Prodipe are best known for their affordable microphones and studio monitors, but they also offer headphones. With its black and bright-red contrasting livery, the 3000BR headphones are clearly designed to offer visual appeal, but beneath the frivolity is a practical and affordable product that could find a home in any project studio. (For those who prefer something less showy, the 3000W version, which comes in a white finish, might be just the thing to blend in with your Apple gizmos.)
Featuring a closed-back, supra-aural design — the phones sit on the ears, as opposed to around them — the 3000BRs fit snugly and provide a useful degree of attenuation from the outside world, making them well-suited to performer monitoring during recording. The headband is adjustable and sprung to provide a good seal with the ear while not being over-tight. The overall weight is a comfortable 233g. This, along with the soft faux-leather pads mean these headphones may be worn for longish periods without them becoming uncomfortable. The 32Ω neodymium 40mm drivers have a 15Hz to 22kHz frequency range and are capable of handling up to 400mW peak (or 250mW ‘music’). A fixed three-metre cable terminates in a 3.5mm stereo jack with a quarter-inch stereo-jack adaptor fitted.
Sonically, the 3000BRs might not have quite the same 3D quality or open highs as some of the more exotic phones we’ve tried, but they give a good account of themselves nevertheless, with a generally smooth but detailed sound and plenty of depth to the bass end without succumbing to boominess. They can play louder than is probably necessary for healthy listening and only start to sound strained at very high levels. That said, I probably wouldn’t pick the 3000BRs as a drummer’s monitor — you need real brute force for that job!
The tonal balance is good enough to be relied upon for a second opinion when checking mixes in less than acoustically optimal rooms. I’d still prefer a good open-backed model for that job if the budget allowed but, given the price, the 3000BR (or 3000W) would be a good choice for the studio owner on a budget who needs headphones that can double as a performance monitor and a mix evaluation tool. Paul White