These open-back headphones over delivered based on my expectations. The build is average, but overall their tuning and soundstage / imaging performance was far better than I expect in this price category (and in fact at 2 and 3 times the price). If you are looking for affordable open-back headphones for critical listening these are worth checking out. Let me know what you think of their sound in the comments below after listening... These headphones are currently on sale for $74.39 usd (20% off) on amazon prime day (July 11-12). amzn.to/3O68zIW (global link) Cheers, Todd
I've lost count how many videos I've watched over the last few days, as I'm searching for a good pair of headphones. It's so subjective in many ways, but seeing the wavelengths, hearing it! You just got another sub. I'm an old fusion guitarist looking to set up a home studio. You appear to be 'the man.' 👍
Thanks, I'm glad you found my review helpful! Audio is very subjective, and knowing that it isn't always easy to try things out in person, I try to provide as much information as I can (whether headphones or other gear) in the video format. Happy to hear you're setting up a home studio, it's so good to have a place you can go to that's setup to create and enjoy music. Cheers!
Just got these. 10/10 for the price. Have to mention that some people may have a bad experience on PCs or other devices that have soundcard software adjustments. The *Bass boost* and *Equalizer* options would be the first thing I would look for. After that I have all of the bass I could ask for.
Wow proper reviews, i couldn't hold back the temptation only £10 more expensive than Aliexpress on amazon but ill have these by tomorrow afternoon. Cant wait
@@ProjectPewgf How has your experience been with them since your last comment? I've been looking at the monitor 80 as an upgrade over both the OneOdio Pro-10s, and the Simgot EW200. I prefer the tuning of the EW200, but iems are just a pain in the ass to take proper care of. And of course the lack of soundstage. And if you don't mind telling, what amp are you using them with?
@@benjamenYTDeadTheGamer Soundstage sounds massive/wide with Fiio K3 so i might be getting Fiio K7 fully desktop powered or the Fiio K11 OG or Fiio k11 R2R (if the new R2R is better and sufficient to power 250ohms as its slightly lower power on the K11 R2R apose to K11 OG -- The R2R comes with R2R chip and NOS (no over sampling/bit perfect playback / OS (Adds over sampling) but they removed sound filters which was in the OG K11) - anyway I think Fiio might have better soundstage but currently i'm using Thx onyx which is rated to power upto 250ohms and is the cleanest dac i've ever heard, very very clean and powerful and soundstage feels holographic apose to wide but that might just be because K3 isn't accurate as THX sound also Fiio K3 is rated to drive only upto 150ohms which might have been why i didn't like them at start and invested in THX Onyx dac for proper drive as the headphones are 250ohms I think now i'm hearing these headphones how it was meant to be heard HUGE HUGE upgrade to sound quality compared to Oneodio's closed backs. I really got lucky with Thx Onyx dongle for £55.00 from Ebay as the original RRP is like £200.00 (using Thx Onyx mainly in 24-bit/176.4 khz but sometimes 32bit/48khz which is the default for extra clarity but this reduces the bass/sub bass impact slightly) also ignore what i said about lack of sub bass. Monitor 80 for around £70 is the best headphone i've ever owned clarity/detail/neutral/natural sound wise just scared to go into the upgrade path as i feel ill be disapointed by other headphones like Beyer/Senny etc as Oneodio is trying to rival Senny/Beyer themselves)
Hey Todd, as I've said before, your headphone reviews are the best! I'm interested in this model, as I need a low-cost pair of open-backed 'phones for mixing & mastering in my home studio. Regarding this particular model, I'm really surprised at the number of 1-star reviews (10%!), on Amazon-UK, with some opining that this model is unsuitable for mixing, and some using phrases such as "seems pretty compressed and then bass boosted", "compressed, echoey and bass-boosted", "aggressive, the treble is shrill", "bass is too imprecise/vague", "earpads are super microphonic, so all I hear is my hair scratching against the ear pads", "so compressed and sound like I am listening to my music through a tin can on a string", "bass is too deep, they resonate and give a slight sense of a box". These comments are so different from your own assessment, so I'm wondering if the quality is inconsistent between batches. I'd still take a chance on them, based on your appraisal, but I'm not sure if my audion interface (Behringer UMC202HD) would be able to power the 250 ohms, without going into distortion territory. What do you think?
As always, much appreciated. I cannot speak to consistent quality as I have only tested one set, but I find that once a few critical reviews are posted, there tends to be a "piling On" effect...happens a lot with audio gear. This is not to say a large number of reviews either negative or positive are invalid, but rather it is nearly impossible to understand the frame of reference behind all opinions. Are the Monitor 80s identical to HD650s in terms of build, durability, etc...no, but they performed very well in my audio tests, and superior in terms of accurate reproduction compared to many other options (even at higher prices). Your audio interface actually produces low distortion into higher impedance headphones, but its output power into 250ohms will limit your listening level. It still may be worth trying as long as you don't normally listen at very high levels and in the future, a headphone amplifier or monitor controller could be options to address output limitations.
