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We compare products from their published specs and features; the verdicts below are our independent editorial opinions.
If you want a crush-resistant, water-resistant home for your Beyerdynamic DT 770/880/990 PRO studio headphones, choose Aenllosi Hard Carrying Case; if you need a complete recording and monitoring bundle — audio interface plus closed-back studio headphones — choose M-AUDIO M-Track Solo USB.
• Aenllosi Hard Carrying Case — biggest strength: A hard EVA shell that is crush resistant, anti-shock and water resistant, built specifically as a replacement case for Beyerdynamic DT 770/880/990 PRO 32/80/250 Ohm over-ear studio headphones.
• Aenllosi Hard Carrying Case — biggest trade-off: It is a case only. No headphones, no cables, no accessories are included, and it does nothing for your sound.
• M-AUDIO M-Track Solo USB — biggest strength: It is an end-to-end recording and monitoring bundle: a USB audio interface with an XLR combo input, phantom power and zero-latency direct monitoring, plus closed-back over-ear studio headphones with 40mm neodymium drivers.
• M-AUDIO M-Track Solo USB — biggest trade-off: It is not a storage product. There is no hard shell, no crush protection and no travel case for the gear itself.
• Who each pick is for: Buy the Aenllosi case if you already own a pair of Beyerdynamic DT PRO studio headphones and want to protect them. Buy the M-Track Solo USB if you are starting from zero and need both the recording front end and the headphones to monitor with.
The Aenllosi Hard Carrying Case is a single-purpose product, and it is honest about that. It is a replacement case sized for the Beyerdynamic DT 770 PRO, DT 880 PRO and DT 990 PRO in their 32, 80 and 250 Ohm versions — the classic over-ear studio headphones a lot of people keep on a desk or in a bag. The shell is ethylene vinyl acetate, a hard, molded EVA material the spec sheet describes as crush resistant, anti-shock and water resistant. In plain terms, that means it shrugs off the knocks, scratches and splashes that a soft pouch or a bare headphone bag will not.
Inside, there is a mesh pocket for accessories. That is where your detachable cable, an adapter, or a spare set of earpads can live so they are not rattling loose against the headphone cups. The external dimensions are 8.27 x 6.88 x 4.13 inches and the whole thing weighs 200 grams — light enough to toss in a backpack without turning it into a brick.
Who should buy it? Anyone who owns one of those Beyerdynamic models and moves it around: commuting producers, students carrying gear to a campus studio, session players, or anyone who has ever watched a pair of studio headphones slide off a table. If your headphones live permanently clamped to a stand and never travel, the value is thinner — you are paying for protection you will not use. And note the obvious: this is a case only. The headphones and accessories are not included, so if you do not already own the Beyerdynamic set, this product is not for you.
The M-AUDIO M-Track Solo USB is a different animal entirely. It is a bundle built around a small USB audio interface for Mac and PC, paired with a set of M-Audio closed-back over-ear studio headphones for monitoring. The interface records at 48 kHz resolution and gives you one combo XLR/line input with phantom power — which is what you need to run a condenser microphone — plus one switchable line/instrument input for a guitar, bass or keyboard. Two channels, USB and XLR connectivity, and support for common DAWs on Windows and macOS.
The monitoring side is where it gets practical. There is a 1/8-inch headphone output and stereo RCA outputs, so you can monitor on headphones or run the signal out to speakers. The USB/Direct switch gives you zero-latency direct monitoring, which matters the moment you try to sing or play along to a backing track and want to hear yourself without a distracting delay. M-Audio also calls out its Crystal Preamp as the transparent front end for your mics.
The included headphones use 40mm neodymium dynamic drivers and a closed-back design. Closed-back is the right call here: it keeps sound in and outside noise out, which is exactly what you want for tracking vocals or podcasting in an untreated room. The frame rotates, the arms telescope and the headband is padded, so long sessions are less of a grind on your head.
Who should buy it? Podcasters, singer-songwriters, streamers and beginners building a first home setup who need both an input path and a way to hear it. Who should skip it? Anyone who already owns a capable interface and a good pair of studio headphones — you would be buying overlap. And if your only goal is protecting headphones you already own, this product solves a problem you do not have.
• Best for protecting studio headphones you already own → Aenllosi Hard Carrying Case. The hard EVA shell is the entire point.
• Best for recording vocals, guitar or line-level sources → M-AUDIO M-Track Solo USB. The combo XLR/line input with phantom power and the instrument input cover the common cases.
• Best for zero-latency monitoring while tracking → M-AUDIO M-Track Solo USB. The USB/Direct switch is designed for exactly that.
• Best for a grab-and-go travel kit → Aenllosi Hard Carrying Case. 200 grams, crush resistant, water resistant, with a mesh pocket for cables.
• Best for someone starting from nothing → M-AUDIO M-Track Solo USB. It bundles the interface and the closed-back headphones you need to hear what you are recording.
• Best for headphone fit during long sessions → M-AUDIO M-Track Solo USB. Rotatable frame, telescopic arms and a padded headband.
• Best for keeping accessories with the gear → Aenllosi Hard Carrying Case. The internal mesh pocket is designed for small extras.
• Best for Mac and PC users who want plug-and-play USB → M-AUDIO M-Track Solo USB. USB connectivity with support for both operating systems.
In my opinion, the right answer comes down to what you already own. If you have a pair of Beyerdynamic DT 770/880/990 PRO headphones and you move them around, I would buy the Aenllosi Hard Carrying Case — it is purpose-built for those exact models and the hard EVA shell does a job a soft bag cannot. If you are building a setup from scratch and need both an input path and headphones to monitor with, I would buy the M-AUDIO M-Track Solo USB, because it solves the bigger problem in one purchase. These are not really competitors; they are answers to two different questions.
how to wear over ear headphones
Place the cups over your ears so the pads seal against your head, then adjust the headband. The M-Audio headphones in the M-Track Solo bundle use a rotatable frame with telescopic arms and a padded headband, which makes it easier to find a stable fit for long sessions. A proper seal matters with closed-back designs because it affects how much outside noise you block.
how do over ear headphones work
They convert an electrical audio signal into sound using drivers. The M-Audio headphones here use 40mm neodymium dynamic magnet drivers, and the closed-back design keeps sound contained for monitoring. In a recording setup, that signal comes from an interface like the M-Track Solo, which feeds the headphone output.
are studio headphones worth it
For recording, podcasting or critical listening, yes — in my opinion. Closed-back studio headphones like the ones bundled with the M-Track Solo let you monitor without bleeding sound into a microphone, and the 40mm drivers are tuned for that job rather than for heavy bass emphasis. If you only listen casually on the go, the benefit is smaller.
what headphones do professional studios use
Studios typically rely on over-ear headphones, often closed-back models for tracking and open or semi-open models for mixing. The Beyerdynamic DT 770/880/990 PRO family the Aenllosi case is built for is one of the long-standing over-ear studio lines, which is why a dedicated hard case for those specific models exists in the first place.
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