Best Headphones for Digital Pianos

Written by: Leslie Carmichael
Updated:

As a pianist, making music is as much about what you hear as it is about what you play. Sure, you could purchase a pair of cheap headphones to get you through music lessons on your digital piano, and you would probably be ok. But for an immersive and authentic experience, you’ll want a pair of headphones with great sound quality, especially after making an investment in a digital piano!

Choosing the right headphones for your digital piano will open up a world of dynamic musical expression, leading you to better musicianship and more nuanced playing as well as privacy when you are practicing. We’ve compiled a list of the seven best headphones for your digital piano to help you choose the best set for your needs. 

Quick glance at the best headphones for digital pianos:

Related: 

Best Headphones for Digital Pianos Reviewed 

Yamaha HPH-50B Compact Closed-Back Headphones – Best Budget Headphones

Yamaha HPH-50B Compact Closed-Back Headphones, Black

Amazon 

Features

  • Budget price
  • Available in black and white 
  • Compact, comfortable design 
  • Gold-plated stereo plug with both ¼ inch and mini-jack 
  • 2-meter cable 
  • Ear cups have a 90-degree swivel with an adjustable band to fit a variety of head shapes

Summary

Headphones can be very expensive, but if budget is your number one concern, then the Yamaha HPH-50B headphones might be the right choice. You can expect reasonably good sound quality at a fraction of the cost of other sets. In addition, these headphones are designed to be lightweight and comfortable, so you won’t be distracted when you practice. 

This headset is versatile because you can remove the ¼ inch jack to reveal a mini-jack underneath. It’s also very adjustable to fit a variety of head shapes. So if you’re strapped for cash, these simple, basic headphones will get the job done.

Pros

  • Nice sound quality at a great price 
  • Lightweight and easy to wear 
  • Comfortable and adjustable
  • Versatile with included 1/8 inch mini-jack and ¼ inch jack

Cons

  • The ear cups are slightly small and may not fit larger ears well
  • These headphones are not designed to produce pro-quality sound 

Sony MDR7506 Professional Large Diaphragm Headphone - Best Mid-Priced Headphones

Sony MDR7506 Professional Large Diaphragm Headphone

Amazon 

Features

  • Powerful, detailed sound 
  • Rugged design that folds for travel 
  • Large, closed-back ear cups to reduce ambient noise and offer comfort 
  • 1/8 inch mini jack with ¼ inch adaptor and cable 
  • Designed for extended wear in the studio 

Summary

Sony offers a lot of sound for a nice price with this model of headphones. The sound is warm and clear, with a lot of detail and no muddied bass, making it a solid choice for studio work. In addition, these Sony headphones might be a good choice for you if you want to hear every nuance in your playing since the closed-back design greatly reduces ambient noise. 

These headphones are sturdy and are designed to fold up for storage or travel, which is great if space is tight or you are kind of hard on your stuff. In addition, they come standard with both the 1/8 inch mini jack as well as the ¼ inch adapter, so they should work with most non-Bluetooth keyboards. 

Pros

  • Crisp, detailed sound with very little ambient noise 
  • The sturdy design folds up for storage or travel 
  • It can be used with mini-jacks and ¼ plugs 

Cons

  • Folding joint can pinch your fingers if you aren’t careful
  • A coiled cable can be challenging to manage 
  • The large ear cups retain heat and may be uncomfortable without a break

Roland RH-200 Stereo Monitor Headphones – Best for Roland Digital Pianos

Roland RH-200 Stereo Monitor Headphones Black Coiled Cable – Clear, Accurate and Comfortable for Studio-Quality Monitoring

Amazon 

Features

  • These headphones were designed to be lightweight and comfortable 
  • The closed-back design cuts down on ambient noise 
  • The earpieces rotate 180 degrees to allow for the single ear listening 
  • Available with coiled or straight cable to suit your preferences 
  • Includes gold-plated 1/8 inch connector and ¼ inch adapter 

Summary 

Roland’s RH-200s are closed-back headphones that significantly reduce ambient noise so you can focus on your music. In addition, they offer crystal clear sound so you can concentrate on the details of your musical nuance or the subtleties of your studio mix. 

Relatively lightweight, these aren’t the cheapest headphones on the market, but they provide excellent sound quality for the price. In addition, with the rotating earpieces, you can turn one away from your head for single-ear listening, if you desire, or so you can hear your teacher more clearly. 

You can purchase this model with either a straight or curly cable, whichever you prefer. If you want a simple model of headphone that allows you to hear what you are playing clearly, this might be the best choice for you. 

