An enjoyable podcasting experience is largely determined by high-quality audio. And, contrary to popular belief, recording quality doesn’t only rely on your microphone but also on the set of headphones you wear.
Since the audio space is in constant growth, there’s a wide range of great headsets available in the market. However, such variety can make the selection process very overwhelming. If that’s what you’re going through, we’ve got you covered.
In this post, we’ll share:
- Why you should wear headphones when podcasting
- What a reliable set of headphones should offer
- How to choose the best podcasting headphones
- The 5 best headphones for podcasting
Ready? Let’s dive in!
Why You Should Wear Headphones When Podcasting
Basically, you need headphones to monitor your audio output. Unless there’s an audio engineer in your team monitoring the audio live, wearing headphones while recording is a must.
But why is it so important to monitor the audio in the first place? When broadcasting your episodes live, you want to be the first to know if something is off with the audio and correct it right away. For that, you’ll need to hear your guest’s voice and your own clearly in real-time.
Audio errors are, in most cases, way harder to fix in post-production than while recording. Hence, spotting those errors as you speak will save you a lot of editing time.
For example, if you suddenly hear something that’s neither your voice nor your guest’s, you’ll know the microphone is probably catching an unwanted sound. There you’ll have the chance to fix it before it affects the whole episode.
What’s more, monitoring your audio with high-quality headphones can even help you improve your speech performance. Nevertheless, before pressing Rec, we highly recommend you run a sound test. That way, you can avoid unwanted setbacks.
What a Reliable Set of Headphones Should Offer
Headphones are a key piece of your podcast’s gear, but they can be quite pricey. So, while picking one, you should look for a set that offers:
- Great isolation capacity*. This will prevent you from distracting by surrounding noises. Plus, it will prevent audio leakage from the headphones to the mic.
- Durability. If you have the budget for it, try to prioritize headsets made with the best quality materials. They will be hard to break.
- Easy maintenance. In case the headset needs to be fixed, look for brands that offer replaceable pieces and good customer support.
- Comfort. Keep in mind that you'll probably be wearing headphones for long periods. A set that feels too heavy or too tight could become painful to wear over time.
*Note: Isolation capacity does not equal noise cancellation. The noise-canceling function guarantees isolation, but it isn’t for everybody. For some people, it can make hearing yourself quite uncomfortable, and in some cases, it can distort sound fidelity.
How to Choose the Best Podcasting Headphones
There seems to be an endless selection of headphones these days. So, it’s important to know where to start looking. Let's start with what not to do. Here are two types of headphones you want to avoid:
- Wireless headphones. They produce a 1-second delay that will be extremely distracting for you and your guests, if not annoying.
- Open back headphones. They are not built to provide sound isolation and will produce audio leaking.
The second and most obvious criterion is price range. Here, there’s no need to worry, there are a lot of competitive options for every budget. But beyond pricing, you can filter your search deeper by:
- Design type and features
- Audio technical features
Let’s take a closer look.
Design Type and Features
There are two types of headsets to choose from: In-ear or on-ear.
You’ve probably worn both types of headphones casually at least once. So, you may already have an idea of what feels better to your ears, and what would be comfortable to wear for a long time.
However, professional headsets differ from the day-to-day ones that are often used for listening to music or attending calls. On-ear professional headsets are bigger and heavier. Meanwhile, in-ear sets are built with higher-quality materials than non-professional alternatives.
In the audio and entertainment industry, on-ear headphones are the more popular choice. Within this category, users' comfort and overall experience are affected by many factors:
- Earcups and headband size and weight
- Earpads and headband thickness
- Earpads material (leather vs. velour)
- Headband adjustable extensibility
- Earcup’s joints flexibility and swiveling capacity
Consider trying different headphone models and checking these things out in person before purchasing, you won’t regret it.
Audio Technical Features
A few years ago, you could know what to expect from your headphones just by looking at the brand. Nowadays, audio technology is so advanced that you can find superb audio products from virtually any brand.
So, how can you find the best headphones for your audio needs? These are the main features you should look out for:
- Frequency response
- Sensitivity
- Impedance
- Audio jack type
Frequency response
The headphones’ frequency response is the range of bass, mids, and treble they can reproduce. It is measured in Hertz (Hz), and it usually falls between 20 - 20.000 Hz. The wider the frequency response is, the more detail you’ll hear.
