Can headphones truly replace studio monitors?
It’s one of the oldest debates in professional sound engineering. Headphones, after all, are traditionally seen as auxiliary tools useful for checking details, but not for making final mix decisions.

Audeze MM-500 Review

But every rule eventually meets its exception. And when Los Angeles-based mix engineer Manny Marroquin, winner of eight Grammy Awards and collaborator with artists like Rihanna, Bruno Mars, and Ed Sheeran, set out to create a pair of headphones accurate enough to mix on, he turned to none other than Audeze.

The result: the Audeze MM-500, a planar magnetic masterpiece that promises to bridge the gap between studio monitor precision and audiophile immersion.

Quick Verdict

Category	Rating
Sound Quality	★★★★★ (5/5) — Balanced, open, and monitor-accurate
Build Quality	★★★★★ — Aluminum and steel, built to last
Comfort & Weight	★★★★☆ — Noticeably lighter than classic Audeze
Driveability	★★★★☆ — Easy to run, scales with good amps
Value for Money	★★★★☆ — Premium performance for less than LCD-5

Bottom Line:

The Audeze MM-500 delivers near-monitor realism in a compact planar headphone. It’s equally at home in the studio or in a serious audiophile setup — one of the most balanced and natural-sounding Audeze models to date.

Design and Build Quality

The Audeze MM-500 inherits its DNA directly from Audeze’s flagship LCD-5, but with materials and tuning optimized for professional, daily use.

The headband is made from spring steel, ensuring long-term durability, while the CNC-milled aluminum earcups make the headphones both robust and lightweight. The finish is practical, understated, and ready for real-world work — not just studio display.

Despite being built for professionals, the craftsmanship is unmistakably premium Audeze: flawless machining, precise assembly, and a tactile feel that justifies the brand’s reputation.

Weighing around 495 grams, the Audeze MM-500 is noticeably lighter than the LCD-X. Thanks to its compact 90 mm planar drivers, it feels well-balanced and far less bulky than most large-format planars.

Technical Overview

Like all Audeze planars, the MM-500 uses a trio of proprietary technologies:

• Fluxor™ magnetic arrays with ultra-strong N50 neodymium magnets
• Uniforce™ diaphragms, ensuring even current distribution and linear motion
• Fazor™ waveguides, which minimize phase distortion and improve spatial accuracy

The 18-ohm impedance and 100 dB sensitivity make the MM-500 surprisingly easy to drive even from compact DAC/amps or high-quality USB dongles. It can handle up to 5 W RMS, but needs only around 250 mW for optimal performance.

This means you don’t need a massive desktop amplifier to unlock its potential, though, as always, higher-quality amplification brings even greater refinement.

The “Thickness Decides” Philosophy

Every Audeze model’s resolution is determined by one key factor: the thickness of its diaphragm. The thinner it is, the faster and more responsive the transducer.

In the MM-500, Audeze uses an ultra-thin nanomaterial derived from the LCD-5’s design. This places the MM-500 above models like the LCD-X and LCD-XC in terms of technical performance, but below ultra-flagships such as the LCD-MX4 and LCD-4z a perfect middle ground for professionals and critical listeners.

Sound Quality

Before listening, I revisited Manny Marroquin’s impressive discography: Sia, Usher, Alicia Keys, 2Pac, Kanye West, Rihanna, Ed Sheeran, Imagine Dragons, and more.
His fingerprints are on countless albums — so I started with Sia’s “1000 Forms of Fear” and X Ambassadors’ “VHS.”

The first thing that struck me was the soundstage.
Unlike most headphones that keep music “in your head,” the Audeze MM-500 projects it in front of you, like a pair of high-end nearfield monitors sitting a meter and a half away.

The sense of space, scale, and instrument placement is extraordinary. You can practically “see” the mix in three dimensions.
On VHS (original), the sound was wide, holographic, and richly detailed. The reissue VHS 2.0, by contrast, sounded louder, but the MM-500s made that difference unmistakable.

Tonal Balance and Resolution

The MM-500 has a perfectly balanced tonal signature neutral but never sterile.
The low end is tight and natural, the mids are rich and full of texture, and the treble extends cleanly without artificial sparkle.

Resolution is exceptional: micro-details emerge naturally rather than being forced forward. The result is a headphone that reveals everything yet always sounds coherent and musical.