Pros

  • Detailed, neutral sound for an accurate representation of what you are playing 
  • Adjustable band for comfort with rotating earpieces 
  • The closed-back earcup reduces ambient noise 

Cons

  • The curly cable can get very twisted up

Roland A7-BK Open-Air Monitor Headphone – Best Open-Air Headphones 

Features

Roland A7-BK Open-Air Monitor Headphone - Black

Amazon 

  • Open ear cup to allow for ambient noise and breathability
  • Soft, luxurious ear pads created to keep ears comfortable 
  • The wide dynamic range is especially suitable for digital pianos
  • Adjustable headband
  • Lightweight 
  • 1/8 inch mini-jack with ¼ inch adapter included 

Summary 

Roland designed their A7-BK headphones for loads of comfort during long practice sessions. The luxuriously padded earpieces cradle your ears for all-day comfort, and the adjustable headband prevents pain. 

 Thanks to the open-back cups, you can easily hear what’s going on around you. The open cups also provide maximum breathability so that you won’t overheat, either.

These aren’t the cheapest on the market, but they are made to be used with digital pianos. The Roland headphones are a good choice if you are looking for a wide dynamic range to work on your musical nuance but still want to be able to hear your teacher or others in the room. 

Pros 

  • Extremely comfortable for long practice or recording sessions 
  • Allows you to hear what’s going on around you 
  • Designed for digital pianos 

Cons 

  • Expensive
  • These headphones do not cancel ambient noise

Puro Sound Labs BT2200s Volume Limited Kids’ Bluetooth Headphones - Best for Young Kids

Puro Sound Labs BT2200s Volume Limited Kids’ Bluetooth Headphones – Safer Headphones for Kids – Studio-Grade Audio Quality & Noise Isolation- Hot Pink

Amazon 

Features

  • Designed to prevent hearing damage in children with a maximum 85 dB volume 
  • Full dynamic range from bass notes to crisp vocals 
  • Built-in microphone 
  • Bluetooth pairing
  • 20 hours of battery life, 200 hours of standby
  • Reduces 82% of ambient noise 
  • Lightweight 

Summary 

Puro is a family-based company that created these headphones after their own daughter was diagnosed with noise-induced hearing loss. These studio-quality headphones will allow your children to work on their musical abilities without risking long-term hearing damage. In addition, daisy chaining is great for private lessons, so your child can work with their teacher, too. 

These headphones are Bluetooth compatible, but you may prefer using the cable for fewer dropouts. They have a long battery life and can be used for online school and phone calls, too. 

These might be a great choice if you are purchasing them for a child or if your child has sensory issues and needs to block out some of the ambient noise around them. 

Pros 

  • Created to protect kids from noise damage 
  • Bluetooth or wired capability 
  • Long battery life 
  • Comfortable fit 
  • Noise-reducing headphones help children with sensory issues 
  • You can daisy-chain another pair of headphones for lessons 
  • These can also be used for school and phone calls with the built-in microphone 

Cons

  • This model is for younger children, however, they have additional models for older children

Audio-Technica ATH-M50X Professional Studio Monitor Headphones – Best for Professionals

Audio-Technica ATH-M50X Professional Studio Monitor Headphones, Black, Professional Grade, Critically Acclaimed, with Detachable Cable

Amazon 

Features 

  • Professional sound performance 
  • Provides musical clarity 
  • 90-degree Swiveling ear cups
  • Contoured for sound isolation 
  • It comes with coiled and straight cables and 1/4 inch adapter 

Summary 

If sound quality is of utmost importance to you, you might want to choose Audiotechnica headphones. These headphones are highly acclaimed by studio professionals for their sound quality and clarity. 

The swiveling ear cups are designed to contour around your ear to block out as much ambient noise as possible, but they can also be turned out for single-ear listening if you prefer. It comes with both straight and curly cables to suit your preferences. In addition, these earphones are collapsible for storing or traveling. 

Pros 

  • High-end sound quality
  • Multiple cables included 
  • Designed for
  • all-day comfort 

Cons 

  • Expensive 

AKG Pro Audio K72 Over-Ear, Closed-Back, Studio Headphones – Best All-Around

AKG Pro Audio K72 Over-Ear, Closed-Back, Studio Headphones, Matte Black

Amazon 

Features 

  • Excellent Sound for the price 
  • Lightweight and comfortable 
  • Closed-back earpieces for ambient noise reduction 
  • Adjustable headband 

Summary 

AKG headphones are renowned for their audio quality. You’ll find them in professional studios. The low price makes them very affordable for the average consumer, but their audio quality makes them attractive to the most discerning of musicians. 

These comfortable and lightweight headphones have an adjustable design with earcups made for long hours of practice, while the closed-back earcups reduce ambient noise. As an added bonus, the earcups create a chamber around the ear that prevents noise leakage, which means your microphone won’t pick up your click track. 

Pros 

  • Extremely affordable 
  • Pro-caliber sound quality 
  • Reduces ambient noise and prevents sound leakage. 