Thanks, their sound profile was not what i expected for the price and after listening to a few of OneOdio’s closed back models. Is the build quality average, sure, but for the price I can’t really complain. These are a legit value…
It is a good product. They'd just need to tune the lower mids a little, and this would be a sensational value for the asking price. I am definitely surprised!
I agree…these really took me by surprise. Perhaps it is an expectation that open-back headphones need to be more expensive? In any case, these are a real competitor in the affordable open-back space imo…
@@askdrtk Pls consider including 2 or 3 words regarding wearability with glasses. I move the eyeglass temples usually above the cushions, because in particular with closed back headphones leakage does influence bass and treble. Another thing, if the ear pads are removable on each model.
@@krollpeter I own these and wear glasses. They are comfortable enough, the pads do conform around my glasses arms quite nicely. The pads are removable, but not sure on replacement availability.
@@h-dawg6462 Thanks for the info! If the pads are replaceable, I am pretty sure there is somewhere on Aliexpress something usable, even if it is not advertised as made for this model.
These will work very well for hifi music and will be suitable for meetings as long as you listening level is not too high. They are open-back, so at loud levels your microphone may pick up sound leaked from them. The closed-back Monitor 60 are also very good for music and sound leakage will not be an issue for meetings. I hope this helps out!
I needed to adjust the height of the Pro-10s by 2 notches to fit my head, whereas with the Monitor 80 I didn't need to at all. The room the pads have on the Monitor are also much wider, and a little deeper, my ears don't fully fit in the Pro-10 pads, whereas they do fit in the Monitor 80 pads. The size of the Monitor 80 pads are about 4 inches/10cm across. The Pro-10 are about the same, perhaps slightly smaller. The amount of empty space In the Monitor 80 pads is about 2.5 inches/6.3cm across. The Pro-10 pads being about 1.4 inches/ 3.5cm across. I'd say overall the Monitor 80 is a little bigger than the Pro-10. If you haven't already bought them and still want to, and don't have an amp already, I do recommend you either get them from somewhere you can return them to, or buy a decent Amp. If my pair are working as intended, they sound pretty bad off of a android/ios smartphone and PC motherboard, they're quite muffled, and to my ears, a little... unfocused if that makes sense? Soundstage may also be worse than the Pro-10? The Pro-10 makes audio sound like it's more around my head, whereas the Monitor sounds like audio is being mostly shot down long tube into my left and right ears, with what feels like nothing going on in the back of my head. Of course the poor soundstage and relatively poor audio quality could very well be due to the fact I don't have an amp to use with them, or I could just have a defective pair, but I do caution you to be careful and make sure you won't be wasting your money on a pair of cans you very well could wind up hating, with little recourse other than buying a $300 amp to get them to sound halfway decent.
The SHP9500 have a slightly more expansive soundstage whereas the Monitor 80 have improved low and high extension without sacrificing accurate reproduction of source material. I would say the choice would be more about genre. For POP, EDM, HH, and even modern country I would give the edge to the Monitor 80. For rock, jazz, and classical I would suggest the SHP9500. Both are excellent headphones that perform above their price. I hope this helps out!
Yes, both are good choices. As with any monitoring solution, you need to learn their sound by listening to reference material in the genres you are working in, but after that both will get the job done!
Both a very good headphones for different reasons. The Monitor 80 are more neutral in both my testing and to my ears, but keep in mind they are open-backed and will leak sound making them not ideal for tracking. The M20x are a closed-back design and provide good isolation making them a very good choice for tracking, however their sound profile is not as neutral as the Monitor 80 for mixing. This is not to say you cannot “learn” the M20x for mixing, but only the Monitor 80 makes things easier in imo. I hope this helps out!
Hi! Can you recomend me a very good closed headphone for mixing around 100$ i know about ath m40x, but maybe senheiser hd 599 is better or others. Thanks!
At $100 usd there are a few studio standard options available such as Sony MDR-7506 and Sennheiser HD280 pro, but many people find the 7506 lacking enough bass for mix decisions and the HD280 Pro do not bring the mids forward enough to help with mixing. For mixing specifically, the Shure SRH-440a (new version of the 440) is a good choice. They have a relatively natural sound with the midrange pushed slightly forward...worth checking out.
@@askdrtk Thank you! I thought a bit and i think i will get the m50x over the others. I am still thinking about 770 pro but for "todats music" m50xs are quite better.
In and around 120usd, these monitor 80s are worth considering. A few others to check out are Audio-Technica m40x or m50x if you make EDM or HH, Sennheiser HD560S (when on sale) or HD599 if you make EDM or HH, AKG K701/702 (expansive soundstage), and Shure SRH840A. All are good options, and once you learn them from listening to enough reference tracks, you will be setup to make good mix decisions.
Yes, these area a good fit for your umc204 based on impedance match and sensitivity. The umc204 dill drive these headphones to a “health” listening level while maintaining clarity. Cheers!
