Tascam TH-MX2 Closed-Back Studio Mixing Headphones

I bought these headphones about 9 months ago, not knowing much about the brand or quality. I got them in the mail and immediately took them on a trip to Puerto Rico. To my surprise, they sounded really good for a $20 set of studio cans. The highs were all present, as were the mids, and the lows were surprisingly punchy and clean (though they can lack sometimes). There were never any times that I felt that any of the frequencies were fighting for space. It has a very well balanced sound. The build of the headphones when you first pick them up feels cheap, but what do you expect from a set of headphones in this price bracket. There is exposed wiring to both earphones but I have never had to worry about snagging them on anything. As for the headphone cable, it is EXTREMELY long. I wish that instead of it having a straight cable, it would have a coiled cable, as that would make it feel less bulky and make it shorter and more maneuverable (I have rolled over the cable many times while working at my desk). As for comfort, these headphones get the job done. I would have liked to see a softer, more plush pleather instead of the hard stuff that is already on it. These headphones are still relatively comfortable. Due to the design, your ears will start to warm up after about and hour or two of intensive listening. The clamp pressure of them when they are on my head is actually quite nice (I have a large head). Also, a positive to the harder leather material is that it adds to the durability of the phones. After 9 months of intensive use in the studio and even outdoors, the ear cups only have a few scratches and dents and the head band padding is a bit loose, but still does the job. Over all, these are sill going strong. Sometimes I get a bit of weird static or stereo separation, but other than that, they are still getting work done. I would highly recommend these as a cheap but good pair of beginner studio headphones.

In a studio headphone, I need a something that delivers flat sound that isn't colored by the headphone. For this purpose, providing good clean sound in the studio, these are wonderful. They fit snugly over my ears without clamping down on my earlobes the way some other headphones do. I haven't put them through any formal testing, but based on my experience with them I think it's safe to report that they don't leak sound. They come with both 1/8th and 1/4 inch plugs which I've found to be pretty handy. I use the 1/8 plug when I need to monitor to the camera and use the 1/4 jack when I monitor the mixer. They'd still be a tremendous value at twice the price. At the price they're selling for here, they're a steal. That said, it's important that you recognize what you're purchasing when you buy these headphones. These are value priced headphones, that perform well beyond expectations. They are also studio headphones, and they deliver a wonderfully flat sound that won't and shouldn't compare with some sound enhanced pair of phones. All in all, I'm delighted. Thanks Joe (Creatively.Me)

Overall Score: 9.5/10 Pros... good sound quality some unique features (The measurements on the "sliders") cheap Cons... not as good as more expensive models, but still better then alot of models more expensive. I have used many high quality studio headphones in the past and am a recording musician. I feel informed to give you some needed information. In this review I will attempt to deliver some information you may not have been able to find in other reviews. I will not go over sound quality to much because other people have reviewed that well and I agree with what most say. The sound quality is great for the price. low frequency response is a little softer then mids and highs. There are some things that I haven't seen others talk about. The sliders used to fit to a head have measurement markings on them. I think this is a nice added feature, and I'm sure you can imagine why. Another thing is that these headphones completely encase my ginormous ears and even fit my large head. These are great headphones to use while recording but you might want to invest in open backed headphones for mixing and mastering. I had little click leakage in my recordings. Take a listen to a demo of my album that I recorded while using these. Go to the following link to hear a teaser... https://clyp.it/g4lvbndn In short I would recommend these to the budget recorder or someone who wants a good flat audio response in a headphone. If you have more, get something nicer. Look into AKG headphones. they carry good headphones in the 50 dollar range!

I am a guitarist. My use of these headphones is to plug in to the headphone out jack of my guitar combo amplifier. This mutes the sound from the amp combo speakers & sends to the headphones. My hope was that these headphones would produce the same sound to my headphones as the sound that would be projected from the speakers. I was also concerned about volume. I must say that these budget headphones were dead on what I needed. These headphones are great for volume & reflect the same sound of my Stratocaster with the effects dialed in from my amp. To sell these headphones for this price, there has to be something that will not make the cut. That would be the longevity or projected life of the product. Can't treat these roughly or they will not hold up. They look great but have some weaknesses in the build. That was exactly what I was looking for. A low budget headphone with a great emulating sound.

Coming from a pair of Sennheisers I thought there was a chance I was taking a step back in sound quality, but these things sound even better! I chose these over the TH-02's because the ear cups are oval-shaped rather than circular, so my big ears fit snugly inside them. One of the things I like most about these is the tension on the head-strap is very light compared to most headphones, so your head doesn't feel like it's being squeezed. The padding on the ear cups is fairly soft, which is nice for long-periods of wear. The build quality is fine but they definitely feel like $25 headphones. I would not be confident about them not breaking with frequent traveling but for keeping at your desk they are plenty durable.

