Review on High-Quality Studio Monitor Headphones by Amazon Basics - Black by Clinton Delgado

Disclosure: I have been an audio professional for many years with numerous credits on local and regional radio and television, recording both on location and in the studio. These inexpensive headphones claim to be "studio monitors". Headphones, and I classified them as such. My gold standard is the Sony MDR-V6, which sold almost four times as much 30 years ago; Today's top-of-the-line professional Sony headphones are sold at the expectedly higher prices. Studio headphones are definitely NOT meant for "listening" per se. Most consumer listening headphones have frequency responses tailored to the intended audience. For example, the Beats headphones deliver strong bass (like many others). Studio headphones have to tell the truth; That means they should have a flat broadband response with no coloration, phase distortion, and intentional accents. The engineer needs to hear exactly what is happening, exactly how it sounds. Studio headphones should also be comfortable. When recording three hours of opera backstage, the headphones better not be too tight, cause headaches, sweat or otherwise irritate, or distract from complex work that requires constant concentration. almost every account. The bass is tight and solid, but overemphasized. The lower mids are muddy and the frequency response sags, leaving no transparency and almost no response at high frequencies. This in turn makes the soundstage narrow and cramped. Luckily there is no phase. But overall the sound is unacceptably inaccurate and not even particularly pleasing on a variety of source materials. The comfort isn't right either. Headphones are too tight, they immediately start hurting my head. The upper shaft is unpadded on the underside and feels like a hard object pressing against the top of the head, which is exactly what it is. Headphones are hot too. I couldn't imagine using them during many hours of performance. I will say that the acoustic insulation is excellent. The headphones come with a twisted cord that stretches beautifully and a quarter-inch adapter to an eight-inch plug. But do you expect really good studio monitor headphones for the price? I definitely wouldn't. But actually no. They might be fine for casual music listening, but using them in a professional setting puts your reputation and potentially your career at risk.