This is what separates the Audeze MM-500 from both typical “studio” cans and traditional audiophile models: it’s transparent without being clinical, musical without being colored.

Comparisons: MM-500 vs LCD-X and LCD-3

If you put the MM-500 next to the LCD-X, the MM-500 comes off as a bit warmer and has more of a 3D feel to the sound. The LCD-X is brighter on top and really highlights all the tiny details, but the MM-500 sounds more natural and put-together, with a stronger, clearer midrange that makes vocals and instruments stand out.

When you compare it to the LCD-3, the MM-500 is a lot more focused and tight. The LCD-3 is super lush and relaxed, which is amazing for just chilling out, but the Audeze MM-500 has better rhythm and control, sounding more like the neutral studio speakers that music producers actually use to mix tracks. So in the end, the MM-500 is like a perfect middle ground, it takes the detail of the LCD-X and the musical beauty of the LCD-3, and blends them into one balanced headphone without going too far in either direction.

Amplifier Pairing

Although easy to drive, the MM-500 scales impressively with amplification.
I tested it with two contrasting setups:

• Ferrum Audio OOR (solid-state) — tight, dynamic, and lightning-fast. Perfect for rock, metal, and electronic music.
• Fezz Audio Omega Lupi (tube) — smoother, more spacious, with an inviting midrange glow ideal for jazz, vocals, and acoustic recordings.

With tubes, the bass softens slightly but gains body and warmth. With transistors, it becomes punchier and more defined.
The MM-500 adapts beautifully to each character, proof of its high transparency and low coloration.

Measurements and Technical Performance

Independent lab measurements show a flat frequency response up to about 3 kHz, with a mild resonance dip near 9.5 kHz — consistent with Audeze’s latest pad design.

There’s a subtle roll-off below 50 Hz, but it’s too minor to affect real-world listening. The MM-500’s tonal curve is remarkably even, reflecting its studio-grade neutrality.

Distortion remains exceptionally low: typically 0.1–0.2%, rarely exceeding 0.5% even at the extremes. This places the Audeze MM-500 among the cleanest planar headphones on the market.

The Experience Studio Accuracy Meets Musical Soul

The real magic of the MM-500 lies in how quickly you forget you’re wearing headphones.
The presentation is so open, natural, and monitor-like that you simply fall into the music.

It handles every genre with authority:

• Rock and metal have punch and drive.
• Jazz and classical sound organic and full-bodied.
• Electronic tracks sparkle with energy and precision.

Few headphones manage this level of transparency without losing musicality. The MM-500 does both effortlessly and that’s what makes it so special.

Practicality and Everyday Use

With its low impedance and moderate weight, the MM-500 is surprisingly versatile. You can pair it with compact DAC/amps like the iFi Gryphon or Chord Mojo 2, or use it in a full studio chain with an RME ADI-2 DAC or Ferrum ERCO.

Its open-back design makes it unsuitable for noisy environments, but for mixing, mastering, or late-night high-fidelity listening, it’s close to perfect.

It’s also beautifully built for long-term reliability a serious investment for anyone who wants professional accuracy in a more personal format.

Specifications

Type	Planar Magnetic, Open-Back
Driver Size	90 mm
Frequency Response	5 Hz – 50 kHz
Sensitivity	100 dB / 1 mW
Impedance	18 Ω
Power Handling	0.1 – 5 W RMS
Recommended Amp Power	0.25 W
Distortion	<0.1% typical
Weight	495 g

Pros and Cons

Pros

• Exceptionally clear and balanced sound
• Studio-grade neutrality with musical warmth
• High resolution and superb dynamics
• Easy to drive, scales with good amps
• Excellent build quality and reduced weight

Cons

• Open design limits portable use
• Best results still require quality amplification

Final Verdict:

The Audeze MM-500 is more than just another planar headphone.
It’s a bridge between the studio and the listening room — a tool that reveals the truth in your music, yet lets you enjoy it emotionally.

Its combination of monitor-level precision, three-dimensional imaging, and natural tonal balance makes it one of Audeze’s most complete headphones yet.

If you’ve ever wished your mixing headphones could sound as immersive as your home setup — or your audiophile headphones could sound as honest as studio monitors the MM-500 delivers both.

In short:

The Audeze MM-500 isn’t just a headphone it’s a reference you can trust.