To hear everything as true to life as possible, you should look for a flat-frequency response. In a frequency response graph, a “flatter” line indicates that the headphones’ output audio signal will be balanced for the majority of the frequency spectrum. That would be the case of the blue line in the following example:
Sensitivity
Sensitivity, or SPL, is the headphone’s capacity to turn the electrical signal from your audio output device (e.g., an audio interface) into an acoustic one. In other words, sensitivity indicates, through decibels (Db), how well your headphones can amplify the sound you’re sending them. Higher sensitivity equals higher volume capacity.
Impedance
Impedance can be tricky to understand, so it's often overlooked, but it’s actually quite important. Simply put, impedance determines the amount of energy (voltage) your headphones can tolerate and how much they’ll need to function. This is directly related to how much volume they can provide. It is measured on a scale that goes all the way from 8 to 600 Ω (ohms).
Low-impedance headphones need less power to function than high-impedance ones. That’s why they can reproduce great volume when connected to almost any device without draining much battery.
High-impedance headphones, on the other hand, are built for studio use and provide better audio quality. And since they resist much more energy, they need to be connected to more powerful audio output devices to function and produce volume.
WARNING: When you have multiple headsets connected to one audio output device, the impedance drops. For example, if you’re having a guest recording with you and both of you have a pair of 8 ohms headphones connected to the same mixer, you’ll have just 4 ohms of impedance each. Such low impedance may not be enough to resist the mixer’s power and could result in damaging the headphones.
As seen in the previous example, an impedance mismatch can make the best gear sound bad or even ruin it. Before investing in a headset, research what impedance would be compatible with the gear you’re working with and the gear you wish to acquire later on.
Audio Jack Type
There’s another feature you should pick with your current gear in mind: the audio connector. This will be either a 1/4" jack or a 3.5 mm jack.
3.5 mm is the most common out there. You would normally find a 3.5 mm input port in non-professional audio devices such as computers, cellphones, and speakers. Audio mixers and interfaces sometimes include a 3.5 mm input port, but the 1/4" is the standard jack for studio devices.
10 Best Headphones for Podcasting [For Any Budget]
Now that you know and understand the features you need to consider, here are our top 10 podcasting headphones.
Sony MDR-7506
Around $90
- Driver Size: 40 mm drivers with neodymium magnets.
- Sound Quality: Detailed and clear sound with a strong emphasis on the mid-to-high frequencies.
- Design: Closed-back, over-ear design for excellent sound isolation.
- Build: Durable construction with a professional design.
- Comfort: Comfortable earpads and headband for extended use.
- Cable: Non-detachable, 9.8-foot coiled cable.
- Portability: Foldable design for easy storage and transportation.
- Frequency Response: Wide frequency response of 10 Hz to 20 kHz. Frequency response isn’t flat, i.e. vocals have a bit of extra brightness
- Sensitivity: 106 dB
- Impedance: 63 ohms, suitable for studio and broadcast applications.
- Connector: & 1/4" (3.5 mm)
- Weight: 230 g. (8 oz.)
Note: Some users say it doesn’t completely block audio leakage
Sennheiser HD280
Around $100
- Driver size: 40 mm.
- Sound Quality: Natural and warm sound reproduction.
- Design: Closed-back, around-the-ear design for sound isolation.
- Comfort: Soft earpads for comfortable extended wear.
- Noise Attenuation: Up to 32 dB of ambient noise attenuation.
- Cable:singlee-sided, coiled cable.
- Portability: Collapsible design, foldable for easy transport and storage.
- Frequency Response: 8 Hz to 25 kHz.
- Sensitivity: 113 dB
- Impedance: 64 ohms.
- Connector: 3.5 mm Gold Plated Jack, with a screw-type adaptor to 1/4".
- Weight: 220 grams (7.75 oz.)
- Durability: Robust construction with user-replaceable parts.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z5gFBPkv1AU&ab_channel=Sennheiser
Audio-Technica ATH-M50x
Around $150
- Driver Size: Equipped with 45 mm large-aperture drivers.
- Sound Quality: Exceptional clarity throughout an extended frequency range, with deep, accurate bass response for a mid-range price
- Design: Circumaural design contours around the ears for excellent sound isolation in loud environments.
- Build: Professional-grade earpad and headband material for durability and comfort.
- Earcup Swivel: 90° swiveling earcups for easy, one-ear monitoring.
- Cable: Detachable cables, including a 1.2m-3m coiled cable, 3m straight cable, and a 1.2m straight cable.
- Portability: Collapsible design for easy transport and space-saving.
- Frequency Response: Wide frequency range from 15 Hz to 28,000 Hz.
- Sensitivity: 99 dB
- Impedance: 38 ohms, suitable for a wide range of audio devices.
