OneOdio Monitor 60 Headphones Review

OneOdio Monitor 60 review featured
TESTED AT $69
WHERE TO BUY

OneOdio is a Chinese headphones and IEMs manufacturer. In this review, I’m testing the OneOdio Monitor 60 headphones. The Monitor 60 has a neutral sound signature which is ideal for use as a studio monitor. It retails for around $69.

Disclaimer: This sample was provided by OneOdio for the purpose of an honest review. All observations and opinions here are my own based on my experience with the product.

Pros
  • Foldable
  • Thick, comfortable earpads
  • Neutral, uncoloured sound
  • Shareport technology
  • Dual headphone connectors
Cons
  • Micro-detail retrieval could be better
  • Mostly plastic construction

OneOdio Monitor 60

Specifications

Driver: 50mm
Sensitivity: 110dB ± 3dB
Impedance: 38Ω
Frequency Response: 20Hz-40KHz
Sound-insulating Film: PET
Max Input Power: 1600 mW

Packaging & Accessories

The OneOdio Monitor 60 comes in a tasteful and sturdy black box. On the front of the box, there’s an image of the headphones and on the back is a list of specifications and package contents. Speaking of the contents, here’s what you get in the box:

  • OneOdio Monitor 60 wired headphones
  • User manual
  • PU storage bag
  • 1x 3M aux cable
  • 1x 1.5M coiled aux cable
  • 1x 1.2M cable with microphone

Design

The Monitor 60 has a folding design, making it ideal for transportation and storage. It’s built around a spring steel headband that’s covered with PU leather. There’s some nice soft padding on the underside of the headband to maintain comfort.

The rest of the headphone is primarily plastic. This makes it lightweight relative to its size but it doesn’t feel very premium. Having said that, the plastic components feel robust and there’s very little creaking or noise coming from the frame.

Monitor 60 earcup

The earcups swivel a full 180° which is great because it means you can sit the headphones flat around your neck or flat on a table. On the earcups, there’s a really neat feature that can also be found on other OneOdio headphones: the left earcup has a 6.35mm jack while the right earcup sports a 3.5mm jack. What’s great about this is that either side can be used independently. So whether you have a 6.35mm or 3.5mm jack on your source, you can easily flip the cable without needing to use an adapter.

Another cool thing you can do with the Shareport technology is share your music or content with your family and friends. Simply plug another headphone into the spare jack of the Monitor 60 and now two people can listen at the same time.

OneOdio Monitor 60 from front

In terms of comfort, the Monitor 60 is great. Not only do the earcups swivel but they pivot as well, meaning the headphones automatically conform to the shape of your head. Combined with the plush, thick earpads this makes for a very comfortable experience.

Passive noise isolation is about average for closed-back headphones. The plastic earcups don’t block out a great deal of noise, however, there is very little noise leak so you don’t need to worry about disturbing others with your music.

OneOdio Monitor 60 dual connectors and earpads

Cables

It was a real surprise to find a total of 3 cables in the box. This adds a great deal of versatility and value to the package. The first cable is a standard 3.5mm to 3.5mm cable. The second is a coiled 6.35mm to 3.5mm cable, quite similar to the one attached to the Beyerdynamic DT990 Pro. And the third cable is 3.5mm to 3.5mm with a microphone.

As far as handling goes, all of the cables perform pretty well. The 2 longer cables are thicker and ideal for the desktop or studio. The 1.2M microphone cable is shorter and thinner as it’s obviously designed for portable use.

Sound

Gear used for testing includes:

The Monitor 60 has a neutral and uncoloured sound, as its name would suggest. Having owned the Oneodio Pro 50 Studio headphones in the past, I was expecting a much fatter bass. But the Monitor 60 is far more balanced and accurate off the bat.

It’s got a nice clean presentation with excellent clarity and a good soundstage. In regards to driveability, the Monitor 60 is super efficient and can run off pretty much anything. Even a phone can make these super loud so this might be the perfect headphone for some epic garage band creations.

Bass

Monitor 60’s bass is pretty much neutral, which is exactly what you want for a studio monitor. The headphones respond well to some EQ though, so songs like Lorn’s “Negative Jumpsuit” are quite an experience, especially with something like the iFi Zen DAC with its Truebass enabled.

Sub-bass notes are what I’d call accurate rather than authoritative. The extension is there but this is far from being a basshead headphone. It’s not the best choice if you’re looking for a ‘party’ sound but for content creation and mixing, this is ideal.

Mids

The midrange is clean as a whistle and clear as a bell. Vocals and instruments have a neutral note size that is both accurate and natural. That’s not to say it isn’t engaging though; playing Tyrese’s “Sweet Lady”, I find myself grooving and crooning along to the song. The vocals are articulate and have good density. They’re fairly upfront but not cloying thanks to the Monitor 60’s ample spacing.

Essentially though, Monitor 60 aims at a more technical rather than warm presentation. This results in a resolving and uncoloured sound. But it can also get a little shouty in the upper mids if there are excessive electric guitars or it’s just a bad recording. Monitor 60’s midrange isn’t inherently bright but doesn’t soften or romanticize the sound in any way – it’s just honest and transparent.

Treble

In the treble region, the Monitor 60 again stays neutral in its presentation. Its placement is neither forward nor subdued but sits just behind the upper midrange with a slight emphasis on the lower part of the treble. It’s a fairly accurate representation of the highs but is just slightly pulled back in the core and upper treble.

As such, Monitor 60 is not a detail beast; macro details are clearly represented but micro details are a bit harder to pinpoint. This is likely a deliberate tuning choice since DJs and sound engineers tend to have long listening sessions where overt brightness or treble fatigue would be problematic.

Soundstage

The soundstage has fairly average dimensions but is reasonably large for a closed-back headphone. It’s fairly even in width and depth, partly due to a less forward upper treble; the lower treble focus sets a clear boundary and cuts off some of the upper treble harmonics.

Stereo imaging and instrument positioning are solid. Monitor 60’s instrument separation is good too, offering ample clean air between elements on the stage.

Comparisons

Superlux HD668B ($35)

The Superlux HD668B is somewhat of a legendary headphone. Touted for its durability, uncoloured tone and soundstage at a super cheap price it’s hard to beat. In terms of tonality, these two headphones are quite similar. The most notable difference is in the treble, which is slightly more laid back on the Superlux.

As a result of Monitor 60’s slightly more forward treble, it has better overall clarity, however, the level of detail retrieval is about the same on both. Being a semi-open back headphone, the HD668B has a wider and airier soundstage. The advantages of the OneOdio are better noise isolation and comfort which has always been a sore point (pardon the pun) for the HD668B.

Conclusion

The OneOdio Monitor 60 is an impressive foray into the studio monitor segment for the brand. Its sound is faithful to the marketing and it does indeed have a neutral, uncoloured presentation. Because of this, it’s ideal for anyone who wants to do audio mixing, video editing or other content creation. But it would also suit budget audiophiles who are looking for a neutral tonality.

Despite its mostly plastic construction the Monitor 60 feels rugged and durable and I’m confident it could take a beating. Throw in the 3 cables and extra features like the dual connector jacks and Shareport technology and it’s hard not to love these headphones considering the low price. Recommended.

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Rich S
Rich S
3 years ago

Nice review.
Hit’s all the salient points and it’s easy to understand with a comparison
to headphones that I’ve used.

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