In general, we quite like the design of the Mackie MP-120 headphones. They’re relatively well-built too, which is always nice.

Comfort

In general, the headphones are pretty comfortable too — though not overly so. Because there’s a range of accessories, it’s relatively easy to find a right fit. As usual, we strongly recommend experimenting with the different ear tips, but once you find the right fit they should fit decently well.

Of course, these headphones are built for on-stage use — but you can obviously use them for general listening too. After some time of listening, as with any in-ears, you’ll find that you might need a bit of a break — but after you get used to them you should be able to listen for a few hours without any issues.

Sound

 

Ultimately, the most important thing to consider is how the headphones sound, and that’s the main point of difference between these headphones and Mackie’s more expensive offerings.

The most expensive headphones, the MP-240’s, feature hybrid dual drivers with one balanced armature and one dynamic driver, while the MP-220’s feature so-called "dual precision" drivers — or two dynamic drivers, one tuned for highs and one for lows. The MP-120’s, however stick with a single dynamic driver. Thankfully, that doesn’t necessarily mean that they sound bad — they still sound relatively good.

Let’s start with the bass, which is generally deep and powerful. It seems like there’s a slight boost in the upper lows — which helps things like kick drums punch through a little more. It extends relatively low too, and while that’s not going to be hugely helpful during live playing it does help during general listen.

The mid range is decently well tuned too. The low boost carries over a little into the low-mids, and it helps give the headphones a generally warm tone. The high-mids aren’t especially boosted or cut, and while some might be looking for a boost for live performances, it still sounds fine and should offer enough cut for vocals and guitars.

The high-end is perhaps where these headphones fall a little short. Not only does it seem a little cut, but it also doesn’t really extend as far as we would have liked. It seems like the highs start falling off at around the 6-7kHz mark, which is a little low for our liking.

Noise isolation is also important for on-stage use, and while the headphones don’t block out a ton of noise, they still cut out some. According to Mackie, the headphones offer "up to 40dB of sound isolation," but whether that’s true or not we think they should be fine for most medium-volume on-stage use.

Still, the Mackie MP-120 in-ear headphones should still perform perfectly fine for most on-stage use. The sound-quality is pretty good — sure, it could use a bit more high-end, but it should still work fine for most users.

Conclusions

So should you buy the Mackie MP-120 headphones? They’re a solid option — they offer a nice design, are decently comfortable for on-stage use, and they sound pretty good too.

In the end, we would recommend upgrading to the Mackie MP-220 or Mackie MP-240 headphones, if you have the money. They do come at a price — while the MP-120 comes at $80, the MP-220 comes at $150 and the MP-240 at $200.

Still, if your budget is around the $80 mark, these are a pretty good offering — and excellent for the price.