- Connector: Stereo 1/8" (3.5 mm) gold-plated connector with strain relief
- Weight: 285 g (10 oz)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rxfSA32-tNk&ab_channel=Audio-TechnicaUSA
If you’re building your podcast setup on a smaller budget, previous models are worth considering, like the:
- ATH-M40x (around $100)
- ATH-M30x (around $70)
- ATH-M20x (around $50)
They’re great options if you’re looking for a professional sound for a lower price. These are lighter in weight than the M50x model, which makes them more comfortable. However, you may have to give up on some features like the 90° swiveling earcups or the detachable cable.
RØDE NTH-100
Around $150
- Driver Type: 40mm Custom-Matched Dynamic Drivers
- Sound Quality: Exceptional sonic performance with an incredibly accurate frequency response and ultra-low distortion. It’s not optimized for active noise cancellation.
- Design: Closed-back, over-ear headphones with precision-engineered acoustic design.
- Build: Luxurious build with Alcantara® cushions and a fully adjustable headband featuring the FitLok™ locking system.
- Cable: Removable cable with a locking connector that can be connected to either earcup.
- Frequency Response: 5 Hz to 35,000 Hz.
- Sensitivity: 110 dB
- Impedance: 32 ohms
- Connector: 1/8" / 3.5 mm TRS Male Straight
- Weight: 350 g (12.3 oz)
- Lifetime Warranty: Demonstrating long-term reliability and quality.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GINzD06Q-EE&ab_channel=R%C3%98DE
Beyerdynamic DT 770 Pro
On-ear - Over $150
- Driver Size: Equipped with dynamic, 45 mm drivers.
- Sound Quality: High-resolution sound with detailed, spacious, and transparent audio reproduction.
- Build Quality: Durable, robust construction with replaceable parts.
- Earcup Design: Closed-back design for excellent sound isolation.
- Comfort: Soft, circumaural, and replaceable velour ear pads ensure high wearing comfort.
- Cable: Comes with a single-sided, 3-meter coiled cable (250 ohms and 80 ohms) or straight cable (32 ohms).
- Portability: Not foldable but still portable due to robust construction and single-sided cable.
- Frequency Response: Wide frequency response range from 5 Hz to 35,000 Hz.
- Sensitivity: 96dB
- Impedance Variants: Available in 32 ohms, 80 ohms, and 250 ohms variants to suit different audio setups.
- Connector: 3.5 mm & 1/4"
- Weight: 270 gr. (9.5 oz.)
Sennheiser HD650
Around $350
- Driver size: Exclusive 42 mm transducer and a 38 mm diaphragm
- Design: An open-back design, providing a natural listening experience.
- Build:
- Comfort: extremely Comfortable, with an elliptical design that fits ears naturally.
- Specially Designed Acoustic Silk: Ensures precision damping and improves frequency response.
- Optimized Magnet Systems: Minimizes harmonic and intermodulation distortion.
- Cable: Detachable, made from highly conductive OFC copper.
- Frequency Response: 10 Hz - 41,000 Hz.
- Sensitivity: 103 dB.
- Impedance: 300 Ohms.
- Connector: 3.5 mm Gold Plated Jack with a 6.3 mm adaptor included.
- Weight: 260 grams (9 oz.)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nBqhDBItx0c&ab_channel=Sennheiser
Shure SRH 1540
Around $500
- Driver Type: 40mm neodymium drivers for superior acoustic performance.
- Sound Quality: Clear, expansive sound with rich bass and detailed highs.
- Design: Closed-back, circumaural design for comfortable isolation.
- Build: Lightweight construction with aircraft-grade aluminum alloy yoke and carbon fiber cap.
- Accessories: Includes additional pair of Alcantara ear pads and a storage case.
- Cable: Dual-exit cables with gold-plated MMCX connectors.
- Comfort: Alcantara ear pads for maximum comfort and durability.
- Portability: Collapsible design for easy storage and transport.
- Frequency Response: Extended range, 5 - 25,000 Hz.
- Impedance: 46 ohms.
- Sensitivity: 99 dB/mW
- Weight: 286 grams (10 oz.)
It’s fair to say that there are a lot of amazing headsets out there. However, you can use these 10 as a reference of what to expect from a great pair.
Key Takeaways
As we’ve seen, headphones are a key part of your podcast gear. And the selection process can become a daunting task if not approached with clear preferences in mind.
Once you've done the hard work of selecting and investing in your studio gear, don’t take your podcast’s promotion for granted. Enhance your social media presence with eye-catching audiograms.
With Audiotease, you can create audiograms from your podcast recordings in just minutes, from the comfort of your browser, no design skills required.
Curious? Create your first audiogram today, for free.