Welp MagazineWhen you’re playing piano, sometimes you don’t want everybody to hear your practice session. Whether you’re a seasoned professional riffing on Rachmaninoff or a beginner clunking out your first attempt at Ode to Joy, you should be able to choose whether or not you want the world and his wife to hear you.
This is especially important for new learners, because it’s easy to be put off playing by a lack of confidence in front of your inadvertent audience. The clever piano player’s solution to this is a good pair of headphones. Lucky for you, we’ve reviewed hundreds of headphones to figure out which are the best headphones for piano.
Product Comparison Table: Best Headphones for Piano
| Title | Price | Rating (Amazon) | Best in class | Buy | |
 | Bowers & Wilkins Px7 Over Ear Wireless Bluetooth Headphones | $$$ | 4 stars | Best Wireless | Amazon |
 | Bose Quiet Comfort 45 Bluetooth Wireless Noise Cancelling Headphones | $$$ | 4.5 stars | Best Noise Cancelling | Amazon |
 | Philips Over Ear Wired Stereo Headphones | $ | 4.4 stars | Best Value | Amazon |
 | Focal Stellia Closed-Back Circum-Aural Over-Ear Headphones | $$$$ | 4.5 stars | Best Premium | Amazon |
 | SENNHEISER HD 599 Open Back Headphone | $$$ | 4.7 stars | Best Overall | Amazon |
Bowers & Wilkins Px7 Over Ear Wireless Bluetooth Headphones
Bowers & Wilkins are known for quality and sound fidelity, and as a result they make the best headphones for piano if you prioritise wireless functionality. These highly portable headphones are not only wireless but made of light strong-but-flexible carbon-fibre composite to let you play on the go.
What’s more, they incorporate 43mm Legend drivers, the largest in B&W’s headphone range. Charging 6 hours worth of play time in 15 minutes, these headphones have 30-hour battery life – that’s long enough to fly from California to London and back (while playing the piano). The neatest feature is that if you’re listening to a piano learning tape or tutorial video and get interrupted, lifting the noise-cancelling ear cup will cut the sound!
Pros
- A name known for quality
- Wireless Bluetooth connection
- Lightweight and portable
Cons
- Requires charging
Verdict
These wireless headphones have it all when it comes to finding the best headphones for piano players on the go. Not only are the Bowers & Wilkins Px7 Over Ear Wireless Bluetooth Headphones waterproof in the rain (a must for buskers and busy students), but the 43mm Legend drivers come with a pedigree. These drivers were engineered by the same team as the 800 Series Diamond speakers fitted in Abbey Road studios. These Beatles-approved bad boys are the best wireless headphones for piano if you’re making moves.
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Bose Quiet Comfort 45 Bluetooth Wireless Noise Cancelling Headphones
It was hard for us to decide whether the Bose Quiet Comfort 45s should be considered the best headphones for piano players who want comfort, or quiet… as the name suggests, this pair offers both. These offer the highest fidelity, with acoustic architecture and adjustable volume-optimised Active EQ to fine-tune your piano sound.
The Bose 45s, incredibly, use tiny mics within the ear cup to cancel outside sounds reactively. Because you won’t hear a thing while you’re playing, you can choose between Quiet and Aware modes to hear if your house is burning down. Available in four colours.
Pros
- Wireless Bluetooth connectivity
- Adjustable EQ
- Noise-cancelling and comfortable
Cons
- Relatively expensive
Verdict
The Bose Quiet Comfort 45s are the best headphones for piano players looking for noise-cancelling because they’re the noise-cancelling headphones that started it all. Bose’s Quiet Comfort range pioneered the technology, and the original is always the best. Just make sure you don’t leave the oven on and start to play the piano.
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Philips Over Ear Wired Stereo Headphones
If you’re on a budget or not too serious about fancy-pants metrics like audio fidelity, Philips offer an over-ear headphone model that’s the best we’ve found for the piano player short on cash. Although the noise-cancelling technology here is rudimentary, the circumaural design of the ear cups is more than good enough to cancel out your average level of annoying environmental noise. For practice sessions, the 40mm open back drivers will have your playing sounding great. They’re not wireless or brag-worthy, but these headphones get the job done.
Pros
- Budget-friendly pricing
- Lightweight and comfortable
Cons
- Not wireless
- No claims about audio fidelity
Verdict
Sometimes you don’t need headphones for piano that are worth showing off. If you’re at home, looking to practise, and just want to keep your piano beats to yourself, the Philips are the best headphones for you. Any amateur or learning musician will find this pair more than agreeable, whatever their inadequacies.
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Focal Stellia Closed-Back Circum-Aural Over-Ear Beryllium Headphones
A professional-grade piano player needs a professional-grade pair of headphones to make their playing sound its very best. If you want the best, the Focal Stellia are the best headphones for piano players that value luxury. The innovative M-shaped pure beryllium dome of the full-range speaker drivers is exclusive to Focal, never before used in headphones; the result of using this rare material with a perfect strength-to-weight ratio is uncompromising tonal balance and dynamics.
Both high and low frequencies are reproduced with insane fidelity through a specially designed noise-cancelling real leather and memory-foam ear cup that feels like a comfy chaise longue for the ear. No expense has been spared in providing the ultimate audiophile experience here. Chances are, your piano playing will sound better through the Focal Stellia headphones than it does in real life!
Pros
- Unmatched sound dynamics
- Finest quality components
- Innovative and unique technology
Cons
- Weighty price tag
- Not wireless
Verdict
The Tonal Stellia headphones are the best headphones for piano players who consider their playing an act of artistry. They’re made for musicians who know they deserve artisan craftsmanship; who search for audio tech that does music justice. We found that thanks to the unique beryllium technology, no other pair of headphones functions with quite the level of fine-tuned beauty as the Tonal Stellia. You could almost call them… ‘berylliant’.
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SENNHEISER HD 599 Open Back Headphones
In our opinion, the SENNHEISER HD 599 Open Back Headphones are the best all-round headphones for piano. These are premium open back headphones made with beautiful materials, and we found them extremely comfortable for long playing times thanks to the velour padded ear cups. In terms of sound, SENNHEISER are a name known for quality for a reason.
The HD 599 model utilises a SENNHEISER engineered transducer system that uses aluminium coils within, facilitating brilliant dynamics, solid performance, and extremely low levels of distortion. Noise-cancelling as well as comfy, these headphones are ideal for new learners and long-term audiophiles alike. Lastly, multiple connectivity options mean that these headphones may not be wireless, but they’re certainly versatile.
Pros
- A name you can trust
- Attractive design
- Engineered SENNHEISER transducer technology
Cons
- Not wireless
Verdict
As a solid all-round option that combines both professional-grade props and amateur-friendly functionality, the SENNHEISER HD 599 Open Back Headphones came out on top as the best headphones for piano. They may appear expensive, but bad sound quality will harm your playing in the long term, especially if you dream of playing by-ear. If you’re looking for your next pair of old faithfuls, look no further – or if you’re already making do with inferior equipment, why not treat yourself to a pair of the very best headphones for piano?
