TOP 7+ Best Headphones for Classical Music (Guide)

Written by Evan Grant  in Headphones

Have you been looking for the best headphones for classical music? We understand how overwhelming it can be with the countless options here and there.

Don’t worry, we prepared an insightful list for you, and we made sure to explain how to pick the ones that fit you the most.

Make sure to read until the end; it’s only a couple of minutes before you have it all figured out!

Top 3 Best Headphones for Classical Music

IMAGE	PRODUCT	DETAILS	CHECK PRICE
BEST OVERALL	AKG K702	Premium Design, Impressive Sound	CHECK TODAY’S PRICE
BEST CHEAP	Sennheiser HD600	Accurate Frequency, Lightweight	CHECK TODAY’S PRICE
BUDGET PICK	Audio-Technica ATH-AD700X	Self Adjusting Headband, Large Drivers	CHECK TODAY’S PRICE

The 7 Best Headphones for Classical Music

Watch this: Top 7 Best Headphones for Classical Music

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Here is our list of the 7 Best Headphones for Classical Music that you can buy..

1. AKG K702 – Best Overall

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AKG quickly climbed the ranks of established headphone manufacturers with its exceptional build quality, rich audio experience, and a robust lineup of reference headphones that breed new life in your classical music library. 

AKG K702 is the pinnacle of critical listening, allowing sharp-eared audiophile out there to get immersed and appreciate every single note.

You don’t want your immersion ruined by an uncomfortable ear cup. Luckily, AKG invests in that front. It crafts their ear cups from velour, which is soft on the ears and doesn’t cause itching or irritation. The ear cups themselves are spacious as well, offering optimal ventilation, a real game-changer, especially in hot climates.

The headphones adopt an open-back design similar to these best headphones under 150$, which delivers neutral tonality for the most accurate representation of your source audio files. They tend to emphasize everything mids and highs for a natural, clear vocal playback, while the lows are a bit faint in the background.

AKG patented its innovative sound signature drivers technology that serves to deliver the same top-notch performance even at low frequency range. The Varimotion two-layer diaphragm is very responsive as well, making AKG K720 one of the fastest, delay-free headphones at an affordable price, similar to these best headphones for transcription.

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Moreover, the headphones age like a bottle of fine wine as the burn-in effects take their full action here. With extensive usage, the padding around the ears becomes softer, and the already excellent soundstage becomes even more accurate with unmatched instrument separation. Also, the bass also becomes more pronounced with time.

The only noticeable downside during our testing was the muddling sound signature quality when you’re using the headphones while commuting or in a noisy environment. Though the open-back design improves the soundstage effect, it falls short in noise isolation when listening to music outdoors as well as talking over phone unlike these best wireless earbuds for phone calls of 2021.

Pros

• Premium design with a soft, leather headband
• 3D foam earpads for a comfortable fit
• Open-back design with neutral tonality
• Unmatched responsiveness of its two-layered diaphragm

Cons

• Poor noise isolation

Bottom Line

Critical listeners looking for reference headphones will be pleased with what AKG K720 has to offer. While the neutral tonality, exceptional responsiveness, and top-notch sound signature quality collaborate to make you relive your favorite classical pieces, the comfortable 3D foam ear cups and premium leather headband complete the perfect headphones’ comfortable aesthetics.Check Today’s Price

2. Sennheiser HD 600– Best Sound Accuracy

 

We have another open-back pair on our list; this time around, it’s from Sennheiser HD. The HD600 professional headphones deliver a neutral audio palate with unmatched accuracy thanks to their neodymium drivers.

A nice segue to kick off our review of a pair of headphones for classical music is the bass quality. The headphones deliver decent bass across the board with some boosting at mid and upper bass, conveying a sense of muddiness to the keen-eared critical listeners unlike Open Back Headphones For Gaming.

With that downside out of the way, there is much to appreciate here about the Sennheiser HD 600. The lows are accurate and don’t fade away in the background like what we’ve experienced with AKG K720. The mids are organic and deliver clear vocals. Finally, the highs are well-calibrated, which is great for your ear’s health in the long run. 

Sennheiser HD 600 truly stands out in the competition with its user-friendly, modular construction, meaning you can easily replace each component separately in case it malfunctions. So, you can push the lifespan of your headphone to an extent rarely seen in consumer electronics.

