Top headphones for digital pianos – 2024 Edition

A common mistake when purchasing a digital piano is to forget to invest in a pair of headphones of sufficient quality to enhance the playing experience. In addition to providing high quality audio reproduction, headphones need to be both comfortable to wear for extended playing sessions and suitable for the ambient temperature (hotter environments may require lighter, more breathable headphones).

Note also that digital pianos do not support Bluetooth headphones. This is due to the high latency that the Bluetooth protocol results in. Bluetooth headphones also do not support high enough audio quality due to the lossy compression employed (far below 1980s CD quality). Therefore there are only two options: either wired headphones (the most common option), or infrared wireless headphones (these are new technology, and I believe only one option currently exists).

Below are 10 high quality wired headphones from 6 top manufacturers that are well-suited for listening to digital pianos, that either I have personally owned or have been recommended by other piano players. A basic rule of thumb is that you should spend on headphones at least 10% of the price you paid for your piano. So if you have a $1,500 piano then purchase a pair of Sennheiser HD 599SE, whereas if you have a $30,000 piano then purchase a pair of HiFiMan HE1000SE.

Premium headphones

1. HiFiMan HE1000SE (AUD $2,819)
   Reviews: Passion for Sound
   These are top-of-the line headphones – and less than half the price of the very similar performance HiFiMan Susvara. Great if you are a teacher and want to give students aural tests on a digital piano.
2. Sennheiser HD 800S (seen for as low as AUD $1,784)
   These are my current piano-only headphones, they match perfectly the sound output from my Yamaha AvantGrand NU1XA.
3. Shure SRH1840 (AUD $799)
   These are my everyday listening headphones for all genres of music. However they would serve perfectly fine for piano-only listening.
4. BeyerDynamics DT1990 Pro (AUD $695)
5. Sennheiser HD 660S2 (AUD $698)

Entry-level headphones

1. Meze 99 Classics Neo (AUD $329)
   Over the past decade, Meze have become one of the world’s best headphone manufacturers, and the 99 Classics are very good value for money.
   
   Frequency response: 15 Hertz to 25,000 Hertz
   Impedance: 32 Ohms
   Weight: 260 grams (9 Ounces)
2. Sennheiser HD 560S (seen for as low as AUD $224)
   These have the same drivers as are in the HD 400 Pro – these are a newer model.
   
   Frequency response: 6 Hertz to 38,000 Hertz
   Impedance: 120 Ohms
   Harmonic distortion: less than 0.05% (1 kHz / 90 dB SPL)
   Weight: 240 grams (8.5 Ounces)
3. Sennheiser HD 400 Pro (AUD $318)
   These have the same drivers as are in the HD 560S – these are an older model.
   
   Frequency response: 6 Hertz to 38,000 Hertz
   Impedance: 120 Ohms
   Harmonic distortion: less than 0.05% (1 kHz / 90 dB SPL)
   Weight: 240 grams (8.5 Ounces)
4. Audio-Technica ATH-M50x (AUD $195)
   Note: These headphones will require some EQ adjustment to obtain good results.
   
   Frequency response: 15 Hertz to 28,000 Hertz
   Impedance: 38 Ohms
   Weight: 285 grams (10 Ounces)
5. Sennheiser HD 599 Special Edition / SE (seen for as low as AUD $125 – these are an Amazon-exclusive model)
   If you are on a tight budget then these represent the best-value entry-level headphones. These are very lightweight and they are also well-ventilated so they are great for warmer environments. These represent the absolute minimum quality necessary for enjoying the latest generation of digital pianos.
   
   Frequency response: 12 Hertz to 38,500 Hertz
   Impedance: 50 Ohms
   Weight: 255 grams (9 Ounces)
   Harmonic distortion: less than 0.1% (1 kHz, 100 dB SPL)