Very nice quality and sound

I am very, very pleased with these TASCAM Headphones. They arrived today and, listening over them, I immediately played two of my favorite recordings. These not only feature superb performances of the music on them but they were also recorded in splendid fashion. The two recordings are: Symphonies 1 & 2 by Edward Elgar (from Lyrita SRCD.221) and the Holst: Suites 1 & 2 / Handel: Music for the Royal Fireworks / Sousa: Stars and Stripes by unknown Hybrid SACD - DSD edition (2004) Audio CD (from Telarc Stereo SACD-60639). (If you are familiar with the "Telarc Bass Drums," you can appreciate my pleasure in listening to them via these 'phones. Few other 'phones, in my experience, can reproduce those drum thwacks with equal authenticity.) Both of these recording were played on my system which contains an OPPO BDP-93 Universal Network 3D Blu-ray Disc Player , a Yamaha A-S300 Integrated Stereo Amplifier , and a pair of Mordaunt-Short Pageant Series II Loudspeakers. It now also contains these TASCAM headphones! They produce sound which can only be described as VERY smooth - neutral (in the very best sense) - crystal-clear in quality, yet with no attenuation or exaggeration of treble or bass frequencies. All of the instruments are clearly delineated, unlike with some headphones (and speakers!) which often "muddy" the sound. Though I have played only classical music through them so far (classical music is the kind of music to which I almost always listen), I believe any kind of music will sound very, very good through these headphones. Naturally, the better the recording, the better the sound will be - and the reverse also holds true: if you play a poor sounding recording through these 'phones, well, you're going to hear all of the flaws! I also played Ravel, Milhaud: String Quartet (Capriccio 10 860), an excellently recorded CD of wonderful music; it contains two string quartet pieces and some piano with soprano soloist pieces. Everything sounds wonderful (especially the female vocalist) via these headphones. Previously my favorite headphones were the Behringer HPS3000 Studio Headphones . At first listening, in terms of sheer sound quality, these two models appeared to be fairly close. And the Behringers sell for half the price of these TASCAMS. But after listening to Bantock: A Celtic Symphony / The Witch of Atlas / The Sea Reivers / A Hebridean Symphony , another extremely well-recorded CD with some difficult-to-reproduce bass passages (especially in the final piece 'A Hebridean Symphony' [Tracks 15-23]), there is absolutely no question that these TASCAMS are far superior to the Behringers. (I repeated the piece four times - twice via the Behringers and twice via these TASCAMS.) I should note that I played this piece, indeed all of the CDs I've played so far, at sound levels somewhat louder than that to which I normally listen. I wanted to see if loud levels would induce distortion. They did not! For me, the comfort is excellent. (Of course comfort varies with individuals.) The headband is padded and the oval earpieces are large and well-shaped. These are not noise-reducing types but the closed back seals quite well. As I was playing my music, our washing machine was in operation in the hallway outside my listening room. Even though the door was open, I could not hear the washing machine. There is no indication on the box or the 'phones themselves of the country of origin - but you can safely bet that it's that famous country whose name begins with C and ends with A (hint: it's NOT Canada). Nonetheless, they appear to be very well-constructed with a L.O.N.G (almost 10-feet) cord (of good quality though not replaceable) and a useful "leatherette" (vinyl) case is included. The box states that a snap-on 1/8" (3.5mm) to 1/4" (6.3mm) adapter is included; the adapter is indeed included but it is not a snap-on type. It is a screw-on adapter. Frankly, that is what I prefer: the connection is better and the adapter cannot be removed accidentally. The VERY noticeable difference in sound quality, the inclusion of a long, apparently heavy-duty, cable, and a case make these TASCAM TH Series TH-MX2 Studio Headphones 'phones well-worth the relatively small actual dollar difference over the Behringers. And please remember that we are not talking about sums of money that would break the bank! In my opinion, if given reasonable care, they will last as long as those ridiculously expensive $300.00+ (grossly overpriced, in my opinion) headphones from certain other 'big-name' manufacturers (who appear to spend much more on advertising than they do on the product itself) and the sound produced will be AT LEAST as good and, truth to tell, probably better. I highly, highly recommend them and, if you are still interested, I strongly suggest that you order them from Amazon. If you are dissatisfied for any reason (and let's face it: NOTHING can satisfy 100% of all people) you can return them to Amazon at absolutely no cost to you. But I am positive that the very large majority of people who try them will keep them. I thank you for reading this and for considering my opinions. =============================================================================================================================================== Update: February 8, 2014 As of today, there are 16 reviews of this headphone set, all of them Amazon Vine reviews. As you may know, "Amazon provides Vine members with free products that have been submitted to the program by participating vendors" (quote from 'What is Amazon Vine'). I have read several comments and articles disparaging Vine reviews but I have to tell you that, at least in my experience, these comments and articles are completely without merit. I have found that Amazon Vine reviews are no more nor less accurate than any other reviews (and I have purchased several products based on others' Vine reviews, always to my satisfaction). I do quite a bit of critical listening via headphones and I do so in two rooms in my house, one upstairs and one downstairs. It is more convenient to have my best headphones easily available. All that said by way of explanation, I must inform you that I like these headphones so much that I PURCHASED (paid for!) a second set. The set arrived two days ago and I played the same recordings that I had played using my first set. The sound quality was identical, as was everything else about the second set vis-à-vis the first set. Over the years (more than I'd like to admit to!) I have heard and/or owned many headphones, some of them VERY expensive (including models from almost all of those "famous" and expensive brands). While the more expensive headphones use materials (headband, earpads, etc.) superior to this one, regarding actual comfort, these are AT LEAST as comfortable as any I have ever tried. Regarding sound quality, these are CLEARLY SUPERIOR to any other in my experience. I strongly suggest that you buy a pair, and buy it from Amazon. If, for some reason, you do not like what you hear, you can return them at absolutely no cost to you. (Amazon will even arrange free pickup at your home or place of business.) Now I am not a betting man, but I'd be willing to bet that NO ONE who has decent hearing will ever return these headphones! Though this is still a Vine review, it is also an Amazon Verified Purchase one too.