The overall form factor maintains a lightweight footprint with optimal weight distribution. Hence, the headphones never feel heavy on your head. Moreover, the voice coils are made of aluminum, which contributes to reducing the headphone’s weight, and at the same time, delivers excellent responsiveness with virtually no lag, just like these best headphones for digital piano.

Though the soundstage isn’t the most expansive compared to other headphones we’ve tested such as these bone conduction headphones, it’s excellent when it comes to delivering an accurate representation of your music and retrieving the fine details that might otherwise get missed from the source audio file.

Bottom Line

Sennheiser HD 600 took the detailed tone delivery to new territories, allowing audiophiles to spot new details in long time classics. The modular design easily makes it one of the most-user friendly pieces of tech we’ve tested in recent memory.

3. Audio-Technica ATH-AD700X– Best Value For Money Pick

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You might have gotten used to the trial and error that goes into adjusting the headband every time you put on your headphones. Users who hate this inconvenience will be pleased with Audio-Technica’s self-adjusting headband incorporated in its ATH-AD700X monitoring headphones. This way, you effortlessly get the right fit on the first trial.

Audio-Technica's ATH-AD700X managed to cram the features you’d expect from a pair of monitoring headphones in a budget-friendly package. It comes with an open-back design with excellent breathability and neutral tonality but lacking noise isolation.

The large drivers sit at a whopping 53mm to deliver clear treble and midrange at 38 ohms of impedance. This means that you can use your headphones right away and get an adequately loud volume without the need to use amplifiers similar to these best headphones under 200$

When it comes to design, these best classical music headphones have large ear cups with a metal mesh to the outside, contributing to the open-back style. They are too bulky to use in public. So, if you’re looking for a pair of portable headphones, the ATH-AD700X shouldn't be in your queue of choices.

In terms of connectivity, the headphones use a wired connection through a 3.5mm headphone jack. They also come with a 6.3mm adapter, giving you the versatility to connect different devices like musical equipment and your home theatre.

Although the bass performance didn’t blow us away like some best headphones for electric guitar, we believe that the Audio-Technica ATH-AD700X is still an enticing package for its feature-rich design, affordable price, and decent performance. 

Bottom Line

Well, the Audio-Technica ATH-AD700X delivers effortless fit, loud volume, vocal clarity, all in an affordable package that gives you the best bang for your buck. It lacks in terms of the bass quality. However, the overall feature-rich package makes it worth the investment.

4. Beyerdynamic DT 880 Premium– Best Semi-Open Headphone

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Beyerdynamic DT is another well-known brand that offers high-quality headphones. The DT800 has an excellent build just like DT 1990 Pro. It’s flexible with strong connection joints that you can use without any cracking. 

The ear cups are padded and covered with soft velour. They’re big enough to cover all around the ears and get you more immersed in the music. 

Although some best sennheiser closed back headphones, like the Sennheiser HD 600, will offer more comfort, we can’t say that these headphones are uncomfortable. They offer a snug fit, which is achievable through adjusting the headband to your liking. 

The headphones offer a balanced sound that’s boosted even more with high-end frequency range. They don’t provide the most powerful lows although the bass range is reasonably defined. The midrange is warm with transparency and great details. 

Well, with a spatial soundstage and superb detail retrieval, you’ll end up with excellent instrument separation, particularly in classical music. Because these headphones have an impedance of 250 ohms, it’s better to consider getting an amplifier. This will significantly enhance the sound signature quality, especially when it comes to the bass response. 

Bottom Line

The Beyerdynamic DT 880 Premium Edition is quite durable. They’re comfortable and offer a wide soundstage with detailed instrument separation. This puts them on the top of the list of the best headphones for classical music. 

5. Philips SHP9500

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If you’re looking for a pair of decent headphones to enjoy your classical music without hurting your wallet, the Philips SHP9500 is the way to go. Though some can argue that the build quality took a hit to cut down the price, the metal and plastic construction is still ample for the average everyday usage.

Philips puts a lot of work into ensuring that the headphones remain comfortable even when wearing them for prolonged listening sessions. The double-layered headband comes with a cushion to cut down the around your head. The ear cups boast a breathable design that stands out as a nice choice in hot climates.

Well, the headphones come with a long 1.5m cable, giving you the freedom to move around and multitask while listening to your favorite classical music.

