On November 3, 2026, Thomann had 145 studio headphones in stock, from $10 to $3,811. Half cost less than $185, and 78 of the 145 cost less than $200.
| Price | Models |
|---|---|
| Under $100 | 40 |
| $100 to $200 | 38 |
| $200 to $500 | 32 |
| $500 to $1,000 | 17 |
| $1,000 and up | 18 |
What moves the price most is the design of the ear cup. A closed back keeps the sound in, so it doesn't leak into the microphone when you record. An open back lets air through, which sounds more natural and is easier on the ears over a long mix, but everyone in the room hears it.
| Design | Models | Median price | From |
|---|---|---|---|
| Closed-back | 86 | $167 | $10 |
| Open-back | 37 | $504 | $48 |
| Semi-open | 15 | $44 | $25 |
Under $100: the classics
AKG K-240 Studio, $77
A semi-open design that studios have used for decades, with a 55-ohm impedance that any laptop or interface can drive, and a detachable cable with a mini-XLR plug, so a broken cable doesn't mean new headphones. #2 of 114 studio headphones.
Below it, Superlux's semi-open HD-681 costs $26, and all 21 Superlux models stay at $62 or less. Sony's closed MDR-7506 at $110, a fixture in broadcast and video, sits just above this step.
$100 to $200: the workhorses
Audio-Technica ATH-M40X, $121
Closed-back, 35 ohms, with ear cups that swivel 90 degrees for one-ear listening and two detachable cables in the box, one coiled and one straight. #4 of 114 studio headphones.
beyerdynamic sells its closed DT-770 Pro at the same $167 in three impedances: 32, 80 and 250 ohms. The higher the number, the more output the headphones need: 32 ohms suits a phone or laptop, 80 most audio interfaces, and 250 a proper headphone amplifier. The open-back DT-990 Pro, $166, is the best-known open-back model at this step.
$500 to $700: Neumann and the first planars
Neumann NDH 20 Black Edition, $551
Closed-back, 150 ohms, with 38 mm drivers and memory foam ear pads, from the company best known for its studio microphones. #1 of 114 studio headphones.
Its open-back sibling, the NDH 30, costs $672, and ADAM Audio's open-back H715 Reference, with a separate hi-fi mode, $728; we tested it in a room for our H715 special project. At this step the first planar magnetic headphones appear: instead of a cone, a thin film driven across its whole surface. Audeze's open MM-100 has 90 mm planar drivers and an 18-ohm impedance, so it doesn't need a strong amplifier, at $504.
13 of the 145 are planar, with a median price of $611, from Fostex's $185 T40RP up.
$1,000 and up: where it stops being about work
18 models cost more than $1,000. Audeze's LCD-X at $1,513 is an open planar with a 106 mm driver. HEDD's HEDDphone Two at $2,130 uses Air Motion Transformer drivers, the kind usually found in tweeters. At the top, Fostex's TH series runs from $1,232 to $3,811 for the TH919, an open-back dynamic headphone with maple ear cups finished in Japanese urushi lacquer.
These are tools for long mastering sessions and for people who simply enjoy listening. For recording and most mixing, the step between $100 and $200 covers it.
Wireless studio headphones
Four of the 145 have Bluetooth, from Austrian Audio's Hi-X25BT at $156 to AIAIAI's TMA-2 Studio Wireless at $335. Bluetooth adds a delay, so for recording you plug in a cable; the Hi-X25BT, for one, also works over a jack or USB-C.
Where the numbers come from. Every pair Thomann listed under studio headphones on November 3, 2026, from its partner feed. Open, closed and semi-open are counted from the words in Thomann's descriptions; seven descriptions don't say, so the design table adds up to 138. Planar models are those described as planar, magnetostatic or orthodynamic. Prices are Thomann's US-dollar prices.
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Denis Kataev runs AudioFu. Every night the site records the prices of more than 38,000 instruments and studio tools at Thomann, and he writes about what those numbers show: what got cheaper, what just arrived, and which discounts are real.
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