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If you want production-grade reference accuracy for mixing, tracking and critical listening, choose Audeze MM-100; if you need a wireless in-ear monitor system for a whole band or ensemble, choose KOMISON Mono.
• Audeze MM-100, biggest strength: planar magnetic drivers tuned for precision, wrapped in a magnesium aluminum and steel chassis with gel-filled leather earpads and a suspension strap built for long sessions.
• Audeze MM-100, biggest trade-off: it is wired only and fully open back, so it leaks sound in both directions and offers no noise isolation whatsoever.
• KOMISON Mono, biggest strength: a complete UHF wireless monitoring kit with a transmitter and five bodypack receivers, roughly 164 ft of line-of-sight range and eighty selectable channels.
• KOMISON Mono, biggest trade-off: it is an in-ear monitoring system, not a studio reference headphone — its sound is delivered through small earbuds rather than full-size drivers.
• Choose Audeze MM-100 if you are one person doing critical listening, mixing or production work at a desk.
• Choose KOMISON Mono if you are outfitting several performers who need to hear a monitor mix while moving around a stage or rehearsal room.
The MM-100 is a wired, over-ear, open-back headphone built around Audeze's planar magnetic driver technology. The driver is listed at 9 cm, with a frequency range of 20Hz to 25kHz and a notably low 18 ohm impedance. That low impedance is the interesting part for a buyer: it means the headphone is efficient enough to work with a wide variety of equipment, from a laptop or mobile device through a small interface up to a larger studio setup. A 6.35mm to 3.5mm adapter is included for exactly that reason. The design brief here is accuracy — planar drivers held to production-grade tolerances, with Audeze's own waveguide, magnet array and diaphragm construction carried down from its flagship work.
Physically, this is a headphone meant to disappear on your head during a long session. The earpads are gel-filled leather, the headband is spring steel with an adjustable suspension strap, and the chassis mixes aluminum yokes, magnesium grilles and plastic. It weighs around 1.1 pounds. It folds flat and ships with a soft gig bag, so it can travel between a studio, an office and a live room. One small detail I genuinely like: the single-sided cable can be connected to either the left or the right earcup, so you can route it out of your way depending on where your interface sits.
Who should buy it? Anyone doing mixing, production, editing or serious listening who wants to hear into a mix and is willing to accept the trade-offs of an open-back design. Who should skip it? If you need isolation — tracking vocals next to a loud source, commuting, working in a shared open office — this is the wrong tool. Open back means sound goes out and room noise comes in. There is also no active noise control here, and the warranty is one year.
The KOMISON Mono is a different category of product entirely, and that is the single most important thing to understand before comparing the two. This is a UHF wireless in-ear monitor system, not a pair of studio headphones. The box contains one transmitter, five bodypack receivers, five sets of in-ear earbuds, a power adapter, an antenna, two 6.5mm to 6.35mm cables and a manual. It is a monitoring system for a group.
The core spec is the wireless link. It runs on UHF with a claimed operating range of about 164 ft in open space, line of sight, and it is described as latency-free. It offers eighty channels split into eight groups of ten, which is the practical anti-interference feature: when you have several performers on stage and something is stepping on your frequency, you can move a channel group rather than fight the noise. For a five-piece band, that channel count and that many bodypacks is the whole point — everyone gets their own receiver and hears the same monitor feed without a wedge on the floor.
Who should buy it? Bands, worship teams, theatre groups, presenters and rehearsal spaces where multiple people need a monitor mix while moving freely. Anyone who wants to cut stage volume and get consistent monitoring instead of relying on floor monitors. Who should skip it? If you are one person mixing at a desk, this is not a substitute for a reference headphone. The earpieces are in-ear buds, the enclosure is plastic, and it delivers a monitor mix rather than a critical listening reference. There is no noise control here either.
• Best for critical listening and mixing accuracy → Audeze MM-100. Planar magnetic drivers at 20Hz–25kHz, tuned for production work.
• Best for monitoring several performers at once → KOMISON Mono. Five bodypacks and five sets of earbuds in one kit.
• Best for low-impedance, easy-to-drive flexibility → Audeze MM-100. 18 ohm impedance plus a 6.35mm-to-3.5mm adapter means it plays nicely with laptops, phones and small studio gear.
• Best for freedom of movement → KOMISON Mono. Wireless UHF with roughly 164 ft of line-of-sight range, versus a cable on the MM-100.
• Best for crowded RF environments → KOMISON Mono. Eighty channels in eight groups give you room to dodge interference.
• Best for long sessions at a desk → Audeze MM-100. Gel-filled leather pads, suspension strap and a lightweight aluminum, magnesium and steel frame.
• Best for travel and storage → Audeze MM-100. It folds flat and comes with a soft gig bag.
• Best for isolation → neither, honestly. The MM-100 is open back by design and the Mono is an in-ear monitor system with no noise control. If isolation is your priority, both are the wrong category.
If I were buying for myself, I would choose the Audeze MM-100. My reasoning is simple: I work at a desk, I care about hearing detail in a mix, and the combination of planar magnetic drivers, low 18 ohm impedance and a genuinely comfortable open-back frame is exactly what that job needs. The KOMISON Mono is a well-specified system, but it solves a different problem — putting a monitor mix in five people's ears wirelessly. If your problem is a stage full of performers, buy the Mono. If your problem is a mix that needs to be heard properly, buy the MM-100. Check the current price on Amazon for whichever one matches your actual use case before you commit.
how to open back headphones work
Open-back headphones use earcups with grilles or vents that let air move freely between the driver and the outside world, instead of sealing the ear in a closed chamber. That open path reduces internal pressure buildup and reflections, which is why designs like the Audeze MM-100 are associated with a more spacious, less boxed-in presentation. The cost is that sound leaks out and room noise leaks in, so they are best used in a quiet room.
what is open back studio headphones
Open back studio headphones are over-ear headphones intended for mixing, editing and critical listening where accuracy matters more than isolation. The Audeze MM-100 fits this description: a wired, over-ear, open-back design with planar magnetic drivers, a 20Hz–25kHz frequency range and a 9 cm driver. Because they do not seal, they are usually paired with a quiet workspace rather than a loud tracking room.
what are the best open back headphones
There is no universal answer — it depends on your source gear, your budget and whether you need portability. In my opinion, the Audeze MM-100 is a strong pick for anyone who wants planar magnetic accuracy, an easy-to-drive 18 ohm load and long-session comfort from gel-filled leather pads and a suspension strap. If you need a wireless monitor mix for multiple performers instead, the KOMISON Mono serves a completely different purpose and should not be judged as a studio headphone.
are open back headphones better
They are better for some jobs and worse for others. Open-back designs like the MM-100 tend to sound more open and are the usual choice for mixing and critical listening at a desk. They are worse for tracking, commuting or noisy rooms, because they isolate nothing and leak sound outward. The KOMISON Mono takes the opposite approach — an in-ear wireless system built for monitoring on the move, not for reference listening.
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