Pro Headphones & IEMs

Since the original 2017 DcSoundOp Headphone Survey went out, we’ve been following headphones on the channel. Another survey went out in 2019 and there wasn’t a whole lot of change amongst pros. The Audio Technica ATH-M50x has been the reigning favorite pro headphones for some time now. The Sony 7506 and Sennheiser HD280 always near tied for second. We’ll run another survey here in 2021 to catch up with folks and get an update, but will anything be different?

Talk to enough audio pros about headphones however, and you start to see a pattern. There isn’t really one best headphone. Besides, most everyone seems to favor multiple pairs. The choice of which pairs are often specific to the tasks performed most often. From spot checking to full mixes, needing isolation vs hearing the space. Regardless of the use, we all make choices between raw performance & our ability to work a full day of editing with them on.

• 
  #101 – Beyerdynamic Amiron HANDMADE German Bluetooth Headphones08/09/2018
  In this video we’re taking a look at the handmade bluetooth Amiron headphones from Beyerdynamic. These are certainly outside the realm of Pro-Audio, but I just couldn’t resist taking aRead More
• 
  #103 – Ollo Audio HPS-S4 WOOD Headphones08/19/2018
  Handmade Headphones: Recently, Ollo Audio sent the HPS-S4 headphones all the way from Slovenia for us to take a look at. The S4 model is an open back design studio headphone.Read More
• 
  #110 – Beyerdynamic Aventho Tesla Bluetooth Headphone Review10/05/2018
  In recent videos, we’ve taken a look at a couple of other sets of luxury headphones from Beyerdynamic. While we don’t typically look at non-professional audio gear here on theRead More
• 
  #148 – Sennheiser IE 400 PRO In Ear Monitor Long Term Review08/30/2019
  How many drivers do you need? In this video we’re taking a look at the IE 400 PRO in ear monitors from Sennheiser. A single driver, light weight and affordableRead More
• 
  #80 – Audio Technica ATH-M50x First Look Review01/19/2018
    In this video, we’re looking at the top headphone pick amongst audio professionals in recent years. With 31.5% of the votes, the Audio Technica ATH-m50x has been the consistentRead More
• 
  #94 – Review: Beyerdynamic Aventho Wired Headphones06/08/2018
  In a market full of newcomers touting features and technologies you never knew you needed, the Aventho Wired are the headphone embodiment of clean, simple and serious 2018 German engineering.Read More
• 
  $3000 headphones – for your iPhone!?03/07/2017
  It’s fascinating to see Shure respond to what must be a demand in the market for Ultra-premium portable headphone systems. With portable headphone amplifiers available at a huge range ofRead More
• 
  ATH-M50 Rescue 🚨05/05/2021
  Rescue & modify with simple headphone repairs that will keep your cans out of the landfill and working for years to come.Read More
• 
  Gift Guide & Giveaway Winner Announcement!12/02/2019
  Pro Audio gifts for all of the production people on your holiday shopping list in 2019. Read More
• 
  New audio experience now streaming on Netflix07/07/2022
  Sennheiser AMBEO 2-Channel Spatial Audio adds exciting sound for viewers without the need for a surround system and gives full control to the re-recording mixerRead More
• 
  Sennheiser and Neumann are the ‘Professionals’ Choice’ for Top Voiceover Talent09/21/2022
  MKH 416 and Neumann U 87 are among favored microphones for trio of accomplished industry professionals, along with Neumann NDH 20 headphonesRead More
• 
  Solid EDC Headphones for under $50 = Sennheiser HD10001/06/2020
  If you’ve grown tired of tinny earbud headphones, constant recharging, wireless pairing, bluetooth enabling or wearing your heavy professional headphones out in public, then you might be ready for theRead More
• 
  Sound Bullet – The Ultimate Audio Tool?03/09/2020
  The Sonnect Sound Bullet Story Why do we need the Sound Bullet? Personally, I don’t like carrying cable testers. They are bulky and don’t really include tools I need veryRead More
• 
  Virtual Meetings without Breaking the Bank08/27/2020
  Level-up your virtual presence with these simple fundamentals that anyone can try without breaking the budget.Read More

Rebuild and repair an old set of Sony MDR-7506 Headphones back to near-new factory specs. With lots of headphone replacement parts readily available from Amazon & TrewAudio it’s a worthwhile and affordable facelift for your aging headphones. Many other headphones can also be repaired & repurposed with a little bit of effort.

The headphones we’ve seen on the channel so far have been an eclectic bunch. Thanks to Beyerdynamic, we were able to have a closer look at their luxury consumer sets. It would be great to cover their classic DT-100 series workhorses on the channel at some point in the future. Although, the rest of the DT lineup are extremely capable professional choices that always do well in the survey. With that in mind, you should look to the DT-990 and DT-770 if you’re after a bit of luxury in your pro headphones. However you fit in to the Beyer world, the listening experience is always stellar.