3 Best Headphones for Music Production

Michael Taggart
Tip Top
Published in
4 min readSep 15, 2020

If you’re someone even remotely interested in music production, you’re likely aware of the fact that your production skills are vastly limited by the equipment you’re using. In this sense, music production can be likened to the process of creating a painting — if you have blurry vision, you won’t be able to see all of the details. Getting better glasses and sharpening your image can help you improve your intuition and gain better expertise in the long run.

In the same way, using headphones that are truly geared for music production can often mean the difference between night and day, allowing producers to change the way they approach the art form. However, the market is often so vast that one can easily feel overwhelmed with choice. This is why I’m here to help, providing you with a list of the 3 Best Headphones for Music Production so the next time you are in the market for new headphones, you know just where to begin.

Sony MDR7506 Professional Large Diaphragm Headphones

Out of all of the options currently available in the market, perhaps none are as efficient as the Sony MDR7506 headphones. When I first used these headphones, it felt like putting on 20/20 glasses for the first time. I heard every nuance clearly, making me want to hear pieces of music I’ve already grown tired of over and over again just to hear nuances I hadn’t noticed before. Being able to hear incredible amounts of detail also made my production skills better than ever, encouraging me to work with nuance to truly polish the recordings I made.

The best part about these headphones is that they’re also quite accessible, being a great option for anyone who is remotely interested in music production. Not only are they the best headphones for music production available on the market, but they’re also the most affordable ones! The Sony MDR7506s are also easily adjustable, allowing them to fit comfortably on anyone’s head with ease. They also are great for those who want headphones that are just as great for producing music as they are for listening to it, giving you an ideal amount of overall flexibility.

Sennheiser HD 598 SR Open-Back Headphones

If you’re somebody who is looking for headphones to only use for producing music in a studio, then you should look into the Sennheiser HD 598 SR Open-Back Headphones. For those who are unaware, open-back headphones are a specific type of product that allows you to hear the music more clearly. The reason why they’re not used everywhere, though, is because they also let outside noises into the listening space by removing the cover for the headphones themselves (hence the name). As a result, these open-back headphones are ideal for those producing audio in a quite space (i.e. a studio), but are not good for anyone who wants to work on production while in public areas. If you are someone like me who likes to test out new mixes in public areas, you won’t be able to do that with these headphones. That being said, they are still some of the best headphones available, so I’ve included them high on my list.

Shure SRH440 Professional Studio Headphones

Those looking for headphones that are perfect for music production and recording will love these headphones. They provide you with a EQ balance, allowing you to hear the high ends just as clearly as the low ends. Something I love about these headphones is that the overall sound is remarkably crisp and is perfect for types of music that have wide audio ranges (i.e. classical music or folk). That being said, they are not at the top of my list simply because they are pricey when compared with some of the other products out there. However, if you’re willing to invest the money to get these headphones, you won’t have to replace them anytime soon due to their incredibly durable design! In my time using them, I have not noticed any type of scratches or blemishes on the overall product.

--

--