We all know the speed with which technology is evolving these days. Technology is literally doing wonders in every field and is growing rapidly with the speed that nobody has ever thought of. No matter what, you just name something and I assure you will see technology evolving in that specific field.

So, It’s the same in the Music Industry. Earlier, we use to have only a single kind of wired Bluetooth headphones but now, not only the technology has gone wireless but also, you can have multiple kinds of high-end headphones. For Gaming, you have a different kind; for normal music, there’s something different; for music production the kind is different.

Indeed! For different forms of music, you have different kinds of headphones. And, majorly when it comes to categorizing the headphones, there are 3 kinds-

• Open-Back Headphones
• Closed-Back Headphones and
• Semi-Open Headphones

Let’s just move on to these 3 categories a bit in detail-

1. Open-Back Headphones

Open-back headphones, the headphones with large vented or we can say open-back headphones have mesh-covered earcups through which the air, as well as the sound, can flow freely without any disturbance or noise.

This mesh-covered design is responsible for preventing the pressure that can affect the sound quality. As compared to the closed-back, this type (open-back) of headphones’ soundstage is more open and airy.

Pros-

• Amazing sound quality
• In terms of accuracy or clarity, open-back is pretty good
• Open and airy soundstage
• Sweatproof
• Fewer sound reflections
• Low-frequency build-up
• Enough openness to respond quickly and effectively
• Ears won’t get hot
• Less audio coloration

Cons-

• Isolation can be better, less isolation
• Chances of audio to be leaked out
• Monitoring at low volume levels is not possible

2. Closed-Back Headphones

The second type of headphones is the Closed-Back headphones. These headphones have large over-ear earpads and are well-known for providing high isolation.

Also, with the closed-back headphones, there are no chances of audio being leaked out while recording as that happens in the case of the open-back headphones. With the noise isolation, there will be no surrounding sound except for the music only.

The closed-back headphones are ideal for low-level monitoring. Basically, all the cons of the open-back headphones are been covered by the closed-back headphones for gaming.

Pros-

• This is the best for the music production
• Be it mixing, mastering, or anything, closed-back headphones are the best
• High noise isolation
• No outer surroundings sound
• You can easily focus on the music details
• The sound volume won’t disturb others around you
• Low-level monitoring
• Lower frequencies enhanced

Cons-

• The clarity and accuracy is getting affected cause of frequency build-up
• Inside the earcups, you can feel sound pressure and reflections
• The soundstage is not that much opened up and not so airy
• More audio coloration
• The sound seems less natural and more unnatural
• Ears might get hot

3. Semi-Open Headphones

The semi-open headphones are something like in-between the open-back and closed-back. This kind of headphones has maintained a balance between the open and the closed ones.

The semi-open headphones support enough airflow that is required so no frequency buildups are here. Also, the headphones feature noise isolation to prevent all the outside environment surrounding sound.

Binding up the natural and transparent sound stage of open-backs and the good focus of the closed-backs, these semi-open headphones are the best choice.

The semi-open headphones are something like in-between the open-back and closed-back. This kind of studio headphones has maintained a balance between the open and the closed ones.

The semi-open headphones support enough airflow that is required so no frequency buildups are here. Also, the headphones feature noise isolation to prevent all the outside environment surrounding sound.

Binding up the natural and transparent sound stage of open-backs and the good focus of the closed-backs, these semi-open headphones are the best choice.

Pros-

• Best for music production
• Mastering and Mixing
• Minimal sound leakage
• Low-frequency buildup
• The soundstage is quite wide
• Sound is natural as compared to the closed-back
• Low ear-fatigue
• Good isolation

Cons-

• Audio can be leaked out
• Low sound reflections, can be reduced even more

This is all about the 3 major categories of headphones. It all depends on you now what to go with. There’s one more thing that people are still confused about and that’s between the Closed Back and the Open Back headphones. So, now I’ll be covering this most frequently asked thing about choosing between these both.

“Closed Back or Open Back which one to buy?”

Let’s see every aspect: Closed-back headphones are easier to carry and they come with a casing that protects the component inside. This design is most versatile, as it is easy to carry them anywhere you want. They have good noise isolation which will not leak out your music in public. The only thing they lag is they find it hard to keep the audio realistic as they will have some automated boost in them. This is where Open back comes, it has a constant airflow through the grilles they are equipped with, it creates more realistic and spacious sound, and the drawback in them is they are heavy and can’t be carried anywhere easily. It’s totally upon you that you want something portable or something having amazing sound.

3 Best Open Back Headphones for Gaming

Open-back headphones are best for gaming also. The flat frequency it provides you and the transparent sound has no match. Undoubtedly, these gaming headphones offer you the best sound quality.

Open-back headphones are known for the best sound quality and thanks to the high impedance, the headphone amplifier, and the flat frequency response.

Also, these headphones comes with the active noise cancellation feature and I guess, that’s the most important factor when it comes to gaming. So, basically, that means there’s no need to get worried about the background noise and you can easily focus on the gaming sound only without any other environmental sound interference.

One more thing that’s actually must be mentioned here is, the gaming sound really plays an important role while you’re playing, and to be honest, all your winning and losing chances are actually dependent on the gaming sound only.