Cons 

  • Not as durable or sturdy as other models 
  • The earcups may not work well with glasses 

Criteria for choosing the 7 Best Headphones for Digital Pianos 

Volume Limiting Headphones 

If you are purchasing headphones for children, you’ll want to consider volume-limiting headphones. Children and teenagers have a hard time perceiving when the volume of headphones is too high, which could cause permanent damage to their long-term hearing. 

Volume limiting headphones will restrict the volume that the headphones can produce to 85dB or less. If you’re using an iPhone, you can set this in your phone to control the volume on any headphones that are attached, but if you’re using a digital piano, you won’t have the same benefits. In addition, it is easy for the volume to get out of control fast, especially if there is a lot of ambient noise around you. So the best means to control the volume for your child (or even yourself!) is to use headphones with volume limits built-in, since damaged hearing can reduce your abilities as a musician. 

Noise Canceling Headphones

On the other hand, ambient or background noise can disturb your playing and distract you, causing you to constantly be reaching for that volume knob to turn it up. You can avoid this by choosing noise-canceling headphones. Sometimes these are called closed-back headphones because the headphone cup is solid to prevent sound from getting in. Some headphones will also digitally cancel ambient noise, although most of the headphones on our list work by physically keeping out the noise.

You also may want to consider noise leakage. Noise leakage happens when you can hear what’s playing in someone else’s headphones, not your own. Better quality headphones will keep sound in as well as out, so you don’t have to listen to someone else practice. This is beneficial if you are recording because your microphone might pick up on any noise leaking from your headphones. 

Open-back headphones will not cancel ambient noise, but they may reduce it some. So if you are going to be using your headphones for hours at a time, you might prefer open-back headphones for comfort. 

Comfort 

Comfort is surprisingly important when choosing headphones. It helps if you can try them on to see what kind of headphones best fit your head, since heads – and headphones – come in all different shapes and sizes. If you can’t try them on because you’re purchasing on-line, look for headphones that swivel at the ear cups. Make sure the ear cups are larger enough to go over your ears (otherwise, they will pinch). You may also want to consider an adjustable band so that the headphones fit snugly to your head without causing pain. 

As mentioned above, open-back headphones will allow more airflow around your ears and head. If you are wearing them for long periods of time, this will reduce the moisture and sweat buildup, even though it reduces noise cancellation. 

Hinged headphones are great for travel or storage, but they may pinch fingers or pull hair, so choose wisely if comfort is your main priority. 

Price 

It’s easy to repeat the cliche, “you get what you pay for,” but it's true when it comes to headphones. You can purchase headphones very inexpensively if you need to. But the sound quality, clarity, and comfort will definitely suffer. 

Be careful when purchasing inexpensive headphones because they won’t give you the richness or depth of sound that you need to develop musical expression and nuance. Try to give them a listen before you purchase cheap headphones because not only do you get what you pay for, but what you hear is what you get. 

Durability 

Headphones aren’t going to last if you treat them badly. Holding them by the cable, dropping them, or shoving them in a drawer could easily damage good headphones, so you need to treat them gently. However, you also want to consider durability, especially if you are purchasing them for a child. 

Headphones with ¼ inch jacks will be more durable than mini-jacks. However, Bluetooth headphones don’t have cables at all, so that’s one less thing to break on your pair if that’s a concern. 

Connectivity 

Connectivity is essential because you need your headphones to be compatible with your keyboard or digital piano. Most digital pianos will have a ¼ inch headphone jack, while small keyboards may have a mini-jack. Either one may have Bluetooth connectivity, so you’ll need to check your manual to figure out which one will work for you. 

Adaptors are available if you need to convert the mini-jack to a quarter-inch or vice versa, but for the optimum sound, just get the one that matches your keyboard. 

Bluetooth is undoubtedly convenient since you don’t have to worry about wires and cables, but you’ll probably get better sound quality with a wired pair. Bluetooth may experience dropouts, pairing with the wrong devices, and will need to be charged regularly. Most musicians say there isn’t a difference in sound between 1/8 inch and ¼ inch jacks, but 1/4 inch jacks seem to be sturdier and more reliable. Find out everything you wanted to know about jack size (and more) here.

Our Pick for the Best Headphones for Digital Pianos

If you are purchasing headphones for children, you’ll want to pick out a pair, like Puro, with a volume-limiting design that maxes out at 85db.

But if you are searching for an all-around, high-quality pair of very affordable headphones, we love the akg headphones. First of all, they do a pretty good job reducing ambient noise and a great job preventing noise leakage. Second of all, they have a nice, neutral sound quality which means you can work on your musical nuance.

They are both comfortable and inexpensive, making them our favorite for the best all-around headphones. 

Written By:
If anyone knows a thing or two about pianos, it's Leslie. Having played piano for the past 25 years and teaching for the past 15 years, she has vast experience compared to most. She loves to share her honest opinions about the brands and manufacturers in the industry. In her free time, Leslie loves to play with her dogs and go on hikes.

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