Here is my review of the Maono AU-MH601 brandable isolating studio headphone with removable cable. So far, I have reviewed many more microphones than I have reviewed headphones. Perhaps 22% of those microphones are head mounted microphones, be they standalone headsets, standalone head microphones only, or head microphones designed to attach to your favorite headphones which come without any microphone. The more recent of that type is the V-MODA BoomPro, which can only attach to those few headphones which offer a removable cable, like the Maono AU-MH601 I am reviewing today —and the CB-100 from Status Audio, which i reviewed in 2018. The Maono AU-MH601 costs substantially less the CB-100 and shares many of its other virtues, as you’ll learn ahead.

Link to my 2018 review of the Status Audio CB-1 brandable isolating headphones.

Common features of the Maono AU-MH601 and the Status Audio CB-1

• ISOLATION — When I say “isolating” when it comes to headphones and headsets, I mean that the ones that are closed enough to block the outside sound as much as possible, and that they also block the sound being heard from leaking out, as much as possible. Having said that, even the most professional ones and highest priced ones I have ever tried can’t completely block the outside sound, nor have the highest-rated earplugs I have ever tested. Both the Maono AU-MH601 and the Status Audio CB-1 did it as well as possible, especially taking into account that we humans receive vibrations via our bones too, not just from our outer ear.
• 50 mm DRIVERS — Both have 50 mm drivers.
• COMFORT — Both seem to be equally comfortable. It’s not that I love wearing headphones for a very extended period, but they seem to have the same comfort level and a nearly indistinguishable weight.
• FREQUENCY RESPONSE — The Maono AU-HM601 is rated as having a frequency response of 20 – 20 kHz. The Status Audio CB-1 is rated as having a wider range of 15 Hz – 30 kHz (even though human hearing is limited to 20 Hz to 20 kHz). Here is the frequency curve supplied by Maona upon my request:

To describe a more human perception, 500 Amazon commenter and verified purchaser Ryno D. Bones posted about the Maono AU-HM601:

Neutral – not a huge amount of added bass, treble, mids, highs, lows, whatever. Almost FLAT. Highs are a bit more pronounced than with the M40X (Audio-Technica ATH-M40x), but that could also be because these carry 50mm drivers as opposed to the 40mm drivers on the M40X.

• IMPEDANCE — Both the Maono AU-HM601 and the Status Audio CB-1 are rated at 32 Ω (ohms) which means that they work very well with nearly all headphone outputs I have ever tested. Even the popular Sony MDR-7506 is relatively low impedance at 63 Ω, although Ken Rockwell measured it to be even slightly higher. (Some audiophile headphones have a much higher impedance than any of the aforementioned models, and those audiophile headphones require a much stronger headphone amplifier to work properly at a reasonable volume.)
• REMOVABLE CABLE(S) — The Maono AU-HM601 includes one removable cable, while the Status Audio CB-1 includes two. But I am much more impressed about the fact that they both allow the cable(s) to be removed, which allows attaching a head microphone which has its own built-in cable, like the V-MODA BoomPro (which I reviewed in 2019) or similar head microphone which also attaches via the headphones’ 3.5 mm TRS jack. During my tests for this review, I personally verified that the V-MODA BoomPro connects perfectly and works perfectly with the Maono AU-HM601, as it also does with the Status Audio CB-1. The included cable(s) with the headphones in both cases terminate in 3.5mm and fortunately both include and adapter to 6.35 mm (1/4”). Whenever I am a guest at a conventional radio station, I always bring my own headphones with 6.35 mm (1/4”) plug since that is the standard in all of the radio stations I have visited so far.

• BRANDABLE — The AU-HM601 headphones come with the Maono brand on each side. The CB-1 from Status Audio comes unbranded. However, both are equally brandable by adding a circular sticker. So you can add your own brand, be it your channel, company, radio station, TV station or house of worship. Many other headphones on the market lack such a perfect place to add a sticker.

Ratings

Appearance and build quality

Comfort

Connectivity with 3.5 mm and 6.35 mm (1/4”)

Compatibility with attachable 3.5mm microphones like the V-MODA BoomPro

Value for price

Conclusions

The Maono AU-MH601 isolating studio headphone is an amazing value. I love the fact that it is brandable and that it has a removable 3.5 mm cable. This makes it compatible with the attachable 3.5mm microphones like the V-MODA BoomPro and similar microphones made to attach to headphones we already own. It also makes it more flexible to replace a worn cable or to use a different type of cable in different situations, as described in the article. For more information, click here.

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