In this review, I’ll be taking a look at the OneOdio Monitor 60 professional headphones.
OneOdio is a young company based out of Hong Kong, which has a reputation for making decent and affordable audio equipment, albeit with varying results. Let’s take a closer look.
Final verdict
While the price of the Monitor 60 is tough to beat, the performance you get isn’t quite worth the expense, in my opinion.
The midrange is unbalanced, the high end is harsh, and even though the bass is overemphasized, the sub region is lacking.
The biggest issue, though, is that in such a saturated market, any new contender needs to offer something truly compelling to stand out.
And while the headphones are fine for the price, I just don’t see a strong reason to choose it over more established alternatives.
What I like
- Affordable.
- Well built.
- Great accessory bundle.
What I don’t like
- Unbalanced midrange.
- Harsh high end.
Why you should trust this review
I’ve been producing and engineering for over 15 years.
During that time, I’ve had hands-on experience with a wide array of monitoring setups – from high-end monitors and studio headphones to crappy earbuds and repurposed car speakers.
I know how to stretch a budget, and I know when a piece of gear doesn’t perform up to its asking price.
This experience, along with years of problem-solving in a variety of recording environments, has taught me what gear is worth your investment – and what isn’t.
Sound quality 3.2
The OneOdio Monitor 60 have a frequency of 20 Hz – 40 kHz, as well as an impedance of 38 ohms and a sensitivity of 110 dB (+3 dB).
The bass is fairly dominant, although it never tramples over what’s happening in the midrange. The low end is a bit lacking, but it seems to be more concentrated towards the mid-bass area in favor of any frequencies below 80 Hz.
The midrange is extremely unbalanced, the lower midrange is nearly nonexistent in comparison to the upper-mids.
To make matters worse, the high-end frequencies showcase several spikes around 7 kHz and above 10 kHz. This makes the whole listening experience a fairly fatiguing one, especially after about an hour or so.
Unfortunately, these aren’t the most accurate headphones you can buy, but for a budget pair of headphones they perform moderately well.
Build and design 4.0
These headphones are built somewhat decently, despite being made almost entirely of plastic. There’s no noticeable creaking, and the adjustable headband moves rather smoothly.
The earcups rotate 180 degrees horizontally and vertically, and can be folded for easy storage.
Comfort 3.5
The faux leather on the earpads is soft and comfortable, although this can’t quite be said for the headband which has less padding. They’re not Beyerdynamics, but they’re usable.
Like most other headphones, they won’t fall off your head while in the studio, but they’re not stable enough for running or intense physical activities.
Isolation 3.5
Isolation on the Monitor 60s is okay, but not the best. You can still hear sound coming from outside the headphones, even in more quiet spaces.
On the other hand, they don’t bleed very much, unless you listen at extreme volumes.
Accessories 4.7
The OneOdio Monitor 60 come with three cables: a 1/4-inch jack, a 1/8-inch jack, and a 1/8-inch jack with a microphone; all three cables have a 1/8-inch jack on the other end.
The cables seem fairly cheap in quality, but you can probably get a good amount of use out of all of them. A carrying bag is also present. Quite a solid set for the price.
Compared to other headphones
Before you settle on the OneOdio Monitor 60, let’s take a look at some other headphones that may be a better fit.
OneOdio Monitor 60 vs Audio-Technica ATH-M40x
While the ATH-M40x are slightly more expensive and still have quite a bit of emphasis on the low end, they’re more comfortable and more balanced in the midrange.
Read the full Audio-Technica ATH-M40x review
OneOdio Monitor 60 vs Shure SRH440
Although they’re not without fault, the Shures are much more neutral in their response, and provide a more accurate listening experience than the Monitor 60. I would recommend spending the extra dough.
Read the full Shure SRH440 review
OneOdio Monitor 60 vs Sennheiser HD 280 Pro
These are some of the most accurate headphones you can buy for $100. Their response is balanced and neutral, and they’ve remained as one of the most popular budget cans since their release in 2003.
Read the full Sennheiser HD 280 Pro review
Who are the OneOdio Monitor 60 headphones best suited for?
The Monitor 60 are best suited for beginner audio engineers on a budget. They’re not very accurate or reliable as monitoring headphones, but for the price they perform well enough.
See current price at: Amazon