At first I was very satisfied with these headphones. They sounded great, they could deliver sound louder than I cared to hear it without much distortion, they worked fantastically for recording vocals as these are closed cans. Other people have mentioned issues with build quality, but mine have stayed intact and I've never had any issues with the plug. After a bit more than a year of using these, I now have a few complaints. From the start, I have noticed that these headphones are pretty bass heavy, certainly not as flat and unbiased as they're marketed to be. I can't trust these for mastering. I'm starting to hear very low notes distort, sub bass and bass drum are rattling now like they never did before when I'm composing music. I think they're starting to wear out after the year of use. My biggest complaint is ear discomfort with prolonged usage. After a few hours, the cartilage on my right ear starts to hurt something awful. For the life of me I can't pinpoint exactly why. It could be that after a year of use, the padding is starting to stiffen, it could be the stitched seam right where the top of your ear goes, or it could be that there's nothing but an ultra-thin layer of fabric in between your ear and the metal driver housing. Doing a little bit of measuring, the opening isn't large enough for my ear to fit inside without scrunching. The padding has been resting on portions of my ears the whole time. I guess I have big ears! These headphones were extremely inexpensive and served me well for about a year, and now I'm ready to make a larger investment for something that will last longer and perform even better.

De lo mejor que he probado, los graves son magníficos, tengo un teclado Nord Grand y estos auriculares le sacan lo mejor. Muy recomendable.

Absolutely love these headphones; actually have these connected to my iPad as I write. Don’t know whether the ear pads are slightly thicker than on my other headphones or whether it’s just my eyes deceiving me, but as ever they are superbly comfortable to wear, with sound quality perfect for my private listening uses. Also love that they come with their own drawstring bag, which makes them ideal for travelling with. Very glad I bought these.

Good build quality, great sound quality, exceptional comfort with very soft padding on the headband and cuffs. Might be a little tight on people with larger heads. Overall, very satisfied with this TASCAM product.

Viene presentata come una cuffia "chiusa", il che non corrisponde a verità. Avevo bisogno di una cuffia chiusa (che isolasse totalmente dai suoni e rumori circostanti) per delle sessioni di registrazione in studio, e anche per eventi di musica dal vivo. La cuffia NON è chiusa, il suono generale non è bilanciato sulla gamma delle frequenze. Non sono sodisfatto.

excelente sonido, los estoy utilizando en mi computadora con dolby atmos, el sonido es muy muy bueno, escuchando música, se oyen muy bien y bastante claros los medios y agudos, el grave es intenso, sonido balanceado, profundo, escucho claramente cada instrumento, puse la película en dvd el despertar de la fuerza, con el reproductor VLC, utilizando el equalizador DTS del audio control panel incluido en la computadora y el equalizador del reproductor y aplicando las mejoras del mismo, el sonido es impactante, mejor que en el cine, a mi gusto personal claro. el plastico de la carcasa se ve muy resistente, el cable es largo 3 mts. la diadema no es lo suficientemente comoda, aún me tengo que acostumbrar a usarlos. En resumen. son muy buenos auriculares a un precio bastante accesible, el sonido es por mucho, mejor de lo que esperaba.