Designed for young ears (3+), Yoto Headphones have kid-safe volume limiting and can be connected wirelessly with ease. The headband can be adjusted for comfort and are perfect for quiet listening at home or in the car. Now, it's hard to go more than a few days without encountering a fellow commuter, colleague or friend who is seemingly obsessed with their mobile. In many ways, our increasingly mobile-centric society mirrors the rapid evolution of the smartphone itself and it's rare to step into a room where someone isn't using one of these brilliantly versatile devices. As you can see in this round-up, AKG headphones are a popular choice for studio users the world over and with good reason. But while the other two sets of phones here concentrate on sonic detail, the K72s are attempting to bring you the AKG quality at a bargain price. Specs include a wide frequency range of 15Hz to 28kHz – and the phones adhere to the AKG Reference Response Curve, a measure of performance over frequency gained from AKG’s tests on hundreds of listeners over many years of testing; basically this means you get both accuracy and detail. The bass response, for example, is controlled and tight and you will be able to distinguish which parts of your mix, if any, are clashing down under. It’s the same story across the rest of the range which is flat and accurate with the kind of joined-up thinking you get from much more expensive phones.

In-ear monitors (aka IEM’s) are usually reserved for on-stage monitoring environments, unless they’re extremely high quality, in which case they can also be suitable for use in a studio setting. Understanding frequency response Even just connecting your headphones to your phone can be difficult – you're in close proximity to lots of other Bluetooth devices, and just finding your headphones in your phone's settings can be impossible. The higher the quoted impedance, the higher the level of signal needed to drive the headphones properly so that they sound good. High-impedance headphones are designed for studio environments like a band recording setup, where you might find multiple sets of cans plugged into a splitter box that’s receiving a high-level input signal from a professional amplifier. Low-impedance headphones are designed to be plugged directly into a single source, like a laptop or mobile phone, so they’re able to generate sound more efficiently from the lower-level input signal these devices put out. Broadly speaking, the higher a headphone’s impedance rating, the more ‘pro’ it was designed to be. Classified as an on-ear (supra-aural) design, because the circular pads rest on the outside of the ear rather than enclosing it fully, the HD 25 is currently available in three flavours – Light, Standard and Plus – at three price points. For general studio/DJ duties you really can’t go wrong with a pair of HD 25’s. Few manufacturers come with more experience in the audio industry than AKG, and while the company's headphone range includes models like the K872 which cost over a grand, the K361s on test here are fortunately less than a tenth of the price, but still promise similar accuracy to that delivered by their elder K-sibling.Still, being able to use headphones like these without the need for a cable should make flying much more comfortable, and far less irritating – here's hoping other airlines take note so we can ditch those airline headsets for good. Lastly, people tend to lose body heat through the top of the head, so make sure your headband and ear cups aren’t going to make you sweat excessively. Lightweight phones help here – as they do with comfort. What does impedance mean? An iconic studio and location-recording favourite, Sennheiser HD 25’s have long been acclaimed by pros for their ability to handle high sound pressure levels and deliver excellent sound reproduction evenly across the frequency spectrum. Yoto Headphones also have a rubberized finish, making them comfortable for long periods of listening, and their lightweight, durable construction is perfect for all ages. Also with a premium braided cable and a daisy chain feature to allow two sets to listen together from one Player.

Of all the stats that come with headphones, impedance is the one that is worth knowing about (next to frequency response). Good ‘impedance matching’ will help your ‘phones work more effectively, so consider where you’ll be using your cans and what type of gear you’ll be plugging them into. With 20 hours of listening time per charge, these are the perfect listening companion for little ears. One solution is a detachable cord that can be replaced with various lengths, so some headphones come with swappable cables for different use cases – two straight cables, in 1.5m and 3m lengths, plus a 1.5m coiled cable, for example. Coiled cables are more versatile for studio use as they’re literally more flexible and less prone to tangling than long, straight cables. Due to their excess weight, however, they tend to be less suitable for everyday mobile listening. Wireless vs wired headphones: which is better? When it comes to headphones aimed at home listening, gaming or other day-to-day uses, wireless Bluetooth connectivity is becoming a pretty much standard feature. So is it time to invest in a set of Bluetooth headphones for the studio too? The headphone frequency response is simply the range of the sound frequencies headphones can reproduce. The wider the better, although for most cans this will be outside the range of human hearing, which tops off at around 20kHz and decreases further with age.