Although the Philips SHP9500 costs under half of what other reference headphones will charge you, it still maintains an excellent sound signature quality. It delivers well-balanced mids, highs, and bass for a neutral listening experience, and it’s capable of reproducing your tracks with a satisfactory fidelity.

Audiophiles who like crunchy bass will be disappointed with what the Philips SHP9500 delivers. The headphones also get grainy when you crank up the volume, which is expected at this mid range.

Bottom Line

The Philips SHP9500 proves that you can enjoy a decent sound quality at an affordable price tag. Philips makes the right compromises to cut down the price while maintaining a satisfactory overall user experience. It delivers excellent comfort and everything is well-balanced soundstage.

6. Grado SR80e Prestige

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On-ear gaming headphones don’t have the reputation of being comfortable enough for extended usage, and Grado managed to change this notion with its SR80e Prestige headphones. The foam on-ear pads don’t exert much pressure on your ears, thanks to the flexible headband design.

The audio listening details are outstanding; you can distinguish every single instrument in the playback, and appreciate every single note and passage, which is impressive when considering that the headphones are only under $100.

The Grado SR80e Prestige maintains the same high-quality performance across a wide soundstage and allows for a seamless transition between different genres of classical music. It does an exceptional job, especially with the mids, to reproduce clear vocals while maintaining the background music's crispness.

Well, on the other hand, like all the open-back headphones we’ve reviewed so far, the Grado SR80e Prestige doesn’t create the best seal around your ears, which is considered less than ideal if you’re trying to enjoy your classical music in a noisy environment. Moreover, it may significantly leak sound, which can be really bothersome to the people around you.

Your mileage might vary, but it’s worth noting that we’ve had a hard time plugging in the headphones to some of our smartphones. The plug forms a sturdy, snug fit with your phone’s headphone jack, and if you have a case on your phone, the plug doesn’t fully click in. 

More people are now using their smartphones as their primary audio playback device than ever; the plug’s design may be inconvenient to some users.

Bottom Line

Classical music listening lovers who have an expansive catalog across different genres can pick on new details they have missed before thanks to Grado SR80e Prestige. The affordable pair of headphones offers consistent performance no matter what classical music you’re listening to. 

7. Beyerdynamic T1 2nd Generation– Best Clarity

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Beyerdynamic made a name for itself, thanks to its headphones’ premium build quality, and the T1 2nd Gen headphones follow the same trend. They come with soft velour ear cups and a premium leather headband. 

The overall design might fall as a dull one for some people, but we believe the non-striking, minimalist design language makes it fit in anywhere without attracting any awkward attention.

The semi-open design offers some solutions to the shortcomings of all the open headset that we went through so far on our list. It still doesn’t create the best seal for noise isolation; however, it does a better job of limiting sound leakage, allowing you to listen to your classical music anywhere without issues.

At its relatively higher price tag, the Beyerdynamic T1 2nd Gen headphone for classical that deliver exceptional sound quality to match. The bass is punchy for all your bass-heavy classical music, the semi-open design creates an airy, spacious feeling, and finally, the highs are delivered at their full quality here with excellent instrumental separation. 

The attention to detail finds its way even to the cables. The headset come with a detachable, double-braided, long cable that resists abrasions thanks to its textile feel. The icing on top is Beyerdynamic’s exceptional post-purchase support services. The classical music headset are eligible for five years of limited warranty to give you peace of mind.

Bottom Line

The Beyerdynamic T1 2nd Gen headphones secure their spot as one of the best top-tier monitoring classical music headphones. Their premium build quality and excellent audio performance justify the price tag. 

Alternative Video: Best Headphones For Classical Music

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How to Pick Headphones for Classical Music?

1. Open-Back vs. Closed-Back Design 

The ongoing argument between the open-back and closed-back leagues hasn’t resolved to a settlement yet. However, let’s get into a decisive discussion about what you should expect when you opt for either design.

Since the choice between open-back and closed-back is a matter of taste, you should get well-versed in the rudiments of both types.

2. Open-Back Headphones 

Open-back pairs are what I personally favor in the realm of headphones. Generally, open-back ear cups are primarily designed for proper ventilation, and thus, for an improved soundstage. These classical music headphones hint at an omnidirectional distribution of sound where you can sense the 3D representation of the 3 frequencies in every classical piece. 

