The 10 Best Closed Back Headphones

For one pair that handles recording, mixing and everyday music, the Audio-Technica ATH-M50x is the safe bet. It plays loud enough straight from a phone or laptop, and the cups swivel flat, so you can hold one side to your ear. Two detachable cables in the box make a frayed cord a cheap fix. It folds for travel and carries a two-year warranty. The faux-leather pads seal well but trap heat on long days.

Soft velour pads and a padded spring-steel band make the beyerdynamic DT 770 Pro a pair built for hours-long sessions. This is the 80-ohm version, which plays loud enough from most laptops and sounds fuller through an audio interface. It's made in Germany, and the ear pads can be replaced when they wear out. The fabric breathes but lets in a bit more room noise. The cable is fixed, so a damaged cord means a repair, not a swap.

Few headphones have lasted like the Sony MDR-7506, which arrived in 1991 and is still sold to studios and video crews. Its crisp, treble-leaning sound makes clicks, hiss and harsh vocals stand out, which helps when you're checking a recording. It folds into a soft case and runs from a phone. The long coiled cord is permanently attached, so a broken cable ends the pair unless you solder a new one, and the seller lists only a 90-day warranty.

If your room is loud, the Sennheiser HD 280 Pro is made to shut it out. Sennheiser rates its sealed cups at up to 32 decibels of noise reduction, a maker claim well above what most passive pairs manage. The ear pads, headband padding and cable are sold as spare parts, so one pair can last for years, and the cups fold in for a gig bag. The plain plastic look is dated, and the heavy coiled cord adds bulk.

Weight is where the AKG K361 stands out: it's light on the head, so it suits long edits, train rides and phone listening. Its large drivers give a full sound, and it runs well from a phone without an amp. Two detachable cables come in the box, a short one for travel and a long one for the desk, and the cups fold flat into the pouch. It's a fairly young model, so there's less long-term owner history behind it.

Built for the couch rather than the vocal booth, the Sennheiser HD 620S angles its drivers toward the ear, a design meant to make music sound less boxed in. At 150 ohms it sounds best through a headphone amp, and a phone will run it, only quietly. The cable detaches, a threaded adapter fits full-size jacks, and Sennheiser's warranty runs two years. It came out recently, so long-term reliability is still an open question.

The Shure SRH840A updates a long-running Shure studio model with a cable that locks into the ear cup, so it won't pop loose when you stand up mid-take. It folds down for storage, sits on a wide padded headband and runs fine from a laptop or phone. A threaded adapter screws on for full-size studio jacks, and Shure covers it for two years. Fewer people own this revision, so there's less owner feedback to go on.

Here's a premium studio pair that doesn't need an amp: the beyerdynamic DT 700 Pro X uses drivers designed to play loud from a phone, laptop or interface. Velour pads keep it comfortable, and two detachable cables come in the box. The pads, headband and cables can all be replaced, and beyerdynamic builds it in Germany for a long service life. It's on the heavy side, and the cost is steep for a pair that mostly lives at a desk.

Starting a home studio or a podcast on a tight budget? The Audio-Technica ATH-M20x gives you a proper sealed studio design at an entry-level cost. It's light, comfortable for a few hours and runs from any phone or laptop. Its two-year warranty is generous at this price. The long cable is fixed to one cup, so it's better suited to a desk than a commute.

The OneOdio A71 borrows the look of a DJ headset and keeps the cost very low. One cup swivels so you can listen with one ear, and a second jack on the cup lets a friend plug in and share. The coiled cord ends in a small plug with a large studio plug built in, so no adapter is needed. It's heavy for its size, the plastic build is basic, and the maker doesn't publish a warranty.