Home Closed Back Headphone Reviews OneOdio Monitor 60 Review – A Viable Choice For Producers?

OneOdio Monitor 60 Review – A Viable Choice For Producers?

by Stuart Charles Black
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Big thank you to OneOdio for sending the Monitor 60 to review!

Full disclosure: This is a paid review but I made it clear to them that I do not guarantee positive reviews or recommendations – I make in-depth, honest evaluations based on my impressions and the ultimate value that the product may or may not provide. 

Greetings mate and Welcome aboard. Stuart Charles here, HomeStudioBasics.com helping YOU make sound decisions leading to a beautiful audio experience that will make you fall in love with music (NOT gear) all over again, so…

OneOdio Monitor 60

Price: Check Amazon! | Check OneOdio (20% OFF)!

In The Box

Monitor 60 Headphones

Manual

PU Bag

3x Auxiliary Cable

Specifications

  • Frequency Response: 20Hz – 40kHz
  • Speaker: 50mm neodymium driver
  • Impedance: 38 Ohms
  • Sensitivity: 110+3dB/mW
  • Plug Type: 3.5mm/6.35mm stereo jack

Introduction

OneOdio Monitor 60 Review

I would argue that the idea of headphones having a good “Soundstage” depends mostly on the track in question.

For instance, even a headphone as crappy as my Skull Candy Uproar Wireless (which I still have and use by the way), can give off the illusion that the sounds are coming from outside rather than from the drivers.

This is a clear example of the track being recorded in such a way as to trick you into thinking that.

This is because the product itself (The Uproar Wireless’ drivers if you will) have horrible Soundstage, generally speaking.

It was a definite “ah-ha” moment for me as I had pretty much always assumed it was the headphones providing that sensation.

This was back when I was very new to audio, and I based it mostly on reading others’ smelly opinions online, assuming they knew what they were talking about.

The point of all this is to say that there are exceptions to this rule.

Off the top of my head, I can think of just a few headphones out there that will nearly always provide a wider (and deeper) Soundstage (front to back, side to side, up and down, etc.) which in turn reveals more details and things you probably never knew were a part of the composition.

The Status Audio CB-1, AKG K702, and now OneOdio’s Monitor 60 are the 3 that immediately come to mind.

In fact, the Monitor 60 looks to be an almost exact replica of the CB-1 crossed with Audio Technica’s M40x/M50x.

So if the 50x and CB-1 had a baby, the Monitor 60 is what would flop out of the womb.

OneOdio Monitor 60 Review

If I didn’t know any better, I’d say that was a 40x or 50x judging by the adjustments.

While we’re dancing around the subject of flopping out of wombs, let’s dive into its build and see what’s what.

Build

Right off the bat, the Monitor 60 is bulky.

If your goal is to resemble E.T. Extra-Terrestrial while you’re mixing a track into the wee hours of the morning, these are the headphones for you.

In other words, you’re going to look like a huge dork so I wouldn’t mosey on outside unless you want to get throat punched by your neighbor.

Part of what gives off that open sound is the pads.

They’re round, deep, and DUMMY THICC.

OneOdio Monitor 60 Review

OneOdio Monitor 60 ReviewBoth the headband padding and earcup padding feel good to the touch, but I will caution you about the material flaking, peeling, and/or cracking over time.

I’m not sure if that’s going to happen here, but I will update this article as needed.

Given that the pads are of the faux leather variety, some sort of breakdown is almost guaranteed at some point in time.

In any event, the Monitor 60 looks to be of the semi-open variety but actually isn’t; it’s just a design aesthetic that I found interesting.

The grid/grille structure surrounded by shiny metal-looking (but probably plastic) rings looks nice enough, and they still sound pretty open, but they aren’t actually open back just as an FYI.

A cool benefit you’ll appreciate is the big “R” and “L” indicators on the inside of each cup.

This ensures you’re not wasting time as you’ll quickly be able to see which side is which before sitting down to mix a track or listen to music.

OneOdio Monitor 60 Review

OneOdio Monitor 60 Review OneOdio Monitor 60 Review

The headphones are also light but very nimble and malleable.

In other words, they fold, contort, and rotate in a plethora of directions and allow for excellent freedom of movement.

This isn’t the ’60s and were’ not hippies, but the Monitor 60 looks, feels, and functions exactly as you’d expect given its intended purpose.

Stature-wise, this is a mixing headphone through and through and I’d venture to say it will accommodate 99.9% of users since you can also pull and stretch them quite considerably without worrying that they’re going to snap under pressure like Henry Hill.

The adjustment blocks, like the M50x/40x and CB-1, contain a bit of metal which is a nice added touch of durability in an otherwise mostly plastic build.

Even despite being plastic, the Monitor 60 feels built for the long haul and I wouldn’t panic too much if I dropped them.

OneOdio also gives you the choice of 3 separate cables to mix and match with a DAC or Interface like the Scarlett Solo or 2i2 – another added benefit for those in the studio.

I can swap out the long cable for a shorter one if needed as well.

