M-Audio HDH40 Review

Design

• Classic design
• Comfortable for long listening
• Flexible frame

The first thing you notice about the HDH40 is just how inoffensive they are. Very simple, closed-back studio headphone styling with silver M-Audio branding on each earcup, plus an embossed logo emblazoned in the faux leather headband.

For those of a certain age, it’s like slipping on a classic Technics or Ministry of Sound MA1 flight jacket, only in headphone form. They’d go well together, too, record bag in tow, possibly some knock-off Karl Kani jeans. Kurupt FM would approve.

That same faux leather from the headband is used for the earcups, with everything well-padded throughout. It’s immediately obvious just how comfortable and cocooned you feel without having the blood circulation cut off to your cranium.

It’s pretty much all plastic, including a chunky integrated cable dangling from the left earcup and extending to a generous 3 metres. Knowing how they get moth-eaten over time, a replaceable cable would have been nice, but exceptional at this price.

This makes the HDH40 lightweight at just 300 grams, but also because there are no batteries, wireless receivers, or noise-cancelling tech to worry about. This is good news for studio, gaming and DJ marathons.

For comparison, that’s the same as a pair of slightly more expensive but similarly styled Sony MDR-7506 studio headphones, meaning the HDH40 are keeping good company in this respect.

The only metal on show are the adjustable stainless steel telescopic arms. They feel durable, and when you consider the entire headband exoskeleton, remarkably flexible. Enough for a watermelon, certainly, perhaps a generously proportioned pumpkin.

Earcups only rotate up and down, and the HDH40s miss a trick by skipping hinges for folding into a more compact form. There’s no carry case either — but for the price of five London pints, I’m pretty impressed with M-Audio’s flexible friends.

Where this connects all three is the lightweight, comfortable design. Wearing the HDH40 for hours on end without feeling like you’ve been wheel-clamped is great for a fatigue-free experience.

The levels of passive isolation are also particularly strong. Working from home, they passed dog barking, leaf blowing and ride-on mower noise tests, with minimal sound leakage going in the opposite direction.

Specification

• 3.5 mm or 6.35 mm jacks
• 180-degree earcups
• 40 mm neodymium magnet drivers

With a lack of features to put through their paces, judging the performance of the HDH40 is more about the environments you unleash them in — so I’m going to look at producing, monitoring, and gaming.

Single ear monitoring is taken care of by 180-degree rotating earcups, which will please everyone from pirate radio DJs listening out for the old bill to Twitch streamers wondering when dinner’s ready.

A notable mention for the choice between a 3.5 mm mini jack connection or the 6.35 mm adapter for professional audio equipment, otherwise it’s what’s under the hood that counts, with 40 mm neodymium magnet drivers.

So where are the shortcomings? For producing and monitoring, you would appreciate more twistability on the earcups than just the 180-degree status quo. A folding mechanism would also be welcome for shoving them in a drawer.

For gaming, there’s no in-line mic, but it’s perhaps unfair to expect one when the HDH40 is likely to be paired with a podcasting microphone for streamers and content creators.

Sound Quality

• Punchy bass
• Solid midrange
• Ideal for critical listening

The M-Audio HDH40 headphones employ 40mm neodymium magnet drivers, facilitating a wide frequency response from 15 Hz to 28 kHz, allowing for extended bass and treble reproduction beyond the typical audible range.

Measurements indicate a well-defined low-frequency response with minimal distortion below 100 Hz, delivering punchy yet controlled bass ideal for monitoring bass-heavy content and electronic music.

The Loops electronic playlist on Apple Music slaps in this respect. Four Tet’s Mazzy Star rework of Into Dust feels nicely spaced in terms of frequency separations, allowing for Hope Sandoval’s ethereal vocals to shine.

A high-frequency response, while extending up to 28 kHz, shows a mild attenuation starting around 8 kHz, resulting in a subdued treble region. This reduction in high-frequency energy decreases the potential for listener fatigue, which figures.

The same goes for sibilance, which is a positive for anyone sensitive to bright or harsh sounds. The resulting sound feels warm, with a smoother tonal balance.

Midrange clarity is solid, with accurate reproduction of vocals and spoken word, though some upper midrange frequencies are slightly recessed. This causes vocals to sit a bit further back in the mix.

A closed-back design yields a relatively narrow soundstage, typical for headphones in this category, but imaging remains precise, enabling accurate spatial placement of instruments and sound effects.

Classical pieces are impactful. The main theme from The Dark Knight Rises performed by the Czech Philharmonic Orchestra might be lacking a truly wide soundstage, but it’s a solid effort that’s crisp without harshness.

On something rockier, say Feet Don’t Fail Me Now by Queens of the Stone Age, the HDH40 handles midrange-forward guitars and vocals well, giving punch and energy. Drums come through clearly but lack some overall slam. It’s lively without being fatiguing — great for jam sessions or casual listening.

For gaming — tested with titles like Hogwarts Legacy — the HDH40 perform adequately for directional audio cues, though ambient background sounds and environmental textures are less prominent.  Overall, the HDH40 is best suited for critical listening scenarios that prioritise bass accuracy and a comfortable, non-fatiguing high end. It’s competitive entry-level stuff and in that respect, job done.

Should you buy it?