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If you want a pair of headphones that gives you a clean, honest window into your mix for tracking and casual monitoring, choose Tascam TH-05; if you need a passive hardware box that feeds one stereo source out to five destinations at once, choose Cubilux Passive 6.35mm. These two are not rivals in the same category — one is a monitoring headphone, the other is a signal splitter — but they show up in the same searches because both live in the recording studio. The right pick depends entirely on whether your problem is "I need to hear the mix" or "I need to send the mix to five places."
• Tascam TH-05 biggest strength: A closed-back, over-ear monitoring headphone with a 40 mm dynamic driver, a 15Hz–22kHz range and 32 ohm impedance — an easy load for most gear, tuned to represent your source rather than flatter it.
• Tascam TH-05 biggest trade-off: Wired only, with a 3.5 mm jack and a long 9.8 ft cable. No wireless, no multipoint, and you'll need a 1/4" adapter or a splitter box if your interface only has quarter-inch outputs.
• Cubilux Passive 6.35mm biggest strength: Five gold-plated 1/4" TS/TRS outputs from a single feed, in a full aluminum alloy body with an anti-slip silicone base — a compact way to distribute one signal to monitors, amps, speakers or headphones.
• Cubilux Passive 6.35mm biggest trade-off: It's passive, so splitting to multiple outputs means you turn the volume up to compensate, and it does nothing on its own without a source and cables.
• Who the Tascam is for: Anyone who needs to actually listen — tracking, editing, checking a mix on a closed-back pair.
• Who the Cubilux is for: Anyone who needs to route one signal to several destinations without buying a powered distribution amp.
The TH-05 is a closed-back, circumaural (over-ear) monitoring headphone built around a 40 mm dynamic driver. Tascam's own framing is the useful part here: a clean, balanced, honest representation of your source. That's the job of a studio monitoring headphone — not to make everything sound exciting, but to let you hear what's actually there so your decisions translate elsewhere. The 15Hz–22kHz frequency range covers the audible band with room to spare, and 32 ohm impedance with 95 dB sensitivity means it will run off a phone, a laptop, a small interface or a headphone amp without demanding a dedicated high-gain setup.
The physical design is clearly aimed at long sessions. The headband is manganese — strong, flexible and light — and both the headband and ear cups are padded and tightly stitched. The cups rotate up to 180°, which is genuinely handy for single-ear monitoring while tracking a vocal or checking a room, and it makes the headphones lie flatter when you set them down. At 0.47 kg the pair is light enough to forget you're wearing it, and the 9.8 ft (3 m) fully extended cable is long enough to reach across a desk or stand up and walk a step or two without yanking the plug out of your interface.
The trade-offs are straightforward. This is a wired 3.5 mm headphone with no wireless mode and no built-in battery — the control set is a volume control and sound isolation, not noise cancellation. If your interface has only 1/4" outputs, you'll be reaching for an adapter. And if you're expecting a consumer-style bass lift, this isn't that; "honest" is the design intent, not "fun."
Buy the TH-05 if you need a dependable closed-back pair for tracking, editing and general monitoring, especially if you want something light with a long cable and swiveling cups. Skip it if you need wireless, active noise cancellation, or a headphone that deliberately sweetens the low end.
The Cubilux Passive 6.35mm is not a headphone at all — it's a passive 1/4" stereo splitter box. One audio feed goes in, and it distributes that signal to up to five outputs through five 1/4" TS/TRS jacks. That single feature solves a very specific studio and stage problem: you have one source and several things that need to hear it — powered speakers, amplifiers, monitors, headphones.
The build is where this box earns its place. The case is aluminum alloy, so it's meant to survive being tossed in a gig bag, and there's an anti-slip silicone mat on the bottom that keeps it from sliding around on a desk, a keyboard stand or an amp. The 6.35 mm jacks are gold-plated, and Cubilux's claim is lossless transmission without distortion or static noise. It measures just 4.4" × 1.5" × 0.9", so it takes up almost no room — a real advantage if your interface is already crowded.
The important caveat is built into the design: it's passive. It doesn't amplify anything. When you connect several outputs at once, the signal is shared, so you turn the volume up at the source to get the level you want at each destination. That's normal behavior for a passive splitter, but it's the thing people are surprised by, so plan for it.
Side-by-Side: Which Should You Choose?
• Best for actually hearing your mix → Tascam TH-05. It's a headphone; the Cubilux is not.
• Best for routing one signal to several destinations → Cubilux Passive 6.35mm. Five 1/4" outputs from a single feed.
• Best for long tracking sessions → Tascam TH-05. Light manganese headband, padded cups, 180° rotation and a 9.8 ft cable.
• Best for a cramped, portable rig → Cubilux Passive 6.35mm. At 4.4" × 1.5" × 0.9" it disappears into a bag.
• Best for plug-and-play into consumer gear → Tascam TH-05. 32 ohm impedance and a 3.5 mm jack run off almost anything.
• Best for studios with quarter-inch-only gear → Cubilux Passive 6.35mm. Native 1/4" connections, no adapters needed.
• Best for durability on the road → Cubilux Passive 6.35mm. Aluminum alloy body and anti-slip base.
• Best for isolation while recording → Tascam TH-05. Closed-back, over-ear design with sound isolation.
In my opinion, most people searching these two together are really asking one question: what do I need to finish a session? If the answer is "I need to hear what I'm recording," I'd buy the Tascam TH-05. It's a closed-back monitoring headphone with a sensible 32 ohm load, an honest tuning philosophy, a long cable and swiveling cups — the everyday tool, not the accessory. I'd only choose the Cubilux Passive 6.35mm if my actual bottleneck is signal routing: one source, several destinations, and no powered distribution box on the shelf. Different problems, different answers. If you already own headphones and your rig can't reach your monitors, the Cubilux is the fix. If you're short on a reliable pair to listen on, the TH-05 comes first.
FAQ
what is the use of headphones in recording studio
what are the best recording studio headphones
"Best" depends on the job. For a closed-back monitoring pair that represents your source honestly rather than coloring it, the Tascam TH-05's 40 mm dynamic driver, 15Hz–22kHz range and 32 ohm impedance make it a sensible, easy-to-drive option. If your real need is routing one feed to several monitors or headphones at once, the Cubilux Passive 6.35mm splitter is the more useful purchase.
what are good studio recording headphones
Good studio headphones are the ones that fit your monitoring chain. The TH-05 runs from a 3.5 mm jack with a 9.8 ft cable, so it works with laptops, interfaces and phone outputs alike. Its 180° rotating cups and padded headband make single-ear monitoring practical, which matters more in a real session than any single spec.
what are the best home studio headphones
For a home studio, I'd favor a wired closed-back pair like the Tascam TH-05 — no battery to manage, a long cable, and light enough for long editing sessions. Add the Cubilux Passive 6.35mm only if you need to send one signal to multiple speakers, amps or headphones in the same room. Check the current price on Amazon before you commit, since both fit different budgets.
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See also: recording studio headphones, Roland Studio Quality Monitoring vs Sony MDR, YINYOO KZ ZSN Pro vs Floriogra 2: Passive Noise Reduction