Best Open Back Headphones For Music Listening

[Wood] It's like I'm listening to music for the first time!

[-45 dB] It's like I'm listening to music instead of just hearing music

[Stereo] Pros: The best compliment I can pay these are this: When I listen to music on them, I have yet to wish for more treble or bass or vocal clarity. They disappear on my head and I can just truly enjoy what I'm listening to. For the price, especially compared to the cost of other planar headphones, that is epic. Cons: I would suggest watching Z Reviews' Youtube video on all of the Mk3 headphones to get an idea on the differences and comfort mods between the three. (https://youtu.be/SpRCK6CVdis - Children beware, there is swearing in the video.) I think his review is spot on, in just about every aspect of this. (Disclaimer: I haven't heard the 40RPs, just the 20's and 50's.) First Con: The stock earpads. They are super thin, and not very comfortable - but to be honest, not hurtful. They are essentially ON-EAR headphones with the stock pads, as your earlobes will make contact with the inner driver area. The Shure HPAEC1540 and 1840 pads are hands down the most comfortable and best sounding pads I've found for the T20RPs. I like the 1840 pads just a bit more than the 1540. Second Con: The headband is thinly padded. It isn't uncomfortable, but can be improved upon. I went with the Mr. Speakers leather headband, and they just float on my head now. No pressure points becoming sore after hours of listening. The hardest part of installing this was figuring out where in the house I left my screwdriver. Third Con: Sensitivity. These are not easy to drive. Your smartphone will not suffice. If you need an inexpensive amp, I suggest the Micca OriGen+, or one of the many Fiio products. I listen to mostly rock, classic rock, metal, edm, blues, and a limited number of jazz and classical tracks. I would describe my listening preferences as being 1/2 way between bass-head and audiophile. I love bass, want it loud, but do not want it trampling over the rest of the music. I purchased the T20RP Mk3.

[0.35 lb] I use this product as a reference check while mixing. These headphones are especially good for hearing midrange and high frequency issues in the mix. Any sibilance problems will stand out clearly with these headphones. A very useful tool for hearing unwanted artifacts that result from compression, EQ, vocal tuning, reverb, etc. A small minority of folks may find these headphones pleasing for casual music listening, but I would not recommend these headphones for that purpose. They are far too detailed and critical. Not necessarily the flattering type of listening experience. Rather, they are a useful tool for a recording engineer or producer who needs to hear subtleties within the complex layer of music. Headphones such as the K701s are just about necessary for the artist who wants to create professional quality, artifact-free recordings.

[Black] Wow! I am extremely pleased with these great sounding headphones. Solid, full, well-balanced across the entire listening frequency range, accurate and realistic. Well made and comfortable; I wear them for hours at a time. Sheesh! While all closed back over ear headphones can become a little hot and sweaty around the ears, this is one of the coolest coolest and lightest weight headphones I have used. I listening to music or my amateur radio transceiver for extended periods without fatigue or discomfort. Music sounds full, balanced, and realistic, yet musical with plenty of treble, and not bass heavy. I appreciate when cymbals sound bright and sizzle like they do listening to live music. Replaceable cable. I understand (believe from researching) the cable for the more expensive Austrian Audio models fits this model. I have used these headphones almost daily for more than a year and remain very pleased with my purchase. Of course, B&H ship quickly and safely as usual. JHR

[500 mAh] [This review was collected as part of a promotion.] This is a great and versatile product. Perfect for anything, from wearing for phone calls then taking to the gym for a workout. The noise cancellation is a great feature as well. The overall quality of these headphones are great. The sound quality is spectacular. They are great for listening to music and watching movies on your laptop. They fit well in your eyes and do not fall out. This allows for a multitude of activities including phone calls, working out, listening to music, watching movies, etc. The battery life is incredibIe as well. I have no complaints with these headphones.

[1 lb / 0.45 kg] Prior to this I had been using a hand-me-down pair of higher-end Sony headphones, but sadly one speaker finally gave out. Since pleased with a prior B&H purchase, I headed over to see what they had. Despite these being lower price-point than what I had been using, this hasn't felt like a downgrade at all! (And I bought mine on an open-box deal so they were especially budget-friendly.)  I'm no pro, but I do love listening to music & learning about music, so sound-quality is important to me. I think these are great, though perhaps someone with music-production experience could offer better comment. Two notes, not really negative but just commenting: buy the deeper ear-pads (or add your own). I wear these for listening to music or podcasts, so I'm not wearing them 24/7 for work, but even so, if I have them on for a few hours while at my desk doing projects, I will say my ears hurt a bit. Not sure if this is affected by pressure-points since I wear glasses? However, my old headphones had good padding and I didn't notice the problem. When buying these new ones, I decided against spending more for the deeper cushions at the time, and I'm kind of regretting it. Second comment, the adjusters to change where the pads sit over your ear, do slip a little. Every few on-offs I have to put them back to where they should be to sit correctly on my ear. This doesn't really bother me, but just commenting for those who might be particularly annoyed by this. Overall: great product, good sound, well-made, easy to fold up into a compact shape (plus it comes with a felty storage pouch). I also love the coiled cord, which stretches if need-be but otherwise stays compact, not this endless cord going everywhere on your desk or workspace.  A little pricey if you don't need them, but if you're an earphone wearer (vs. earbud) I think you will be glad to invest in something that will hold up.

[USB Type-C] This adaptor has changed my music listening techniques. My phone hooks up to headphones and my pacific audio pre amp rea;;y well. Rock on lee ron!!!!

[Download] This is the first time I've used in-ear monitors and I didn't feel or hear a difference from my over head headphones. I like that these are discreet and are much easier to pack and travel with. When shooting hand-held doc footage I tend to have just one in one ear so that I can monitor the audio while still having a clear idea of what's going on around me. The biggest selling point to these is that I do not find the quality to be any different than my over ear headphones from Sony or Audio-technica. In the description these are marketed as being usable for regular listening to music. I definitely would not recommend these for that given that these are truly designed to monitor audio so they lack the bass that regular listening devices add - this is a good thing. In other words, it might sound weird if you intend to use these for regular listening to music. [I have received this product in exchange for my honest review]

[Black] These are, by far, the best headphones I have ever used. I have heard things that I've never heard before in music I've been listening to for 40 years! They are very comfortable and solidly made as well.