  • Cable 1 is a short 3.5mm to 3.5mm with a Play/Pause function that works with my phone but not through a DAC like the S9 or DragonFly Red into my laptop. I’m not sure if that was intentional or not, but it’s something to keep in mind. The cable also has a built-in microphone so you’re able to take calls as well.
  • Cable 2 is a longer 3.5mm to 6.35mm (1/4″) with a small coil. What I like about this is that the coil doesn’t take up the entire cord. Sony’s MDR-7506 suffered from the issue of it tangling in on itself over time and thankfully OneOdio circumvents that potential issue.
  • Cable 3 is a longer 3.5mm – 3.5mm which could come in handy if you’re in the living room and need a longer reach.

The other thing you’ll love is that they have dual terminations on both cups; one is a 1/4″ jack and the other is 3.5mm.

This means you don’t need an adapter depending on your DAC/Source. Just flip the cable around and you’re all set.

In addition to that, the share port technology means you can plug another headphone into the free jack on the Monitor 60 and listen with a friend – in effect daisy chaining.

OneOdio Monitor 60 ReviewOneOdio Monitor 60 ReviewOneOdio Monitor 60 Review

Comfort

If everything we mentioned about the build wasn’t enough, they’re also extremely comfortable due to their lightweight and almost perfect clamp pressure on the sides of your head.

I’ve already worn these for extended listening/mixing sessions and haven’t had much of an issue thus far.

Aside from a minor adjustment here and there, they’ll pretty much never feel intrusive on your head which again, is quite surprising given how bulky they are.

This means that the top of the headband doesn’t dig, there’s just enough padding to ensure a comfortable seat, and the cups are large enough so as not to bother your ears much at all.

You will likely feel them touching slightly given that they’re circular rather than oval, but the marriage proves fruitful and they don’t nag like Henry Bemis’ awful despicable horrible wife in Twilight Zone who actually destroys his books and hates him.

“HEEEENRRRRRY!!!!!”

Life could always be worse; you could be married to this treacherous hag.

In any event, the Monitor 60 will certainly occupy a space on my most comfortable headphones of all time article as everything about its fit is nearly perfect.

But what about the sound?

Are we to achieve the Golden trifecta of great build, comfort, and sound?

Let’s find out.

Sound

OneOdio Monitor 60 Review

If you’ll recall from my previous A70 and A71 reviews, I wasn’t pleased with either sound signature and didn’t mince words.

Both of those headphones were quite awful in my estimation (I actually got pretty mad about it) but I had heard good things about the Monitor 60 from a trusted, non-biased source (my friend Marko, who has no incentive to hype bad products).

In short, I was fairly excited about these and I’m happy to report that they’re a giant leap forward for OneOdio. It’s not even close.

The muddy, overblown bass is mostly gone, and the headphones sound light years more neutral than the other 2.

Are they actually completely neutral? Well, not quite but we’ll get into that in a bit.

Still, even for a headphone that kind of emphasizes the bass, I expected a bit more lushness and fullness which at times I thought was lacking.

A perfect example of this “not quite right” sensation that I experienced came when Ja Rule’s “Put It On Me” started playing randomly from my liked songs.

This is a track that I’m extremely familiar with, as it came out in the year 2000 and I’ve probably heard it hundreds (if not thousands of times) over the years.

Wow, I may be getting old. And yes, Ja Rule was awesome. The cat’s meow in fact.

I’m not saying it didn’t sound good out of the Monitor 60, but it didn’t hit quite like I was expecting.

The track itself is unmistakable.

It slams nicely and was generally mixed very well – one of the few things I appreciate about music from that era.

OneOdio Monitor 60 Review

A simpler way of putting it is that I experienced almost the exact same issue that I did with the CB-1; a sometimes papery, artificial, flat, compressed, and/or slightly essy character with an overall timbre that was just a bit off.

So, even though the tuning here is a clear step up from the A70 and A71, it still needs more refining.

I suppose this is to be expected at its price point of roughly $80, but the point still remains. And yes, it is very subtle.

But, the same thing that saves the CB-1 and results in it being a fairly easy recommendation is also the same thing that ends up being one of the Monitor 60’s best strengths: its Soundstage, openness, and above-average detail retrieval at this price.

There’s just no getting around it – the width and panning left to right and front to back are most definitely very good (dare I say excellent) which, even despite its other flaws, results in pretty open-sounding headphones and you will notice things in tracks that you didn’t before: Breathy noises, subtle instrumentation, ambiance, backing soundscapes, fingers moving across the fretboard, faint talking in the background left to right, etc.

In other words, if you’re trying to find flaws in a mix and really hear 99% of what’s going on, the Monitor 60 is a pretty decent choice for those on a budget.

I hear stuff with these that I don’t notice with other headphones, so it has to be mentioned as likely the 60’s best overall quality.

The mid-bass is certainly emphasized, but it doesn’t feel out of line or bloated – an issue that most consumer products suffer from.