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Yoto Headphones also have a rubberised finish, making them comfortable for long periods of listening, and their lightweight, durable construction is perfect for all ages. Some headphones companies have tried to get around these restrictions. The Sony WH-1000XM4– AKA, the best headphones you can buy today – come with an inflight adapter in the box, so you can use a wired connection to the aircraft's entertainment system. Headphones aimed at musicians differ from standard headphones which are more suited for music listening than music creation. Studio 'phones are designed to deliver sonic accuracy and an immersive musical experience for demanding musicians and producers. With the top notch specs needed for this, and years of research that has often gone into R&D, some studio headphones can cost well into four figures. Fortunately, there are also many models that needn't break the bank and we have rounded these budget models up for this guide, and they are all made by some of the biggest names in the headphones business. If you do manage to connect, you have the issue of interference, which can cause your movies or music to be obscured by the sound of static, lead to lagging between sound and visuals (particularly annoying if you're trying to watch a movie or play a game), or make your connection drop out altogether. We also test how good the isolation is. For mixing you might prefer less intrusion from the outside world so you can focus on the main elements in your music, so isolation is a key factor. The weight and comfort of the phones is also an important consideration, as you'll likely be wearing them for long sessions in the studio (although we obviously recommend taking regular breaks). Most of the time, the lighter the better but how the headphones embrace your head is important. Too loose is obviously not good, but too tight can mean too hot.

For everyday use, a 3m long cord might be a bit of a nuisance, getting tangled up in everything and in the way, whereas in studio applications, a longer cord can be useful. Playing an electronic drum set, for example, or playing electric guitar while standing, you may welcome the extra length, as a 1.5m cable often won’t cut it. Just like monitoring through 'proper' studio monitor speakers, you want to hear an accurate representation of your music while using studio headphones. Many hi-fi headphones, used for listening to music, are coloured to emphasise the bass and treble regions, just to make for a nicer listening experience. This means they aren't suitable for mixing music as they are already emphasising specific frequency ranges – not telling you the whole truth, if you like! Studio headphones are designed to give you an honest version of your music with no colouration in any regions. If they artificially emphasised the bass, for example, you might then reduce the bass in your mix to compensate, and the resulting mix would sound bass light on any other system.If you're equally attached to technology and phones, we have an exciting array of innovative smart gadgets from which to choose. Our collection of Yoto smart toys showcases all the qualities that have made Yoto such a popular brand. The company specialises in ingenious lifestyle accessories that help you to make the most of your smartphone and deliver enhanced performance through clever technological integration. The short answer is no. You’ll notice that our guide here largely avoids wireless headphones, and the simple reason behind that is that wireless connections cause latency – i.e. a delay between the sound playing on your computer and you hearing it. For a whole multitude of reasons, tight timing can be key when recording and creating music, so latency is best avoided. Wireless headphones can also hinder the audio quality too.

Recently tweaked for a cleaner aesthetic and more comfortable fit, the HD 280 Pro’s foldable architecture and rotating ear cups make them both portable and versatile, able to turn their hand to any studio-based task with aplomb. Although they’re still not the most stylish of cans, even post redesign, the new headband padding in particular makes them extremely comfortable. Studio headphones therefore utilise this flat response, reproducing frequencies at an equal volume, giving you an accurate picture of what’s going on in your mix so that you can focus on detail, balance out the levels of all frequencies and more easily correct any problem areas. They also tend to focus on comfort, as you could be mixing for long sessions. Extra padding is great, as is a lightweight design to keep them almost invisible as you mix. You also want isolation so no sound gets in as you mix and you're not leaking too much out the other way either. What are the three main headphone types? The last decade has seen a complete transformation of the mobile phone market. Not long ago, the mobile was a rather marginal presence in most people's lives.While the technology is certainly improving, right now we’d suggest relying on wired listening in the studio. That said, an increasing number of headphones now let you have the best of both, with options for both wired and wireless operation, which could be a great option if you’re looking for a pair to use both in the studio and on the go. How we test budget studio headphones Of all the models in Sennheiser’s extensive range, these evergreen studio-centric cans stand out as a mid-priced favourite thanks to their long pedigree, rugged durability and balanced sound. The bass is clean and accurate, mids clear and detailed, with glossy highs that avoid any harshness. The Yoto Wireless Headphones offers hours of wireless audio, specially designed for little ones. Designed for young ears (3+), Yoto Headphones have kid-safe volume limiting and can be connected wirelessly with ease. The headband can be adjusted for comfort and are perfect for quiet listening at home or in the car.