I’ve spent enough time producing on headphones to know that getting a good pair is usually the easy part. Figuring out how much you can trust them when making mixing decisions is where things get more complicated.
Headphones take the room out of the equation, which is a massive advantage when you’re working in a smaller studio, traveling, or producing late at night. But they introduce their own considerations, especially when it comes to stereo imaging, perceived bass response, and how your decisions translate back to speakers. Even expensive headphones need to be learned, and getting comfortable enough with a pair to make confident decisions takes time.
ADAM Audio is addressing that conversation with the H715 Reference, a new flagship open-back headphone launching at Amsterdam Dance Event on October 22.
The company is positioning the H715 as a serious monitoring option for mixing and mastering, complete with custom-designed drivers, an expanded software partnership with Sonnox, and a surprisingly interesting hi-fi feature that lets the headphones connect to balanced amplification systems.
There’s plenty to unpack here, especially considering ADAM is bringing several aspects of its speaker-monitoring philosophy into a pair of headphones costing $824.99.
Sonnox Calibration Is a Major Part of the Package
The headphone hardware is only half of what ADAM is introducing here.
The H715 Reference includes an expanded version of the Sonnox Headphone Utility Plug-In, which first appeared alongside the company’s H200 closed-back headphones. For this release, ADAM and Sonnox have developed H715-specific calibration profiles and added user-adjustable crossfeed.
Crossfeed is particularly interesting because it addresses one of the major differences between headphones and speakers.
When you listen to monitors, sound from each speaker reaches both ears. On headphones, the channels are much more isolated. This can exaggerate the perceived width of a mix and influence how you judge panning, spatial effects, and the relationship between instruments.
ADAM also includes Sonnox ListenHub, a macOS application designed for referencing, metering, and virtual monitoring.
ListenHub can host the Headphone Utility directly, enabling system-wide calibration rather than limiting the correction to a single DAW project. It also supports loudness-matched reference comparisons and checks for mono, side-channel information, and stereo balance.
That last part is especially relevant to me. I’ve written before about how much IK Multimedia’s ARC ON·EAR changed my headphone monitoring process, and the larger lesson applies here too. It’s worth having a monitoring setup that lets you compare references without rebuilding the same processing chain every time you open a different project.
ADAM’s approach pairs the headphone design with software developed specifically for it, which makes the H715 more interesting than a premium headphone sold entirely on driver specifications.
The Dedicated Hi-Fi Mode Is an Interesting Addition
One feature I didn’t expect to see was the H715’s dedicated hi-fi mode.
ADAM includes a three-meter dual-entry cable with a 4.4 mm Pentaconn connector for connecting the headphones to balanced outputs on compatible hi-fi equipment.
To activate the mode, users press a recessed switch inside the left earcup using the supplied metal pin. This separates the common ground connection between the earcups, allowing the headphones to work with a balanced headphone amplifier. Pressing the switch again restores the conventional connection for the included single-entry studio cable.
I appreciate ADAM including it because headphones at this price will probably spend time outside the studio too.
If I’m spending nearly $825 on headphones, I would certainly want to enjoy records on them after finishing a mix. Being able to connect the same pair to a dedicated hi-fi amplifier without needing another set of headphones is a reasonable consideration, especially for producers who care about personal listening as much as professional work.
The feature also reinforces ADAM’s intent to position the H715 as a premium listening product beyond conventional studio use.
ADAM Audio H715 Reference Price and Availability
ADAM Audio will officially introduce the H715 Reference at Amsterdam Dance Event on October 22, with worldwide availability expected in December 2026.
Pricing is set at $824.99 in the United States, £569.99 in the United Kingdom, and €669.99 in Europe.
That’s a substantial investment, and the premium open-back headphone category is crowded. The question will be whether the driver performance, ergonomic design, and Sonnox software package justify the asking price once the headphones are available for testing.
I’m particularly interested in hearing how the bass extension compares with ADAM’s speaker-based monitoring systems and how the adjustable crossfeed affects stereo decisions over longer mixing periods.
For now, the H715 Reference looks like an interesting next step for ADAM Audio, particularly as the company expands its headphone lineup beyond the H200.
The company has already built considerable experience designing studio monitoring systems. With the H715, it’s attempting to bring more of that expertise into an open-back headphone that can serve serious production work and personal hi-fi listening.
Will Vance is a professional music producer who has been involved in the industry for the better part of a decade and has been the managing editor at Magnetic Magazine since mid-2022. In that time period, he has published thousands of articles on music production, industry think pieces and educational articles about the music industry. Over the last decade as a professional music producer, Will Vance has also ran multiple successful and highly respected record labels in the industry, including Where The Heart Is Records as well as having launched a new label with a focus on community through Magnetic Magazine. When not running these labels or producing his own music, Vance is likely writing for other top industry sites like Waves or the Hyperbits Masterclass or working on his upcoming book on mindfulness in music production. On the rare chance he's not thinking about music production, he's probably running a game of Dungeons and Dragons with his friends which he has been the dungeon master for for many years.
