We compare products from their published specs and features; the verdicts below are our independent editorial opinions.
Updated: 2026-10-02 · 7 min read · Independent comparison
If you want to split one stereo feed to several headphone and monitor outputs in a home or project studio, choose Cubilux Passive 6.35mm; if you need a single pair of closed-back headphones for tracking, monitoring and everyday listening, choose Numark HF175.
• Cubilux Passive 6.35mm — biggest strength: five gold-plated 1/4" outputs from one source, in a metal box small enough to toss in a gig bag.
• Cubilux Passive 6.35mm — biggest trade-off: it's passive, so splitting the signal to several devices means turning up the source to compensate — no headphone amp inside.
• Numark HF175 — biggest strength: closed-back, swiveling cups with 40 mm drivers and a 3 m cable that terminates in both 3.5 mm and 6.35 mm — ready for a mixer, interface or laptop.
• Numark HF175 — biggest trade-off: it's one pair of on-ear headphones, so it can't feed a room full of players the way a splitter can.
• Who each pick is for: Cubilux for anyone wiring multiple headphones or monitors into one output; Numark for the player who needs one dependable pair to hear themselves while recording.
The Cubilux Passive 6.35mm is not headphones — it's the plumbing that makes headphones useful in a room full of people. It takes a single audio feed and distributes it across five 1/4" TS/TRS jacks, in mono or stereo, to powered speakers, amplifiers, monitors or headphones. If you've ever run a session where the drummer, bassist, guitarist and vocalist all need to hear the same click and backing track, this is the box that gets you there without buying a dedicated multi-channel headphone amp.
The build is the part I like most for studio work. The case is aluminum alloy, so it survives being stepped on or buried at the bottom of a cable bin, and there's an anti-slip silicone mat on the bottom that keeps it from sliding across a desk or a stage riser when cables are tugging at it. The jacks are gold-plated, which the spec sheet ties to lossless transmission without distortion or static — a sensible claim for a passive device, since there's no circuitry to color the signal. At 4.4" × 1.5" × 0.9" it disappears into a pocket, and Cubilux backs it with a 12-month warranty including refund or replacement.
Buy it if you're a project-studio owner, podcaster, live performer or rehearsal-room regular who needs to hand the same mix to several destinations at once. Skip it if you're a solo producer who only ever plugs in one pair of headphones — a splitter adds nothing to a one-person setup, and you'd be better served putting that money toward the headphones themselves.
Numark HF175: Who It's For
The Numark HF175 is a closed-back, on-ear DJ headphone, and that design brief is exactly why it works for tracking. Closed-back cups with soft padding block ambient noise, which matters when you're recording a vocalist with a monitor speaker blaring in the room, or when you're the one behind the kit trying to hear a click over your own playing. The 40 mm Neodymium drivers cover a 15 Hz–22 kHz range at 32 ohms, which is an easy load — a laptop, phone, interface or mixer headphone jack will drive these without drama.
The details that make it a studio utility rather than just a listening pair: swiveling ear cups, so you can flip one cup off your ear to hear the room while the other stays sealed — a classic DJ and tracking move. A stainless steel and stitched leather headband that adjusts, which speaks to surviving long sessions rather than looking pretty on a shelf. And a 3 m cable that terminates with both a 3.5 mm TRS plug and a 6.35 mm adapter included, so it plugs into a phone, a laptop, an audio interface or a mixer's quarter-inch jack without hunting for an adapter. It weighs 0.28 kg and comes with a 1-year manufacturer warranty.
Where it gives ground: it's on-ear, not over-ear, so isolation is good but not the vise-like seal of a big over-ear closed-back. The sound is described as powerful and DJ-oriented — that's a tuning built to be felt as much as analyzed, which some engineers find flattering and others find less neutral for critical mixing decisions. And one pair of headphones is one pair of headphones; there's no way to share the feed.
Buy it if you're a DJ, podcaster, streamer or home recordist who needs one rugged, closed-back pair that travels between a controller, an interface and a laptop. Skip it if you need reference-grade neutrality for final mix decisions, or if multiple people in your room need to hear the same source — that's the Cubilux's job.
• Best for sharing one mix with several people → Cubilux Passive 6.35mm. Five outputs, one input.
• Best for hearing yourself while recording → Numark HF175. Closed-back cups with sound isolation and swiveling ear cups.
• Best for a solo home setup → Numark HF175. A splitter does nothing for a one-person rig.
• Best for rehearsal rooms and live stages → Cubilux Passive 6.35mm. Metal body, anti-slip base, compact enough to carry.
• Best for plugging into almost anything → Numark HF175. 32 ohm impedance plus a 3.5 mm plug and a 6.35 mm adapter in the box.
• Best for long-session comfort → Numark HF175. Adjustable stainless steel and leather headband, padded cushions.
• Best for signal purity without extra gear → Cubilux Passive 6.35mm. Gold-plated jacks, no active circuitry, no power plug needed.
• Best for level control → Numark HF175 by default. The Cubilux is passive, so you'll raise volume at the source when several outputs are connected.
If I had to pick one for a recording studio, I'd buy the Numark HF175 — because a studio without headphones can't track anyone, and the HF175 gives you closed-back isolation, swivel cups, a long cable and both plug sizes in one box. In my opinion, the Cubilux Passive 6.35mm is the smarter second purchase: once you're recording more than one person at a time and everyone needs the same feed, its five outputs and all-metal build solve a problem no single pair of headphones can. Buy the headphones first, then the splitter when your sessions grow.
what is the use of headphones in recording studio
In a studio, headphones let performers hear the backing track, click and their own playing while microphones stay open — something monitor speakers can't do without bleed. Closed-back models like the Numark HF175 use padded cushions to block ambient noise so the performer hears the cue mix clearly. A splitter like the Cubilux Passive 6.35mm extends that same cue feed to several performers at once.
what are the best recording studio headphones
There's no single answer, because it depends on the job. For tracking and monitoring, closed-back designs with good isolation and easy-to-drive impedance — the Numark HF175's 32 ohm, 40 mm driver setup fits that brief — are the practical pick. For final mix decisions, engineers usually reach for neutral reference headphones instead, so the HF175 is better thought of as a workhorse than a mastering tool.
what are good studio recording headphones
Good tracking headphones isolate, stay comfortable for hours and connect to whatever you own. The Numark HF175 covers that with closed-back cups, an adjustable stainless steel and leather headband, and a 3 m cable that includes both a 3.5 mm plug and a 6.35 mm adapter. That combination means it works with a laptop, an interface or a mixer without extra parts.
what are the best home studio headphones
For a home studio, the priority is usually one pair that does everything. The Numark HF175 handles recording, editing, streaming and casual listening from the same 40 mm drivers, and its 15 Hz–22 kHz range and 32 ohm impedance suit typical laptop and interface outputs. If you also need to feed several headphones or monitors from one source, add the Cubilux Passive 6.35mm alongside it.
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