10 Best Closed Back Headphones 2021

A pair of best closed back headphones can really make listening to music an incredible experience. They also heighten one’s ability to accurately mix and edit audio files.

This type of headphones is suitable for many applications such as sound isolation that is essential for music recording and creating podcasts. They are also ideal for those looking for a private listening experience as they do not allow external sound to enter their ear cups. If you are a music aficionado looking to substantially improve your music listening or editing, here are 10 of the best closed back headphones today.

1. Master & Dynamic MH40 Headphones – One of the Best Bass-geared Headphones 

The MH40 is Master & Dynamic’s entry level closed back headphone that is receiving a lot of popularity due to its affordable price of under $400. The MH40 is a dynamic set of headphones that come with in-line microphones that perform excellently. Its design is a good combination of metal, aluminum, and leather that come together beautifully to produce an elegant look.

The MH40 also has a leather designed headset that could use a little bit more padding underneath. The headset, however, does make up for the lack of padding by providing adjustability with dual sliders where users can make micro-adjustments to fit all head sizes. In addition, the ear cups contain memory foam coated padding, which provides a lot of comfort. Moreover, the headphones come complete with a few accessories such as:

The Master & Dynamic MH40 Headphones certainly lives up to its dynamic moniker as it performs extremely well. It does a great job at isolating passive noise outside its ear cups. The headphones also produce sound that is bright, bass heavy, trebly, and rich in the mids department. As these headphones are definitely outperforms many other more expensive headphones, they still come with a few pros and cons:

Over-all, the Master & Dynamic MH40 Headphones delivers one of the more impactful and dynamic bass responses of any closed back headphones in the market this year. For those who love bass and lower frequencies, the MH40 is for you.

2. Audeze SINE On-Ear Planar Magnetic Headphones – Planar Technology Optimized Headphones 

The Audeze SINE On-Ear Planar Magnetic Headphones have a lot of features that are considered new in the headphone industry. In fact, many experts in the audiophile world are raving about the headphones cutting design, which starts off with a leather-designed aluminum frame and leather ear cups.

The ear cups themselves have innovative planar magnetic drivers, which is new technology that contributes to sound that is accurate across all frequencies. The ear pads are very soft and comfortable to wear even for long periods of time. It even offers some very amazing features such as:

The Audeze SINE On-Ear Planar Magnetic Headphones have one of the most accurate sound signatures on the planet because listeners are able to get a clearer and more distinct audio. The planar magnetic technology is what makes their price of under $500 seem like a steal because in the past, this technology was only used for larger and bulkier headphones that required amplification to work. Today, it has technology optimized and fitted, allowing listeners to experience the most dynamic audio sound wherever on-the-go. Some pros and cons that consumers would be interested in are:

Over-all, the Audeze SINE On-Ear Planar Magnetic Headphones are mind-blowing because they have planar magnetic drivers that are shrunken down to size to something that can be used on-the-go.

3. Audio-Technica ATH-MSR7 GM – Headphones Suitable for Fast-paced Music 

The ATH-MSR7 is one of Audio-Technica’s latest closed back headphones from their Sound Reality line. These headphones are very amazing to listen to because it has a very unique sound signature that appeals to all music genres.

Being headphones under $250, the ATH-MSR7 are extremely well-worth their price due to its very attractive design. The Gun-Metal Grey design has a red-ish metallic colored accent, which adds a lot of spice to the headphones’ over-all look. Also, the ear cups are very well-padded, providing more comfort to users and the headphones even come with many cool features such as:

The ATH-MSR7 achieves what closed back headphones are designed for as it effectively eliminates any sound leakage. It produces excellent sound quality for its price, offering relatively recessed mids and boosted bass frequencies. The most unique sonic trait of these headphones is it produces razor-sharp sounds that are very clean and clear. As these headphones are indeed worth its price, it still comes with some pros and cons. These are:

Over-all, the ATH-MSR7 offers audio with a stunning level of clarity with high agility. For those who like listening to fast-paced music, these are the headphones to get.

4. Beyerdynamic T51P Tesla Headphones – Ideal for all Music Genres 

The Beyerdynamic T51P are hi-fi Tesla headphones that are worth every single penny. Coming in under $250, these headphones are masterfully designed with an extremely flexible headband that stretches out to unbelievable lengths, allowing any head size to fit comfortably.

The headband is designed with a brushed-aluminum feel and also has under-padding that adds more comfort. Additionally, the headphones have ear cups that contain leather padding and can also be rotated to 90 °. It also offers some very nice features such as:

Performance-wise, the Beyerdynamic T51P headphones isolate sound effectively. Their lightweight properties allow users to listen to music for long periods of time without experiencing discomfort of any form. The sounds produced by these headphones are well-balanced as the lows, mids, and highs all come out equally. In addition, the vocals come out tremendously well due to the well-balanced sound signature. As theT51P headphones are one of the more complete sounding headphones available, they still come with some pros and cons. These are:

Over-all, music aficionados will enjoy these headphones. This includes all genres known to man.

5. Bose QuietComfort 35 (Series II) Wireless Headphones – Interactive Headphones with Virtual Assistant 

When it comes to durability and flexibility, the Bose QuietComfort 35 (Series II) Wireless Headphones are one of the best in the market today under $400. It is also one of the more technology oriented headphones as users are able to control the headphones via Bose’s Connect application. This application offers a virtual assistant (Google Assistant) that helps users maneuver through the multiple features offered by the headphones.