Let’s just dive into the list of the 3 best open-back headphones for gaming as reviewed in 2022. Our team has picked up various open-back headphones and performing the proper quality tests, these are the best place on the list.

1. Beyerdynamic DT990 Pro
2. Sennheiser HD 600
3. AKG Pro Audio K702 Open-Back Headphone

1.Beyerdynamic DT990 Pro

Beyerdynamic DT990 Pro is well known in the market for providing next-level comfort. The headphone will give you feel as if you’re literally wearing a cloud on your ears.

DT990 Pro is so light in weight and is ideal for gaming as well as there is no muscle strain on your neck.

Well! Beyerdynamic DT990 Pro is considered one of the best headphones in terms of comfort, it could also be said Beyerdynamic DT990 Pro has the most comfortable earpads. With this headphone, you won’t feel uncomfortable at all and really there’s no point of exertion at all.

The headphone is available on Amazon at $179. There are two kinds of impedance available in 80 ohms and 250 ohms. Also, there are two color choices you get with Beyerdynamic DT990 Pro- Black and Gray.

The over-ear Beyerdynamic DT990 Pro has a unique design and gives you a professional look. It’s so good in looks that I really wonder if there would be anyone who refuses to go with this headphone seeing it even only for once.

Coming on to its looks, the headphone is similar to Shure SRH1840 in terms of outer appearance but there’s a huge price difference between the two. Also, that Black color is actually the limited edition so to all the black lovers, just go and order it soon. That black limited edition is actually lit.

One more thing, Black edition sometimes is available even at a lower price than the normal one. With Beyerdynamic DT990 Pro, you’ll get some grilled look on the back of the earcups as well as the exposed wiring that makes it completely different from others.

If you go with the 250 ohms edition, you need to buy an external amp or a DAC. There is no compulsion to buy an external amp, you can either enjoy the music without it also. Honestly, you won’t even notice that much difference.

Key Terms-

• Over-ear
• Gives a professional look
• Extra soft foam ear pads
• Comfortable for long recording sessions as well as for casual listening
• Durable
• Portable
• Robust

2.Sennheiser HD 600

Sennheiser HD 600 is available on Amazon at a price value of $380 in black color. The connectivity of this open-back headphone for gaming is wired. The over-ear open-back headphone has no Bluetooth connectivity which means it does not support the wireless connection.

When Sennheiser launched the first open-back headphone to this world, there was literally no match as but obviously, as we all know technology keeps on evolving and that’s what exactly happened with this too.

That time also the brand has opened up keeping the first open-back headphone in budget and today also, they have maintained that thing.

In terms of comfortability too, Sennheiser HD 600is no less. It actually comes with metal mesh earpiece covers that are much more comfortable than ordinary leather pads.

The headphone’s impedance is 50 ohms along with its frequency response of 12Hz- 38500Hz, this frequency does not overpower other frequencies.

Just to mention one more important thing, Sennheiser HD 600 uses its own EAR technology i.e. Ergonomic Acoustic Refinement that is responsible for transmitting the sound directly to your ears rather than around the earcups.

Key Terms-

• Lightweight
• Extremely comfortable
• Comes with a detachable copper cable

3.AKG Pro Audio K702 Open-Back Headphone

AKG Pro Audio K702 gaming headphone is available on Amazon at a price value of $247. There are many versions available- K612 PRO, K701, K702, K712 PRO, and K812 PRO. The gaming headphone is in black color and comes with the wired connectivity.

K712 PRO is designed with an aim of delivering high comfort and hence makes it an ideal gaming headphone even for long gaming sessions. With this headphone, there’s no compromise with space and airy sound as it’s already open-back headphones.

AKG, the brand is something that it can hit on anybody in just first look or it won’t hit at all, there’s no in-between. Also, all the headphones of this brand AKG are actually out of reach for average customers. Basically, AKG is majorly taken by the Reference studio headphones.

This is actually one of the best headphones falling in this range. The packaging of AKG K712 Pro is really so cute, you gonna love it for sure. You’ll have another level of experience of unboxing this headphone.

Actually, there are a total of 2 boxes i.e. box-in-box. The internal box has something written in words, ‘EXPECT’. And then there is a black box with a velcro opening that contains the K712 Pro inside it.

AKG K712 PRO used the 2-layer diaphragm that is herein for better frequency response and hence boosting up the overall performance even at low frequencies.

The earpads of AKG K712 PRO are actually 3D-foam and make them suitable for long gaming sessions. Since we’re talking about the gaming headphones only and we’ve listed the gaming headphones too but that really doesn’t mean the headphones cannot get used for other purposes!

Just to let you know, if you’re genuinely a die-hard fan of gaming, you can either go with the K812 PRO that will cost you $1,495.

Key Terms-

• Over-ear
• Sophisticated open technology
• 2-layer Diaphragm technology
• Wired Connectivity

Summing Up

So, these are the top 3 picks of the open-back gaming headphones that our team has brought up for you all the gamers outside. I just hope this quick guide will surely help you choose the right one for you as per your requirements and preferences.

Also, I would like to mention, all the important considerations were taken while preparing this list and most importantly, the budget! All these listed headphones are absolutely budget-friendly for all and I’m sure they won’t affect your pockets at all.

I know the choices are limited but trust me, you won’t regret making any of these budget-friendly (with high quality) purchases.