It’s worth noting that open-back headphones suffer from sound leakage and little-to-no noise isolation due to the absence of any seal to trap the sound inside the ear cups. So, the background noise is more likely to interrupt your listening experience, and the immersive soundstage may disturb anyone nearby. 

Although the pros outweigh the cons in open-back headphones, these pairs won’t please bassheads due to the compromises on the lows, which are exclusively more pronounced in their closed-back peers.

3. Closed-Back Headphones 

Closed-back headphones have ear cups that entirely encompass your ears, leaving no room for air passage in and out of the earpads’ diameter. This construction manages to overcome the absence of noise-cancelling and the inevitable sound leakage of open-back headphones. Yet, the output is nowhere near the natural-sounding “hall” effect of open-back headphones.

On the flip side, your ears will be more susceptible to heating up with closed-back headphones due to their restrictive ear cushions, which are thoroughly padded, but may cause skin irritation after prolonged contact with your ears.

Not only does this lead to an artificial tone, but it’ll give you a headache after a couple of minutes. Perhaps it’s a better option for a bass impact. However, I wouldn’t imagine sacrificing ergonomics, comfort, and spatial sound for the punchy bass response.

Kinds Of Best Headphones Drivers

There are 3 main types of drivers on the market: dynamic, planar, and electrostatic. 

1. Dynamic Drivers 

These are the most common classical best music headphones’ drivers. They rely on magnets that feature a voice coil. This coil is attached to a diaphragm that responds to the air movement and, thus, creates the sound. 

These drivers are the most affordable, and you can find a wide variety of portable options that don’t require using an amplifier. 

2. Planar Magnetic Drivers 

Planar drivers are considerably heavy due to their even twin-magnet diaphragm. The presence of two magnets here accounts for the nonexistent distortion that marks the prominence of these drivers, and their high price, too.

I think that headphones with planar drivers should be reserved for studio monitoring instead of listening to classical music since they’re far from being convenient with regards to their weight and price.

3. Electrostatic Drivers

The elusive electrostatic headphones are hard to spot among even professional studio gear due to their hefty price tag.

These headphones utilize very thin stationary diaphragms that resonate when audio signals are pumped toward them. Although electrostatic drivers deliver the most impeccable sound, they only shine when plugged into amplifiers.

Dynamic vs. Planar vs. Electrostatic

Planar magnetic headphones, also known as orthodynamic drivers or ISO-dynamic drivers, have a diaphragm suspended between two magnets, which explains why they are typically heavy. Planar magnetic headphones overcome the majority of the issues associated with dynamic headphones due to the driver design.

Orthodynamic headphones are also generally more expensive than dynamic headphones, but they are seen as a good substitute if you don't have access to an electrostatic headphone. See our picks for the best planar magnetic headphones.

Electrostatic headphones are among the most expensive in the world. Electrostatic drivers operate on the static electricity principle. The driver is designed to reproduce near-perfect sound quality. To function properly, they require a powerful headphone amplifier. Electrostatic headphones are uncommon among many users due to their high cost.

1. SoundStage & Imaging Explained

Simply put, the soundstage is the virtual distance between and beyond where the sounds appear to come from from right to left. This is typically a sense of space (width, depth, and height) that you experience when listening to music and the headphones appear to vanish.

The ability to locate the placement of instruments or performers on a virtual soundstage, giving the sound a three-dimensional presentation, is known as imaging or localization.

Though most people believe that headphones do not create a soundstage like speakers, I disagree. Headphones can be used to simulate the virtual soundstage. The soundstage and imaging of a headphone are heavily influenced by the type of headphone and, more importantly, the record you're listening to.

2. Neutrality Explained

Neutrality in headphones refers to keeping the sound as accurate as possible when it is reproduced. A neutral headphone seeks to remove any coloration from the audio, providing the user with an accurate representation of the music as it was recorded.

Classical music is typically played in a dynamic range of soft to loud. The tonal balance of a classical headphone should be flat with some treble lift.

3. Impedance & Sensitivity Explained

Impedance and sensitivity or efficiency are the two main factors that determine how difficult or easy it is to properly drive a pair of headphones.

Impedance in ohms measures how much a headphone's driver obstructs (resists) the flow of an electrical signal transmitted by an amplifier in the voice coil. Insufficient volume or clipping dynamic peaks will result if an amplifier or your source cannot generate enough power. The impedance of headphones ranges from as low as 16 ohms to as high as 600 ohms, as seen in the Beyerdynamic T1 2nd Generation.