Another thing you’ll appreciate is that even with the most bass-heavy mixed tracks I have in rotation – Toonorth’s “Last Chance” as an example, the Monitor 60 still renders it listenable which I thought was interesting.

This is to say that I’m almost never tempted to skip over any tracks and find these more than suitable for casual listening as well.

The burning question here is obvious though.

Would I personally mix on these?

Would I recommend them as studio headphones?

Are they good for critical listening?

I think the most glaring issue with these headphones is that they lack a sense of tautness – instead coming across as just a bit too loose and flabby for my liking.

Don’t get me wrong, it’s very subtle but after demoing 120+ headphones, I noticed it pretty much immediately.

I think part of this is that the mid-range, while not completely sucked out, can sound a bit distant in the lower regions and overshadowed slightly by the mid-bass rise – which again is handled pretty well overall but certainly could use a bit more refinement.

The upper mid-range, while present and accounted for, can be a bit much at times moving into the lower treble which as mentioned earlier, can give off a bit of hiss and come across as slightly artificial and/or papery and thin.

The other issue is that the Monitor 60 doesn’t sound all that great at low volumes which is mandatory when you’re mixing – at least in my experience.

Mixing low can help reveal some things you missed before but these lose a lot of resolution in that regard.

Put another way, they sound like headphones below $100 in many ways but do impress greatly in others (namely Soundstage and detail retrieval at normal volumes).

They isolate pretty well in my experience, and the sound, even despite being kind of loose, comes across as clean and unobtrusive for the most part.

Due to their low impedance and high sensitivity, you can run these out of pretty much anything without an issue. With the S9 Pro, I’m on 16-17/100 which gives you a good idea of how easy they are to power.

Video Discussion

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Final Verdict

OneOdio Monitor 60 Review

While the Monitor 60 is a definite step forward for OneOdio, they aren’t without issues.

What could be improved:

  • The papery, artificial, essy character of the Monitor 60 cannot be ignored.
  • The loose, somewhat flabby sound manifests on most tracks and you’ll notice the sound just isn’t quite as taut as it needs to be.

I think this is their biggest downfall, as it certainly reminds me that they are indeed headphones below $100.

What I liked:

  • Value + Affordable. These are priced just right in my estimation at a shade below $100 (roughly $80) and are a pretty solid value all things considered. The 3 included cables and storage pouch were a really nice touch, and I also appreciate the fact that you don’t need a 1/4″ adapter with these.
  • Flexible and built well. Despite the bulky design and all-plastic profile, it feels like a rugged material that could withstand some abuse. In addition, they fold and contort in a myriad of ways for added flexibility in the studio.
  • The comfort is excellent. They are light, clamp really well, and don’t dig much into the sides or top of my head. Great for extended listening/mixing sessions.
  • Soundstage and openness. These are very revealing headphones as I found them highlighting aspects of familiar songs that I wasn’t aware of before.

So do I recommend them?

I’m leaning towards yes for those on a budget, as the Monitor 60 does a lot more things right than it does wrong.

Still, you could just get a CB-1 and bypass some of the issues mentioned although they are pretty similar headphones at the end of the day.

What makes the Monitor 60 a better buy in my opinion is the entire package.

I bought the CB-1 for personal use years back and I remember it being pretty bare bones.

With the Monitor 60, you’re getting 3 cables, a nice storage pouch, and some added versatility with the dual-sided connections/ability to daisy chain without the need for an adapter.

Just please be aware when you’re mixing a track that the mid-bass is still a bit forward and the lower mids are slightly pushed back/recessed.

Keep those things in mind, compensate accordingly, and you should be fine – especially considering how revealing these can be.

I probably wouldn’t rely on them for serious studio work due to the fact that they’re still a bit too V-shaped for my liking and have some issues in the mids and treble.

In addition to that, resolution and timbre could both use a boost.

Despite being marketed towards producers, I think these work much better for casual listeners than anything, but for mixing you could certainly do a lot worse.

If you’re looking for my best recommendations in terms of studio headphones that I personally found the most worthy, click the button below.

 

If you’re wondering how the Monitor 80 fares in comparison, click the button below.

 

Well, that’s about it for today folks! I hope you’ve enjoyed this OneOdio Monitor 60 Review and came away with some valuable insight.

Questions? Comments? Requests? Did I miss the mark on something? Please let me know down below or Contact me!!

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Are these worth a purchase? What headphones are you currently mixing on? I’d love to hear from you. Until next time…

All the best and God bless,

 

 

-Stu

[Xtr@Ba$eHitZ]

Be sure to check out my Reviews and Resources page for more helpful and informative articles!

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OneOdio Monitor 60

4.6

Build

4.7/5

Comfort

5.0/5

Sound

4.2/5

Pros

  • Built well
  • Comfort is exemplary
  • Excellent Soundstage & Detail Retrieval At This Price
  • Excellent Overall Value

Cons

  • Lower mid-range issue
  • Sound overall can be papery/thin, artificial, loose, flabby, hollow, and generally lacking tautness

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