Root NationAudioHeadphonesOneOdio Monitor 80 review: Studio headphones for a modest price

OneOdio Monitor 80 review: Studio headphones for a modest price

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First of all, I would like to draw your attention to the fact that “studio” headphones do not mean the best, the coolest or the highest quality. This is a specialisation that entails certain, and quite striking, features. For example, let’s take OneOdio Monitor 80, which I have been using for three months now.

OneOdio Monitor 80

Market positioning

The price of studio headphones is usually higher than that of ordinary mainstream ones. And in OneOdio’s arsenal, the Monitor 80 model is indeed one of the most expensive, costing… about $100.

OneOdio Monitor 80

It doesn’t look like much, but no one said it was a luxury brand. Besides, they have wireless models. And I’ll be happy to check them out next time.

Package contents

The OneOdio Monitor 80 comes with a cool and sturdy travelling case with two cables in a fabric pouch. One is a twisted 3.5 mm to 6.3 mm cable, the other is a straight 3.5 mm to 3.5 mm cable.

OneOdio Monitor 80

Appearance

And the headphones themselves. Massive, with velour cups, they fold compactly and look very solid.

OneOdio Monitor 80

Among the interesting things, I highlight the text about 250 ohms on one cup, as well as silver design details and soft headband and ear cushions.

OneOdio Monitor 80

I also pay attention to the perforation of the outer side of the cups. It’s not a fake, the headphones are of the open type. Actually, this is one of the qualities of studio models, which does not require isolation, but on the contrary – the most natural acoustics.

OneOdio Monitor 80

I’d also like to mention the only thing I didn’t like about the headphones. This is the quality of the rotation and bending controls. They squeak quite a bit when the headphones are actively moving on your head, and due to the openness of the model, the squeak is clearly audible.

Technical specifications

Back to the good stuff – OneOdio Monitor 80 peripherals consist of 3.5 mm and 6.3 mm jacks. This is not a huge advantage, but it adds versatility to the model.

OneOdio Monitor 80

As for the characteristics. Drivers here are 40 mm, sensitivity is 100 +-3 dB, frequency response is from 10 to 40 000 Hz, distortion is less than 1%. Maximum input power is 1600 mW, impedance is 250 Ohms. And the weight is just under 300 g.

What are studio headphones better than headphones?

For me, studio headphones are a curiosity and a curiosity, unusual and very rare. Therefore, I decided to go through the reviews of this model from the experts, and I am very glad for that. For example, the OneOdio Monitor 80 looks like Audio Technica’s M50x and Beyerdynamic DT 770 at the same time.

OneOdio Monitor 80

However, I knew one thing even before reading the reviews. OneOdio Monitor 80 will not produce the lushest sound in the world. Neither the biggest bass, nor the brightest vocals, nor the clearest highs. It’s not because the model is bad – it just doesn’t have the right to, because it’s a studio model.

Read also: Sennheiser MKE 600 review: The legendary cannon microphone!

That is, as dry, grey, balanced as possible, but at the same time three-dimensional, detailed and honest. Where are studio headphones used? In studios, where honesty and transparency are required to maximise the quality of music mixing.

OneOdio Monitor 80

In my case, OneOdio Monitor 80 is used to process audio on YouTube. Because I’ll tell you a secret – audio quality for video content is much more important than the picture. And it is much more difficult to achieve.

OneOdio Monitor 80

Therefore, yes, these headphones should be as neutral, natural and balanced as possible – which, by the way, they ALMOST manage to do, because at the highest frequencies there is a slight drop.

OneOdio Monitor 80

In addition, the 250 ohm impedance almost obliges the use of an amplifier if you still need to open the headphones to the fullest. For me, the Orico SC1 USB headphone was enough, but I would gladly test the headphones with something like the EPOS/Sennheiser GSX 1000.

OneOdio Monitor 80

I think it’s obvious why I didn’t. After the 24th, it turned out to be… problematic to get samples for testing the headphones, so to speak.

Conclusions

This is the most commercialised model I have ever used. And I will not recommend it to everyone. Someone because of the open type and lack of sound insulation. Someone – because of the frankly boring frequency response. And someone will be mad at the quality of the plastic.

OneOdio Monitor 80

But objectively, only the quality of the plastic can be attributed to the disadvantages, and even obvious ones, because for $100 you are unlikely to find such a clear and reliable model for sound processing. And the joke is that OneOdio Monitor 80 is a money-making headphone. And a very, very profitable investment.

Video about OneOdio Monitor 80

Read also:

Where to buy

Review ratings
Package contents
9
Appearance
9
Specifications
10
Build quality
6
Price
8
For $100 you will hardly find a model for sound processing that is as clear and reliable. The main thing to understand is this: OneOdio Monitor 80 is not a gaming model, not cheap and not specialised. These are headphones for making money. And a very, very profitable investment.
Denis Zaychenko
Denis Zaychenko
I write a lot, and sometimes - even on point. Interested in PC building and games. Almost aestetism junkie, I love to like and hate to dislike.
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For $100 you will hardly find a model for sound processing that is as clear and reliable. The main thing to understand is this: OneOdio Monitor 80 is not a gaming model, not cheap and not specialised. These are headphones for making money. And a very, very profitable investment.OneOdio Monitor 80 review: Studio headphones for a modest price