Best Headphones Ear Cup Design

Ear cups fall into three categories: over-ear, on-ear, and in-ear.

Generally, the over-ear type is what most people mean when referring to headphones. The cups here surround both ears altogether, ensuring an immersive listening experience. I’d say that the over-ear cups implemented in open-back designs are perfect since they provide great playback with minimal sound leakage.

On-ear headphones land directly around the edges of your ear. The reason I find them worthy of purchase is that they save you the bother of taking over-ear headphones outdoors. However, they’re definitely more sensitive to ambient noise. Also, they may cause fatigue if worn for long periods since the earpads may run tight on your ears. 

Do you know the headphones you get out of the box when buying a new smartphone? These are definitely in-ear. These are so portable that you can keep them in your pocket, but their sound reproduction is so trivial compared to full-sized pair of headphones. However, I always have a pair of these with me, either as a backup or for low-power playback devices.

Best Headphones Power Requirements

Impedance and sensitivity account for the power draw the headphones will require. Let’s take a look at how these criteria relate to the audio playback device you’re using.

1. Impedance

Any good headphones for classical music magnetic drivers have a certain limit of the electric current they can withstand, and this limit is called impedance. Measured in ohms, the impedance in headphones falls between 8 and 600 ohms. Note that you should buy headphones with an impedance level near to your playback device’s output impedance.

Simply put, the higher the ohm magnitude, the more the electricity flows to the magnetic drivers, and thus, the better the overall sound reproduction. However, higher impedance doesn’t always ensure better sound quality. For instance, you won’t fully enjoy how a 250-ohm pair sounds if you plug it into a low-impedance playback device.

2. Sensitivity

Although sensitivity isn’t the super important factor you should consider while buying good headphones for classical music, it’s crucial that you understand how it relates to impedance. Generally, sensitivity, measured in dB, refers to how loud the pair of headphones are.

With high-sensitivity headphones, you don’t need to crank up the volume knob in your playback device to obtain the desired loudness output, and since more volume corresponds to more power, you can argue that low impedance (usually around 32 ohms) and high sensitivity is the bargain you’d want to strike. 

Best Headphones For Classical Musical Soundstage

The soundstage is what gives the listener the spatial recognition of every instrument in the playback in good headphones for classical music. It depends on an omnidirectional presentation of the sound to create the illusion of hearing every individual layer of music.

But, what’s so essential about the soundstage effect? Unlike many genres, classical music provides a wide array of frequencies played at a time, hence the plethora of clefs you see in sheet music like Bach’s Mass in B minor, for instance.

To give rise to the same sensation as the sound-amplifying domes in philharmonic orchestras, the soundstage, with its ability to provide genuine stereo imaging, comes into play. If you’re reading till this point, you must’ve noticed that open-back headphones generate a second-to-none soundstage.

Popular Headphones For Classical Musical Comfort 

You probably know that suites, like Gustav Holst’s “The Planets,” play for more than 30 minutes. So, make sure that the earpads have sufficient cushioning, preferably velour or memory foam. Moreover, the headband should be self-adjustable to save you the bother of having to align it to your head’s posture.

Detachable cables are always a plus when it comes to pair of headphones, especially these single-braided cables that won’t get tangled up around your arm as you move around. Alternatively, I like kevlar-braided cable even if they aren’t detachable since they don’t wear out easily.

Final Verdict

Finding the headphones for classical music isn’t a piece of cake. Yet, with a better understanding of the capabilities of each of the models we have on the list, we’re sure you’ll be able to make up your mind to get good headphones for classical music. 

The AKG K702 isn’t the most expensive on the list, but it offers the highest sensitivity and an optimal impedance. These pair of headphones are the lightest, and they feature a decent frequency response that’ll suit the majority of our seasoned classical music listeners. The Audio-Technica ATH-AD700Xoffers excellent performance that’s almost as satisfying as that of the AKG K702, but it’s more affordable. 

If you want to get the advantages of both open-back and closed-back headphones, then you’d want to consider the Beyerdynamic DT880’s semi-open form factor. However, it’s important to make sure that the pair of headphones are compatible with the device you use for listening to classical music, mainly because of the relatively high impedance. 

Whichever way you go, we hope we provided you with all the information you need to make the right choice. Enjoy!

FAQs About Best Headphones For Classical Musical