involves wearing headphones for long hours that may cause too much pressure on your ears or your head. It's important to look for studio headphones with a comfortable fit. Factors such as ear pad comfort, headband comfort and weight need to be taken into consideration. Ear-pads with soft materials and which are well-ventilated are best for prolonged usage.

The headband should be tight enough to keep the ear cups at the right position over your ears. They shouldn't be so rigid that they won't clamp down properly on your ears. Self-adjusting headband types are something I usually won't recommend due to their inconsistent fit. Lighter headband-style headphones are usually more comfortable than heavier ones. The lower the weight of the headphones, the better you will feel over long hours of usage.

Prolonged use will separate the wheat from the chaff, good cheap headphones will feel more comfortable than bad ones. Thankfully, the best budget headphones mentioned in this guide all are well received for the comfort they provide. They won't be as comfortable as earphones, but they deliver audio better, which gives them the advantage in the Headphones vs Earphones discussion.

Headphone Specific Terminology

Tracking is the process of recording a new track in a multitrack recording, sometimes referred to as 'laying down a track'. You wear headphones to hear the backing tracks while recording a new one with microphones.
Monitoring is listening through monitor headphones when recording and to a lesser extent, mixing.
Sound stage refers to the positions and directions sound appears to come from while listening. Headphones with a large sound stage are good at representing these subtle effects.