The comfy and affordable Yamaha HPH-MT7W Studio Monitor Headphones would make an excellent addition to any home studio rig.
We urge you to take a look at all the positives we listed in the “pros” column below. Let that sink in, and then ask yourself, “Self, do I want studio headphones that are comfy even for long sessions, that are rugged enough to stand up to my abuse, sound fantastic and don’t color my mixes, and offer good isolation from outside noise and bleed-through?” If you answered yes to all that, then it’s time to pony up for the latest offering from Yamaha, the HPH-MT7 studio monitor headphones.
Our test pair came in a classy white finish, housed in an ultra-comfy enclosure that provided a good (albeit not amazing) sense of isolation during our tracking sessions. There was a tiny bit of outside noise that crept in, but much better than your standard pair of consumer cans, for sure. Sound quality, across the board, was excellent. These headphones take their inspiration and design cues from Yamaha’s ubiquitous NS-10M studio monitors, so you know you’re getting ultra-precise sound reproduction regardless of your application: tracking, mixing, or even pure audio enjoyment.
Yamaha HPH-MT7W Studio Monitor Headphones
In our tests, we were pleasantly surprised at the flat response and colorless reproduction the HPH-MT7’s had to offer. Too often at this price point, some sort of coloration seeps in and can affect the way you hear your mixes, and ultimately alter the way your tracks sound (and not always in a positive way). Most of the time, we’ve found that adds up to an increased (and often unnecessary) bass boost. Thankfully, this wasn’t the case and these new Yamaha studio headphones offered a “what you hear is what you get” type of vibe, exactly what you want in the studio. Bass was present and clear, without an over-emphasis on low-end frequencies. No mud, no fuss.
At this price point, the Yamaha HPH-MT7’s are competing directly with Audio-Technica’s ATH-M50x studio headphones. And if you’re trying to decide between the two, we’d ultimately give the slight edge to the A-T’s. Sound quality was just a touch better on the M50x’s, and we felt the isolation was also a bit better with a smidge less bleed. But really, you couldn’t go wrong with either one, especially if your monitoring budget is under $200. In fact, for a home studio set-up, the HPH-MT7’s would serve you incredibly well. We don’t hesitate at all to give these our full recommendation.
Yamaha HPH-MT7W Studio Monitor Headphones closed view
PROS:
Comfy, well-constructed, great audio quality, decent isolation, affordable.
CONS:
None.
PRICE:
$169
Yamaha HPH-MT7W Features
-40 mm custom drivers with CCAW voice
-Closed-back, circumaural design for excellent isolation
-Three-dimensional arm pivot construction and adjustable slider length
-Moveable earcups allow single-ear monitoring
-Thick ABS housing and rigid die-cast aluminum support-arms