All digital pianos have a jack plug for headphones. The ability to play the piano through headphones is the main advantage over an acoustic piano.
But there are several situations in which it may be essential to buy digital piano headphones.
Firstly, in terms of sound. Playing the piano with headphones gives you the impression of playing in a concert hall, especially if you’re in a room with poor acoustics. The sound and the specialisation are quite simply completely different.
On the other hand, it’s often to isolate yourself from the outside world. You may want silence because you’re in a noisy room, or you may want to concentrate when playing or composing. Or you may want peace and quiet so you can play without fear of bad advice or false notes.
In this article, we give you all the advice you need to buy digital piano headphones, plus a selection of the best digital piano headphones.
The best piano digital headphones
Why buy headphones ?
There are several reasons why it may be necessary to buy headphones to play the digital piano.
First of all, for the sound. Playing the piano with headphones gives the impression of playing in a concert hall, especially if you are in a room with poor acoustics. The sound and the specialization are simply completely different.
On the other hand, it is often to isolate oneself from the outside world. Whether you want silence because you are in a noisy room or you want to concentrate on playing or composing. One may also want to be quiet to play without fear of bad advice or fear of false notes.
Using good headphones will be a long-term investment to get the best out of your digital piano. In addition, all headphones can be reused to listen to music on your smartphone or your hi-fi system.
Here are the criteria you need to know to choose the right headphones for your digital piano.
Criteria to be taken into account
There are many things to look for in order not to make a mistake in your choice. Here are the main ones, and above all the essentials.
The sound
The best piano headphones are like studio headphones: they must produce a neutral sound, i.e. reproduce the sound of the digital piano as faithfully as possible. What’s more, they should have a wide frequency range, because the piano is the instrument with the widest range of frequencies: from very low to very high notes.
So forget DJ headphones or those with overboosted bass, which are often there to mask the mediocrity of the equipment.
The shape of the headphones
The headphones can be in-ear, supra-aural or circum-aural.
The first is the mobility helmet par excellence. Used by sportsmen and women and those who want to be discreet in the street. They are also called “headphones”. These are headphones that are inserted into the ear.
Supra-aural headphones are placed over the ears.
The circum-aural headphones are even bigger than the previous ones because they cover the ears completely.
When playing the piano, it is preferable to use the over-ear or circum-ear for comfort, ambience, sound quality and external noise.
The comfort
This is an important point to consider. Even with good sound quality, some headphones are uncomfortable, which hinders listening and productivity. Playing for hours on end will require a good choice of headphones. Unfortunately, even with testing, you can only really know if the headphones are right for you after a few hours or days. The AKG headphones (AKG K240, K272, K702) seem to be very comfortable even when wearing glasses.
The power of the headphones
High impedance headphones should be preferred, as although they can work with a digital piano, low impedance headphones are normally made to work with a low voltage audio source such as an MP3 player.
Low impedance = nomadic device; high impedance = mains connected device.
Good to know: using high impedance headphones on a mobile device would be a shame as they would not process the signal properly.
Open or closed ?
These notions of open and closed headphones can be found on all on-ear and around-ear headphones. It is important to make the distinction before buying digital piano headphones.
Open headphones have a more spacious, more natural sound, but let in ambient noise. They are open to outside noise.
Closed headphones have a better bass response and do not let sound in and out of the headphones. They are ideal for isolation. DJs prefer these headphones for mixing.
Whether you are listening to music or playing the piano, it is advisable to use closed headphones.
The compatibility
Headphones are always equipped with a 3.5 mm jack while digital pianos have a 6.35 mm jack input. In order to make them compatible, an adapter must be purchased (see here an adapter for less than 7€).
The price
While there are good quality headphones from £50 upwards, the functionality, brand and quality will generally increase with price. The ideal minimum budget is around £100.
Other criteria
Bluethooth, wired or wireless: There are several technologies for wireless headsets. Infrared, radio or bluetooth headsets. The first two are used in the home to listen to music on a hi-fi system or with the television. They need to be connected to the sound source. Bluetooth technology is the most widely used nowadays because it allows for mobile use.
Active noise reduction: some high-end headphones have a feature called noise reduction. A microphone analyses external noise in real time and emits a sound of the same nature but inverted to erase it.
Look: The only criterion where we can’t objectively give you advice is design. There are many different looks to suit different tastes. The only advice we can give is not to base your choice on this aspect alone. Indeed, the most stylish helmets are rarely the best quality ones.
The best headphones
Here is a list of digital piano headphones that will appeal to a wide range of price points and features. There are several types of headphones on this list, so it’s up to you to decide which one is right for you based on the tips above.
1. Beyerdynamic DT 770 PRO : the TOP
Information :
- Type : closed headphones
- Frequency range : 5 – 35,000 Hz
- Impedance : 80 Ohm
- Weight : 284 g
Beyerdynamic headphones are recognized in the professional audio industry, and among them, the DT 770 Pro model stands out for its reputation among studio professionals. It is clearly a reference in this price range.
The headphones offer a good balance across the entire spectrum and comfort that allows them to be worn for a long time. Its velvet ear pads are very comfortable while perfectly insulating from external noise.
The very good sound reproduction is ideal for the digital piano. We recommend the 80 Ohm version because it’s very versatile.
2. Sony MDR 7506 : Excellent value for money
Information :
- Type : closed headphones
- Frequency range : 10 – 20,000 Hz
- Impedance : 63 Ohm
- Weight : 230 g
Durable, solid and excellent value for money, the Sony MDR 7506 headphones offer exceptional sound quality. Comparable to headphones twice as expensive, the sound is punchy and clear across the spectrum (with a slight emphasis in the high mids), while avoiding being excessively flattering.
If you are looking for an accurate reproduction of your piano sound, with all the subtle resonances and reverb details highlighted, these professionally recommended headphones are worth considering. They offer exceptional sound quality and are able to faithfully reproduce every nuance of your piano playing.
3. AKG K240 MKII : Entry-level quality
Information :
- Type : semi-open headphones
- Frequency range : 15 – 25,000 Hz
- Impedance : 55 Ohm
- Weight : 226 g
The AKG K-240 MKII are semi-open on-ear headphones that combine excellent sound reproduction with comfort and versatility. Its closed/open design provides a compromise between extended sound spectrum and noise isolation.
Versatile, they can be used comfortably with a variety of hearing aids, but their open design means they won’t be suitable for everyone.
4. Yamaha HPH 150: Open headphones designed specifically for the piano
