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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 wireless in-ear monitor system that lets you move around the booth or stage with sub-2ms latency and add as many receivers as you like, choose iCON Airmon Pro; if you need wired, flat-tuned over-ear headphones with swiveling cups for one-ear cueing and long-session comfort, choose Audio-Technica ATH-M40x.
• iCON Airmon Pro — biggest strength: wireless 2.4GHz transmission with under-2ms latency, 96kHz/24-bit lossless stereo, and support for unlimited receivers off one transmitter.
• iCON Airmon Pro — biggest trade-off: it's an in-ear system with no headphone jack at all, so you're locked into the supplied in-ears and a rechargeable, battery-dependent workflow.
• Audio-Technica ATH-M40x — biggest strength: 40mm drivers tuned flat across 15–24,000 Hz with 98 dB sensitivity, plus 90° swiveling earcups built for one-ear monitoring.
• Audio-Technica ATH-M40x — biggest trade-off: it's fully wired, so you're tethered to your mixer or interface with a coiled or straight cable.
• Pick iCON Airmon Pro if you're a DJ or performer who needs freedom of movement and multi-receiver monitoring.
• Pick Audio-Technica ATH-M40x if you're tracking, mixing, or cueing in a loud room and want a wired, isolation-focused over-ear.
The Airmon Pro is a wireless in-ear monitor system, not a pair of headphones in the traditional sense. A single 2.4GHz transmitter feeds a rechargeable receiver, and the whole chain is designed around latency under 2ms — fast enough that what you play and what you hear stay locked together. For a DJ riding a cue point or a performer tracking against a click, that's the number that matters most. The audio path is lossless stereo at 96kHz/24-bit, so the detail you'd normally associate with a wired studio chain is preserved over the air.
The feature that separates it from almost anything else in this conversation is the "unlimited receivers" design. One transmitter can serve as many receivers as you can power up. That turns the Airmon Pro into a monitoring hub: a band where everyone needs the same mix, a rehearsal room with rotating guests, a stage manager feeding cues to several people at once. Both the transmitter and receiver are battery-powered and charge over USB-C, which is what makes the system genuinely portable rather than just wireless-on-a-desk.
Who should buy it? Mobile creatives, DJs, and live performers who value untethered movement and multi-listener monitoring more than the familiarity of a wired headphone. The 32-ohm in-ears use passive noise cancellation, which helps in loud rooms without any active processing.
Who should skip it? Anyone who wants to plug into an existing 3.5mm or 6.35mm output. There is no headphone jack here — connectivity is 2.4GHz wireless only. If your workflow is "cable into the mixer," this isn't the tool. And if you prefer the physical feel of over-ear cups for reference listening, the in-ear form factor will feel like a compromise. In my opinion, the Airmon Pro earns its place when movement and shared monitoring are the priority, not when you want a single pair of do-everything cans.
The ATH-M40x is a closed-back, over-ear wired monitor built for accuracy. The 40mm drivers use rare earth magnets and copper-clad aluminum wire voice coils, and the tuning is deliberately flat across 15–24,000 Hz with 98 dB sensitivity. Flat means boring on purpose — nothing is boosted to flatter your mix, so what you hear is closer to what's actually there. For tracking, mixing, and monitoring, that's the point.
The circumaural design contours around the ears, and Audio-Technica calls out sound isolation in loud environments with minimal bleed. In practice that's a DJ booth, a live stage, or a noisy rehearsal space — anywhere you need your cue to survive the room. The 90° swiveling earcups are the sleeper feature: flip one cup back and you get one-ear monitoring while the other ear stays open to the crowd or the room. That single trick is why this style of headphone shows up in DJ and live-sound work at all.
Comfort for long sessions is handled by the professional-grade earpad and headband material, and the whole thing collapses for space-saving transport. The bundle here adds real utility: a headphone stand, a Striker USB-C to 3.5mm adapter with dual DAC chips for plugging into modern laptops and phones, and a cleaning cloth. Cabling is generous too — a coiled 3.9 to 9.8' cable, a straight 9.8' cable, and a 1/4" screw-on adapter, plus a carrying pouch.
Who should buy it? Producers, engineers, and DJs who want a wired, isolation-first over-ear they can trust for reference work and cueing — and who like the idea of one-ear monitoring without unplugging anything. Who should skip it? Anyone who needs to move freely around a stage. The M40x is wired by design, and no amount of clever cabling changes that. There's also a limited 2-year manufacturer warranty noted, which is a useful backstop for a working tool.
• Best for wireless freedom → iCON Airmon Pro. No cable, 2.4GHz transmission, rechargeable over USB-C.
• Best for low-latency live cueing → iCON Airmon Pro. Under 2ms keeps monitoring and performance in sync.
• Best for monitoring several people at once → iCON Airmon Pro. One transmitter supports unlimited receivers.
• Best for flat, accurate reference sound → Audio-Technica ATH-M40x. Tuned flat across 15–24,000 Hz with 98 dB sensitivity.
• Best for one-ear DJ cueing → Audio-Technica ATH-M40x. The 90° swiveling earcups make it a two-second move.
• Best for loud rooms → Audio-Technica ATH-M40x. Circumaural, closed-back isolation is the design brief here.
• Best for plugging into any mixer or interface → Audio-Technica ATH-M40x. 3.5mm and 6.35mm jacks plus coiled, straight, and adapter options.
• Best for all-day comfort and travel → Audio-Technica ATH-M40x. Professional-grade pads and a collapsible frame.
If I had to pick one for DJ monitor duty, I'd take the Audio-Technica ATH-M40x. The swiveling earcup for one-ear cueing, the circumaural isolation for loud booths, and the flat tuning for trustworthy reference all point straight at how DJs actually work. The bundled stand, USB-C DAC adapter, and dual cabling make it a complete wired toolkit out of the box.
That said, the iCON Airmon Pro is the better answer if your problem is the cable itself — or if several people need the same feed. In my opinion, these two aren't really competing; one solves freedom, the other solves accuracy. Buy the one that matches your bottleneck.
FAQ
what is studio monitor headphones
why do djs wear headphones
DJs wear headphones to cue the next track privately while the main system plays to the crowd. That's why one-ear monitoring matters — you need one ear on the cue and one on the room. The ATH-M40x's 90° swiveling earcups exist for exactly this, and its circumaural isolation keeps the cue readable in a loud booth.
why djs wear headphones
The same reason, and it's worth repeating: a DJ's headphones are the private channel between them and the next record. Wireless options like the iCON Airmon Pro change how that channel is delivered — no cable, under-2ms latency — but the job is unchanged. Pick wired if you want isolation and swivel cups; pick wireless if you want to move.
why do djs need headphones
Because the booth monitor tells you what's playing, but only headphones tell you what's coming. You need isolation to hear the cue over the room, low enough latency that the cue lines up with the beat, and a form factor that lets you keep half an ear on the crowd. The Airmon Pro covers latency and freedom; the ATH-M40x covers isolation and one-ear cueing.
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