I waited ONE FULL YEAR before offering my review!
I own and operate a recording studio, and at any given time I have around 10 or more working headphones, and I also have a big bin of broken headphones, amounting to probably 30 or more phones that bit the dust (in most cases not due to a blown driver, but due to a plastic part that snapped). As far as monoprice over the ear and one the ear stdio phones go, I have tried them ALL (dynamic phones, not Planars!).
When I first purchased these phones, I knew that Monoprice had got it right, and I was so thrilled I nearly reviewed them immediately. But, I've made that overly enthusiastic mistake before, only to have the phones bite the dust soon after. so I waited one year - this month, tho write this review.
SUMMARY:
If you are looking SPECIFICALLY for an over-the-ear headphone that is closed backed and doesn't "leak" sound for Recording Studio Tracking Use -
THIS IS THE ONE -
As far as Monoprice phones go - there is NO COMPARISON - period.
AND.... You will need to spend considerably more anywhere else to find it's equal.
This Monoprice model 600070 *PHYSICAL* design is a exact replica of this headphone:
The AKG K271 Studio.
But that is where it ends. Sound-wise, this one is superior to the AKG. I happen to own that headphone. It cost me $225 new. The AKG has brilliant, extended highs, and a super clear midrange, but a seriously anemic bass response. THIS Monoprice phone corrects that frequency response imbalance - and gets it just right - meaning FLAT - and not overly bassy. Perfect for accurately monitoring what you are tracking. This Monoprice version CORRECTS the imperfections of the AKG 271 Studio, while retaining the robust physical design.
These phones are simply SUPERIOR to both the AKG 271 Studio *and* to ALL other dynamic head[phones that monoprice offers. Both in the past and currently (as of August 2024) I can EASILY make that statement, as I have purchased them ALL.
For the past year, I have used these phones primarily for drum tracking. So they are usually pushed fairly loud (to overcome the loud acoustic drums), and in the past year, they have NEVER faltered at all - not in the driver, the ear cup, the cable, or in the body of the phones - or on ANY amp that I've used (and I think I've got about 5 or 6 headphone amps in the studio - all pro. The impedance is just right. They get loud, but resist distortion, and they take EQ well which believe it or not, is fairly uncommon in my experience. (the amp I typically use for drum tracking is a dedicated headphone amp. that included Bass and Treble controls for each individual HP channel, which I USED to make use of, but although these phones have no trouble dealing with heavy High/'Low EQ boosts, they just don't need any EQ in my opinion. I simply run them FLAT!
It's not rocket science, actually. And it's also not a matter of subjective taste. Not really. Not when it comes to a balanced frequency response. Most are not flat. These, to my ear, ARE. To me, they sound unhyped, yet broad in their response. Not too bassy, not tooo honcky, not too. Mid-forward, not too edgy and fatiguing, not too sibilant (pick your favorite tonal descriptor!). _Just BALANCED_.
ALSO, another major bonus: I have found that in many cases, purchasing 3rd-party memory foam ear pads from Brainworx or Wicked Cushions OFTEN times can correct for minor imbalances and make the phones more comfortable as well (especially if the orignal pads result in slightly shy bass response - in which case, the thicker 3rd party pads usually create a larger sonic cavity, which usually increases the bass response). But in THIS CASE, I found that the stock pads sound perfect! Comfortable too! Perfect for monitoring, I mean. They may not please your average listener, who is happier with a "smile" curve, typically). But for Studio Tracking phones, they compare favorably to other studio STANDARD phones that range in price between about $150 - $200 range, or even more than $200.
Any way you slice it, for $50 there is nothing at all that will compete. Believe me. I've spent thousands of dollars on many brands and models of professional over-the-ear (sealed) headphones over the years (more than 35 years of Professional Studio use). Now, I'm not saying that these are BEST out there. But I AM saying that these represent the best $50 you or I will likely ever spend on phones, period, and again, that these phones compete favorably with phones that cost 3, to 4, to 5 times as much.
Excellent job Monoprice - you NAILED it!
