Icon HP 200 Studio Monitoring Headphones

The iCON HP-200 is a pair of closed-back, over-ear studio headphones designed to offer professional monitoring capabilities at a highly accessible price point. It is a solid choice for home studio users, podcasters, and music enthusiasts looking for a significant upgrade from standard consumer headphones.

Key Features and Highlights:

• Closed-Back, Over-Ear (Circumaural) Design: The HP-200’s closed-back design with over-ear earcups provides effective passive noise isolation. This is essential for:
  • Recording: It prevents audio bleed from your headphones into your microphone, ensuring clean vocal and instrument recordings.
  • Monitoring: It helps you to focus on the intricate details of your mix by blocking out ambient noise from your environment.
• Dynamic Drivers: The headphones are equipped with dynamic drivers, though the specific size is not consistently listed across all sources, they are designed for a balanced and accurate sound profile.
• Wide Frequency Response: The HP-200 boasts a wide frequency response of 16 Hz to 22 kHz. This extended range, particularly in the low end, allows for better monitoring of bass frequencies and a more complete sound picture.
• Comfort and Build Quality:
  • Padded Ear Pads: The elliptical ear pads are made from a soft, breathable material, designed for comfort during long listening sessions.
  • Adjustable Headband: A sturdy, adjustable headband ensures a comfortable and secure fit.
  • Foldable Design: The earcups can swivel 90° flat and the headphones are foldable, making them easy to store and transport.
• Low Impedance (32 Ohms): With a low impedance of 32 ohms, the HP-200 is easy to drive. This means it will produce a high-quality, loud signal from a variety of low-power devices like smartphones, laptops, and portable audio players, as well as professional audio interfaces.
• Convenient Connectivity:
  • Long Straight Cable: The headphones come with a generous 3-meter (9.8 ft) straight cable made of oxygen-free copper (OFC). The long cable is ideal for studio use, giving you plenty of room to move around.
  • 3.5mm Plug with 6.35mm Adapter: It includes a gold-plated 3.5mm (1/8″) stereo plug and a screw-on 6.35mm (1/4″) adapter, ensuring compatibility with virtually all professional and consumer audio equipment.

Who is the iCON Pro Audio HP-200 for?

• Home and Project Studio Owners: An excellent, affordable choice for general-purpose monitoring and tracking.
• Podcasters and Content Creators: The closed-back design is perfect for recording to prevent audio from bleeding into the microphone.
• Music Enthusiasts: For those who want a comfortable and good-sounding pair of headphones for extended music listening.
• Users on a Budget: It provides a great feature set and sound quality for its price, making it a strong competitor in the entry-level headphone market.

Considerations:

• “Studio Reference” Expectations: While marketed as “studio monitor headphones,” it’s important to have realistic expectations. At this price, they will not have the completely flat, analytical frequency response of higher-end professional headphones (like those from Beyerdynamic, Sennheiser, or Audio-Technica). They are best suited for tracking and general monitoring rather than critical mixing and mastering.
• Build Durability: The build quality, while sturdy for its price, is primarily plastic. The non-detachable cable is a potential point of failure.
• Sound Signature: The sound profile is generally described as having crisp highs, solid mids, and natural lows, which is a good balance for general listening and monitoring.