A quality pair of headphones are a vital tool for honing your digital piano skills, especially if you don’t want to disturb the people around you during late night practice sessions.
Not only are they great for keeping your playing to yourself, but they also make it easier to identify and distinguish the more subtle audio ranges of your performance. This makes it far easier to adjust and fine tune your playing over time.
In this article we’ll take a look at some of the best headphones for digital piano players, considering the best options for a range of different budgets.
Best Options At A Glance
Product Summaries
Roland RH-5 Monitor Headphones
- Brand - Roland
- Dimensions - 33.8 x 28.5 x 10 cm
- Weight - 190 g
- Construction - Closed Back
- Special Feature - Lightweight Design
If you’re looking for reasonably priced headphones for everyday music production and audio playback, the RH-5s are a solid choice.
Buy the Roland RH-5 Monitor Headphones from Amazon for £29/$35:
Sennheiser HD 400S - Over-Ear Headphone
- Brand - Sennheiser
- Dimensions - 140 x 1.5 x 0.03 cm
- Weight - 217 g
- Construction - Closed Back
- Special Feature - Remote System
Sennheiser’s remote system is really convenient. The one button inline smart remote gives you the ability to play and pause music with ease. On top of this, it allows you to take calls without needing to touch your phone. As you would image this can be really helpful.
The closed back, around-ear design is ergonomically designed, making the 400S’ really comfortable. The specialised ear pads reduce ambient noise, improving your listening experience.
If you’re looking for something that’s above entry level but still reasonably priced, the 400S’ are a great choice.
Shure SRH440A Over-Ear Wired Headphones
- Brand - Shure
- Dimensions - 28.1 x 26.2 x 9.1 cm
- Weight - 770 g
- Construction - Closed Back
- Special Feature - Detachable Cable
The SRH440As are developed on the same foundation of the previously successful SRH440. The new edition monitoring and recording headphones deliver superior audio, plus a new design and improved features from the old SRH440.
Another reason the SRH440As are great headphones is the ultra-comfortable design. The lightweight headband provides superior comfort for extended use. Adjustable headband and collapsible construction provide comfort and portability.
The detachable straight cable is 3 m long (10 ft). This provides plenty of length for both easy storage and replacement if necessary – knowing Shure’s quality, it probably won’t be!
Philips SHP9500/00 Headphones
- Brand - Philips
- Dimensions - 17 x 20.1 x 9.9 cm
- Weight - 300 g
- Construction - Open Back
- Special Feature - 50mm Drivers
The SHP9500s use impressively powerful 50mm drivers. High power neodymium magnets reproduce all the important dynamics and deliver well balanced crisp bass. This is perfectly accompanied by transparent mid-range and pristine high frequencies.
Philips has engineered the SHP9500s with comfort in mind. The deluxe breathable ear-pads improve breathability, dissipating pressure and heat for longer wearing comfort. They also feature a rolled steel headband which ensures a quality feel and reliable durability.
If you want headphones that have a noticeable improvement on the performance of entry level headphones, the SHP9500s might be for you.
Beyerdynamic DT 990 Pro 250
- Brand - Beyerdynamic
- Dimensions - 22.1 x 11.9 x 23.1 cm
- Weight - 250 g
- Construction - Open Back
- Special Feature - Coiled Connection
Professional audiophiles have relied on Beyerdynamic’s DT series for years – from the 770 to the 990, they have a proven track record.
The DT 990 PRO use a professional open design. This provides the user with an airy, spacious sense of sound. The level of depth is also really impressive – the ambience complements room acoustics captured in recordings.
Paired with the controlled bass and enhanced treble, The DT990 Pros produce exceptionally detailed frequency response. The low frequencies are clear and precise, without being overbearing, while top end is still very present without sounding shrill.
These factors make the DT 990 Pros a great choice for audiophiles looking for headphones that are high quality and reliable.
Sennheiser HD 599 Special Edition
- Brand - Sennheiser
- Dimensions - 22.2 x 16.8 x 9 cm
- Weight - 255 g
- Construction - Open Back
- Special Feature - E.A.R
Sennheiser have been a market leader in the headphone space for years, and it’s easy to see why.
The 599 SEs are powered by Sennheiser’s proprietary transducer technology, and feature the Ergonomic Acoustic Refinement (E.A.R) design. The difference in sound quality from some of the closest competitors is really surprising. The 599 SEs represent a step into the world of audiophile sound reproduction.
On top of their impressive proprietary technologies, Sennheiser also separate themselves through their premium components. The engineered transducers use aluminium voice coils delivering high efficiency, excellent dynamics, and extremely low distortion.
The HD 599 Special Edition comes with two detachable cables: a 3m cable with a 6.3-mm jack for a home entertainment system and a shorter 1.2m cable with a 3.5mm jack perfect for use with phones, tables, and laptops. This makes the 599 SEs a great choice for someone who wants to use their headphones with other devices outside of their digital piano.
The Sennheiser are a great well-rounded choice for people who appreciated premium audio quality.
FAQs
The Beyerdynamic DT 990 Pro 250s are a great choice if you’re looking for headphones for your digital piano. They’re open backed studio-quality headphones with excellent sound quality and bass/treble response. You can probably tell from their product photos that they’re really comfy as well!
If you’d prefer closed back headphones, and many do thanks to their sound isolation, the Shure SRH440A Over-Ear Wired Headphones are a perfect alternative. It’s difficult to go wrong with high-quality headphones from a brand like Shure, and these are actually slightly cheaper than the 990 Pros from Beyerdynamic.
The Sennheiser HD 400S Over-Ear Headphones are a good choice if you’re looking for something that’s a bit more budget friendly. Seinnheiser are veterans in the audio industry so it’s no surprise that these headphones are both high-quality and great value for money. They use a closed ear design which means they’re great in terms of noise isolation, and the 32mm transducers guarantee deep, dynamic sound.
Some audio experts recommend closed-back headphones for digital piano as they’re great for sound isolation and minimising sound leakage, but the truth is this the choice largely comes down to personal preference. Some musicians may prefer open-back headphones if they sign for example, as the open-back design allows them to hear their voice more clearly. Equally if you play in a band you may want to opt for an open-back design for improved audio transparency.
It is not recommended to use Bluetooth headphones with a digital piano. The wireless connection created by a Bluetooth device is associated with a slight audio delay, and a delay as small as 20 msec can make the player feel “behind” the keyboard, leaving the performance sounding disjointed. Wired headphones are generally always better for musical instruments.
Thanks for reading our article. If you’re a glasses wearer, take a look at our post on the Best Wireless Headphones For Glasses.
Feel free to leave a comment below if you have any thoughts or queries that you’d like us to take a look at – we’d be happy to help. Bye for now!
