The Best Headphones of 2025: Open, Closed, and Wireless Designs
Some of the most exciting headphone releases this year.
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The Best Headphones of 2025: Open, Closed, and Wireless Designs · Source: Audio-Technica
In this roundup, we’re looking at some best headphones released this year, with exciting open, closed, and wireless designs.
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This year, we looked at a range of different headphones for tracking, music production, mixing, and listening. While you may simply prefer the sound of one manufacturer’s headphones to another, we’ve checked out the long-term durability for everyday use and the overall versatility.
The Best Headphones of 2025: Behringer BH20
Is it possible to get a decent pair of headphones for under 50 bucks? It is now. The Behringer BH20 is a very familiar-looking closed-back headphone design that is ideal for a wide range of applications. With its soft ear cushions and adjustable headband, the BH20 provides comfort for your next recording or beat production session.
The 40mm neodymium drivers produce a frequency response of 10 – 26,000 Hz, and with an impedance rating of 32 ohms, you can get optimal performance from the BH20 with any consumer or pro audio device in your home studio. When you consider the affordable price, it makes the BH20 a perfect choice when you need a few backup pairs for your podcast studio or music lab.
With its closed-back design, the BH20 is great for any application that needs isolation, including vocal tracking, podcasting, and more. Along with the headphones, the BH20 also ships with a detachable and replaceable 3-meter cable and a carry bag for easy transportation. Get it at Thomann.*
The Best Headphones of 2025: Audio-Technica ATH-R Series
This year, Audio-Technica expanded its line of open-back reference headphones with an updated flagship ATH-R70xa and two more affordable options in the form of the ATH-R50x and the ATH-R30x. While the ATH-R70xa will probably get better results with a dedicated headphone preamp, the two other models have relatively low impedance ratings.
This means that a wide range of professional and consumer audio devices will provide enough amplification for the ATH-R50x and ATH-R30x models. If you’re working in a home studio environment, this is particularly useful because you can plug these headphones into any one of your synths and grooveboxes when creating.
If you’ve ever considered using headphones for music production, mixing, and mastering, the R Series is an interesting prospect that provides a wide soundstage with exceptional detail. As with most Audio-Technica products, the balance of quality and affordability is impressive, so this is a great entry point into the world of open-back headphones. Get it at Thomann.*
The Best Headphones of 2025: Sennheiser HD 550
The new HD 550 provides a relatively affordable route into Sennheiser’s range of open-back audiophile-grade headphones. With a similar look and feel to the slightly pricier HD 505, the 550 uses custom-built 38mm transducers protected by acoustic mesh coverings, producing a frequency range of 6 – 39,500 Hz.
Weighing just 237g, the HD 550 isn’t a hefty as many of the headphone designs in this class. Meanwhile, the open design provides detailed articulation of transients with the natural and balanced overall sound that audiophiles love. With the soft-textured headband and velour ear pads, the HD 550 is luxuriously comfortable and ideal for long listening sessions.
What’s more, with an impedance rating of 150 ohms, you can power these headphones from a wide range of devices. The HD 550 also allows you to use a headset mic, to expand its scope of application, and the headphones ship with a 1.8-meter detachable cable and carrying bag. Get it at Thomann.*
The Best Headphones of 2025: AIAIAI TMA-2 Studio Wireless
The TMA-2 Studio Wireless is the most affordable iteration of the AIAIAI wireless modular headphones designed for tracking, music production, and mixing applications. Equipped with 40mm N45 neodymium drivers, the S11 speaker units produce a frequency range of 10 – 40,000 Hz and are designed to work with the X03 transmitter.
When using the TMA-2 Studio Wireless, you have a choice of W+ Link wireless, which lasts up to 20 hours at 320 kbps 48 kHz 24-bit with less than 10ms of latency, or Bluetooth 5.3, which provides up to 40 hours of playback time. In addition, these headphones can also be used as traditional wired headphones, making them suitable for any application.
With the accompanying AIAIAI app for iOS and Android, you can choose and create custom EQ profiles so that you have the sound you want when you’re creating. Overall, the TMA-2 Studio Wireless is a convenient system with a 10-meter range for any home studio, and you can upgrade to this from any pair of TMA-2 Studio headphones. Get it at Thomann.*
The Best Headphones of 2025: Audeze LCD-S20
Easily one of the most revered names in the headphones game, Audeze expanded its range this year with the LCD-S20 closed-back studio headphones. With the design of the LCD-20, Audeze aimed to create the ultimate headphone design for tracking, with incredible isolation made possible with the acoustically dampened ear pads.
With the electrostatic planar design, the 90 mm transducers deliver a frequency response of 10 – 40,000 Hz with a sound that lets you experience all the realism of your performance when tracking vocals, guitars, or drums. For easy maintenance, the ear pads attach magnetically, making them easy to remove, and you can connect the cable to either the left or right ear cup.
Overall, the SLAM technology gives you the best possible bass reproduction, so the LCD-S20 is also going to be fun to use for beat production. Meanwhile, the LCD-S20 ships with its ruggedly built detachable 2.5-meter cable and a minijack to female TRS adapter for studio operation. Get it at Thomann.*
More about the Best Headphones 2025:
- Check out our Budget Headphones Roundup
- Thomann’s Guide to Headphones
*Note: This article contains advertising links that help us finance our site. Don’t worry: the price for you always stays the same! If you purchase something through these links, we receive a small commission. Thank you for your support!
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