MAONO MH501 vs MAONO MH601 at a Glance
• MAONO MH501 — biggest strength: a foldable, space-saving over-ear frame with soft protein ear pads that MAONO says block around 85% of ambient noise, plus a 9.8 ft spring cable that stays attached, so you can't lose it.
• MAONO MH501 — biggest trade-off: the cable is non-detachable, so if it ever fails you can't swap it, and the plastic enclosure is the more utilitarian of the two.
• MAONO MH601 — biggest strength: detachable 3.5 mm to 3.5 mm spring cable plus a 6.35 mm interchangeable jack, a leather/metal/plastic build, 103 dB sensitivity and a 3-year warranty.
• MAONO MH601 — biggest trade-off: no foldable design is listed, so it's the bulkier one to pack, and it's the heavier unit on paper at 14.08 ounces.
• Who MAONO MH501 is for: the desktop PC user who wants one cable, one setup, and a headphone that folds away between sessions.
• Who MAONO MH601 is for: the PC user who plugs into audio interfaces, mixers and mic monitoring chains and wants to be able to replace a cable instead of a headphone.
The MH501 is the more "set it and forget it" of the two. It's a closed-back over-ear headphone with a 50 mm large-aperture dynamic driver, 32 ohm impedance, 100 dB sensitivity and a 20 Hz–20 kHz frequency range. Nothing exotic there, and that's the point: 32 ohm at 100 dB is an easy load, so it works straight out of a PC headphone jack, a laptop, a phone or a basic interface without you needing to think about amplification. The closed-back cup and the protein ear pads are described as creating a proper acoustic seal, and MAONO claims roughly 85% ambient noise reduction. In a home office with a fan, a fridge hum or street noise, that isolation is the feature you'll feel most.
How We Research
We compare products from their published specs and features; the verdicts below are our independent editorial opinions.
Updated: 2026-10-09 · 7 min read · Independent comparison
Buy the MH501 if you want a wired PC headphone that lives on one desk, folds flat when you're done, and has enough cable to reach across a setup. Skip it if cable failure is your nightmare — the cable is non-detachable, so there's no cheap fix down the line — or if you want a metal-accented, more premium-feeling build. The plastic enclosure is light and functional, but it's plain.
The MH601 is the more serviceable and slightly more sensitive sibling. Same foundation: over-ear closed-back, 50 mm dynamic driver, 32 ohm, 20 Hz–20 kHz. Where it differs is 103 dB sensitivity versus 100 dB, meaning it will reach a given loudness with a little less push from your source — handy when you're monitoring quietly off an interface or a mixer output. MAONO also lists audio latency at 10 milliseconds, which matters if you're tracking vocals or an instrument and want the monitoring path to feel immediate rather than smeared.
The headline feature is the cable system. The MH601 ships with a detachable 9.8 ft spring cable (3.5 mm to 3.5 mm) and a 6.35 mm interchangeable jack. Detachable means the cable is a consumable, not a death sentence: if it kinks, crackles or gets rolled over by a chair, you replace the cable. For anyone plugging into an audio interface, mixer, microphone monitoring chain or PC, that's the difference between a bad afternoon and a bad purchase. The build is listed as leather, metal and plastic rather than plastic alone, so it reads as the more substantial of the two, and the warranty runs 3 years against 12 months on the MH501.
The trade-offs are honest ones. At 14.08 ounces it's the heavier headphone, and no foldable design is listed, so it's the one you'd leave on a stand rather than stuff into a bag. It's also the pick where you're paying for flexibility and durability rather than portability.
Buy the MH601 if your PC audio runs through an interface or mixer, if you want a replaceable cable, or if a longer warranty genuinely matters to you. Skip it if you mainly want a headphone that disappears into a backpack — the MH501's folding frame wins that job.
• Best for a replaceable cable → MAONO MH601. Detachable 3.5 mm to 3.5 mm spring cable; the MH501's is fixed.
• Best for packing and travel → MAONO MH501. Foldable, space-saving design; the MH601 has no folding spec listed.
• Best for lighter weight → MAONO MH501. 0.6 kg versus 14.08 ounces for the MH601.
• Best for quiet sources → MAONO MH601. 103 dB sensitivity versus 100 dB means it needs slightly less drive.
• Best for low-latency monitoring → MAONO MH601. A 10 ms latency figure is listed; the MH501 has none.
• Best for build feel → MAONO MH601. Leather, metal and plastic enclosure versus plastic on the MH501.
• Best for warranty peace of mind → MAONO MH601. 3 years versus 12 months.
• Best for a simple, one-cable PC desk → MAONO MH501. Non-detachable 9.8 ft cable plus the 6.35 mm adapter, nothing to misplace.
In my opinion, the MAONO MH601 is the better buy for most people shopping for a wired PC headphone, and it's the one I'd pick. The detachable cable and 3-year warranty turn two of the most common failure points into non-events, the 103 dB sensitivity and listed 10 ms latency suit interface and mixer monitoring, and the leather/metal/plastic build is the more durable-feeling of the pair. The MH501 is still the right call for a specific person: if your priority for PC use is a foldable, lighter headphone with a cable you'll never lose, it does that job well. For everyone else, the MH601's flexibility wins. Check the current price on Amazon for both before deciding, since that's the one variable this comparison doesn't cover.
FAQ
Yes. It ships with a detachable 9.8 ft spring cable (3.5 mm to 3.5 mm) plus a 6.35 mm interchangeable jack. The MH501's 9.8 ft spring cable is non-detachable, so it can't be replaced if it wears out.
The MH501 is listed at 0.6 kg, while the MH601 is listed at 14.08 ounces, which is roughly 0.4 kg / about 399 g. So the MH501 is the lighter headphone on paper. The MH501 is also the one with a foldable design.
Neither is wireless — both are wired over-ear studio headphones, so they don't compete with wireless earbuds for PC, transparency-mode ear clip headphones, or volume-limiting Bluetooth headphones. If you specifically need wireless, transparency mode or a volume limit, these two aren't the right category. If you want accurate wired monitoring at a desk, they are.
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