Looks-wise, the headphones are Bose, which means an all-black leather exterior complete with comfortable padding and a lot of adjustability. Additionally, these headphones come with exterior features such as:

The performance of the Bose QuietComfort 35 (Series II) Wireless Headphones is excellent as it now comes with 3 noise cancelling levels. The sound quality produced is also something worth praising as the low frequencies are very powerful. The mid frequencies are very clean, and the high frequencies are warm sounding. With the QuietComfort 35 having one of the best technology packages, it also comes with some pros and cons such as:

All-in-all, the Bose QuietComfort 35 (Series II) Wireless Headphones are ideal for those who like high-tech headphones. For sound quality, these headphones could definitely use some tweaking as there is still some room for improvement.

6. Audeze LCD-XC – Best Pound-for-Pound Premium Closed back Headphones 

For premium closed back headphones, the Audeze LCD-XC Over Ear, Closed Back Headphones are certainly more than worth around $1800. Presentation-wise, the headphones come packed in a lush pelican case that is water-proof, dust-proof, and completely impenetrable. The headphones themselves are heavy set and contain an elegant design with wood-finished ear cup exteriors and leather exteriors with comfortable padding.

The headset is also designed with leather, giving the headphones a very high-end look. In addition, the headphones have some quality features such as:

For those looking to spend this amount for headphones will want to know how it performs. The Audeze LCD-XC simply performs amazing to say the least. These headphones present audio with a natural and effortless sound that will make users want to listen to song after song. The low to high frequencies are all so perfectly balanced that listeners are able to hear sound as it was originally intended.

Over-all, the Audeze LCD-XC Over Ear, Closed Back Headphones truly are the best premium headphones money can buy. For those looking for the best professional headphones available, these are simply it.

7. Sony MDR7506 – Professional Large Diaphragm Headphones under $80 

The Sony MDR7506 Professional Large Diaphragm Headphones have a sterling reputation in the audiophile world. For many studio professionals, this microphone outperforms a lot of microphones twice, thrice, and even four times its price range of under $80.

One of the reasons is its professional design that comes decked out in black. Its ear cups fold outside and inside and contain leather padding that makes them very easy to wear. In addition, the head strap also has padding to add stability and more comfort. The headphones also come with various features such as:

The Sony MDR7506 Professional Large Diaphragm Headphones could be worn all day long as they are just simply lightweight at 8 ounces. Performance-wise, they isolate sound amazingly even with their ear cups lacking in size. They also deliver crystal clear mid and high frequencies and the low frequencies could use some improvement. With all the goodies that these headphones offer, there are still some pros and cons that need to be pointed out. These are:

Over-all, users are getting twice and even thrice their investment of $80. For this price, the Sony MDR7506 Professional Large Diaphragm Headphones is the King.

8. Fostex TH-900 MKII TH900 MK2 NEW VERSION Premium Headphones under $1300 

The next premium closed back headphones to make this list are the Fostex TH-900 MKII TH900 MK2 NEW VERSION Premium Audiophile Reference Headphones and they simply deliver. These headphones are in the price range of under $1300 and are designed to last a lifetime. It has ear cups with a beautiful red wooden finish and interior padding that makes them very easy to wear.

It also has a leather head strap that has multiple adjustment levels suitable for any head size or shape. In addition, the headphones come with various features such as:

The Fostex TH-900 MKII TH900 MK2 NEW VERSION Premium Audiophile Reference headphones deliver an impressively wide soundstage that really enhances the low frequencies. With its mid to high frequencies, the headphones deliver a well-balanced audio sound that is not too bright or too warm. As these headphones are indeed one of the better premium headphones, they still have pros and cons. These are:

Over-all, the Fostex TH-900 MKII TH900 MK2 NEW VERSION Premium Audiophile Reference Headphones is good for those with a budget of under $1300 as the headphones are built to last.

9. Monoprice 108323 Premium Hi-Fi DJ Style – Budget Headphones that Deliver the Goods 

Many in the audiophile industry consider the Monoprice 108323 Premium Hi-Fi DJ Style Over-the-Ear Pro Headphones to be better over-all headphones than the ultra-popular Beats by Dre headphones, which is telling as to just how good these headphones are. For under $30, the headphones are actually high quality in design as it comes in an elegant all-black design.

It has ear cups with a lot of padding to provide comfort and has a headband that has multiple padding underneath. The earphones also come with various accessory features such as:

The Performance of the Monoprice 108323 Premium Hi-Fi headphones is available under $30 and performs like headphones twice its price range. It delivers substance over flash as its soundstage is very large for headphones. It produces extra thick low frequencies while not taking away from the mid to high frequencies. Over-all, it produces a well-balanced and bottom-heavy sound. Perfect for DJs.

Over-all, the Monoprice 108323 Premium Hi-Fi headphones deliver more than most headphones under $30. With these, you get affordability and performance. The only question is how long will these headphones last?

10. MrSpeakers ÆON Flow Closed Back Headphones – Headphones for Classical and Acoustic Music 

The mid-high-end headphones MrSpeakers ÆON Flow Closed Back Headphones are good for those with a budget under $800. It is designed with slim ear cups that contain padding inside. It also has a wire head strap that has a leather strap underneath for additional comfort. Finally, the headphones come with some accessory features such as:

The MrSpeakers ÆON Flow Closed Back Headphones has a good enough soundstage that produces well-balanced mid and high frequencies. In addition, the headphones also produce very strong bass frequencies that are good for mixing. As these headphones are very well-worth the price, it also has some pros and cons such as:

Over-all, the MrSpeakers ÆON Flow Closed Back Headphones is good for those who appreciate classical music to acoustic driven songs.