Shure SRH440A

Shure's entry studio headphone in its revised A form: closed-back, light on the head, with a flat-leaning balance that tells you what your recording actually did. The top end leans bright rather than flattering — useful when you are checking takes and edits, less so for relaxing.

This is a tracking and podcast headphone first. It seals well enough for vocal takes, weighs little, and costs little enough to live at every seat in a project studio. If you need serious isolation next to a drum kit, the Sennheiser HD 280 PRO still holds that crown; if you plan to mix on headphones, spend up to the SRH840A.