I am a silent developer.

I like to be in a quiet room and to focus deeply on what I do.

This means I’m not comfortable working in an open-space office – which unfortunately is exactly the kind of environment I have to cope with. How? Of course, by putting on a pair of trusty headphones and pushing that volume UP.

But which headphones? One could just go with the cheapest pair one could find, and hope for sufficient isolation from the external environment… But I have clearer requirements. More specifically, I need a pair of headphones that:

  • are over-the-ear: I need my ears covered to maximize isolation
  • are closed-back: I don’t want my colleagues to be bothered by my music
  • isolate well: the previous two requirements alone do not guarantee that the headphones isolate you from the external environment
  • have decent build quality: I want not to worry about handling my headphones when I’m absorbed by work
  • have soft pads/are comfortable: for long hours of use
  • have a pleasant sound (with a relatively flat frequency response): I’m no audiophile, but if the headphones do not deliver a decent sound quality, I’d rather avoid listening to music altogether

And, of course:

  • sell at a decent price: ideally under 200€

As you can see, those are pretty clear and strict requirements.

I’ve done some research on the Internet, and luckily one of my favorite youtubers came out with a good candidate: the Audio-technica ATH-M50x – see this and this videos.

These headphones tick all the boxes, and sell on Amazon for less than 200€ (or around 200$).

Best of all, their frequency response is fairly flat. In fact, the lower frequencies are enhanced ever so slightly, but the overall sound is pleasant and detailed.

I hope that this post will help you choosing the right headphones for you ;)