Studio headphones need to balance accuracy, comfort, durability, and musicality without compromising their usefulness as professional tools. The Baum Audio Ellipse enters this crowded category with a distinctive vintage-inspired design, robust construction, and large dynamic drivers intended for both critical monitoring and everyday listening. Let’s examine its build quality, comfort, soundstage, and frequency response to determine whether these closed-back studio headphones deliver a convincing all-around experience.
What You Get
- Ellipse closed-back headphones
- Carrying case
- 2 × detachable cloth-braided cables (1.5m + 3m)
- Quarter-inch adapter
Look & Feel
Before even listening to the Ellipse, the appearance and overall complete package that Baum Audio wraps the headphones in will stand out immediately. Its aesthetic is very retro, with the color scheme evoking a 70s vibe. The velour material present on the inner headband and ear pads, surrounded by faux leather, gives the impression of a cozy, luxurious vintage product. Supporting this is a sturdy aluminum frame with brass joints that enhance the Ellipse’s style and long-term value. When you’re holding the headphones in your hand, you can tell how solid this build is, and it’s one of the best I’ve seen on a pair of studio headphones. Comfort-wise, the Ellipse has a very firm fit. They have a strong seal, and as long as you’re okay with a bit of pinch, this is a fit that should sustain long listening sessions, which is especially important for a studio headphone.
Design
The Baum Audio Ellipse uses large 50mm dynamic drivers powered by neodymium magnets. Their increased surface area is designed to move more air than conventional 30–40mm headphone drivers, giving bass notes greater weight while helping produce a spacious presentation. The drivers cover an extended 12Hz–40kHz frequency range and operate at a manageable 32-ohm impedance, allowing the Ellipse to work with audio interfaces, laptops, phones, and other standard sources without requiring a dedicated headphone amplifier.
Soundstage
As a professional tool for studio work, the Ellipse delivers exactly the kind of stereo presentation you’ll need. Outside of that, the soundstage still has an enjoyable space for casual listening that’s clear and articulate, but it’s still a closed space that’s quite linear. From left to right, the channel spread is quite wide, communicating carved-out positions for instruments to sit in. It’s all very easy to localize despite nothing ever jumping out in front of you. The Ellipse has a small amount of dimension, but it’s enough to fill out the image. Nothing ever feels thin or flattened like other linear studio headphones. The spatial imaging has a good amount of wrap-around that gives you a more encompassing headspace. It lacks a bit of height, but the Ellipse uses its space well to reproduce a confidently arranged mix the way a good monitor should.
Low End
I found the bass of the Ellipse to have a very satisfying, dynamic tone that is both organic and warm. Nothing about it is dark, but it has this smooth surface that allows for clear, resolving bass notes that stick out in a mix. Sub-bass frequencies are tight and help give the low end a nice bump. It’s the slightest amount of vibration, but it’s effective in lifting the bass frequencies and establishing their depth. There’s no great impact to them, and the transient resposne is quite slow, but everything appears grounded and natural in timbre.
Kick drums were a nice standout, offering a detailed thud that isn’t very dense but still clear and concise. You can always hear it layered underneath the mid-bass, with its tight resonance gently pressing at the tip of your throat. Overall, the frequency content shows strong body and weight while still keeping the bass clear and detailed for easy assessment.
Mids
The Ellipse is really good at highlighting low-mid to fundamental midrange details. It’s the exact amount of resolution you would need for a pair of studio monitoring headphones, with detailed acoustic string glides and creaking wood artifacts all being easy to discern in a mix. There’s a low-mid body that glows, feeling rich without giving you bloat. Nothing feels artificial, and the details still appear lively, jumping forward like they want you to notice them. Where the midrange starts to falter is in the mid-treble, where it feels like the definition of the Ellipse hits a wall.
In this region, the sound becomes more constricted, and even a bit hollow. Sound elements like snare rims have a clear initial hit but never tail off with any presence. Female vocals are affected by this too, as they can start very focused and intimate, but lack that underlying crispness that really makes them stand out. The midrange isn’t perfect by any means, but it’s still good at reproducing a feeling of studio roominess.
Highs
The treble continues to have issues, but if you’re bothered by sharp frequencies in some studio headphones, the Ellipse doesn’t have that. It should be a very digestible treble for most; however, it feels like there should be more air here. There’s little to no height in the highs, so the Ellipse isn’t really ideal for getting clear reverb tails. On the flip side, when you get over the hump of that upper-midrange dip, the frequencies actually start to have some serious ring to them. They feel more considered, and the clarity increases significantly. You still don’t get any strong sizzle or ultra-high-frequency gleam, but the surface does shine here, especially with sound elements like high notes on violin and harp.
Summary
The Baum Audio Ellipse makes a memorable first impression with its luxurious retro styling, durable aluminum construction, and warm, spacious sound. Its wide stereo image, articulate low end, and revealing lower midrange make it particularly useful for assessing instrument placement, bass weight, and fundamental detail. The 32-ohm impedance also allows it to perform well from everyday sources without requiring a dedicated headphone amplifier.
However, the Ellipse is less convincing through the upper mids and treble. Its restrained high-frequency presentation keeps harshness under control, but the reduced air, limited height, and recessed upper-midrange definition can make vocals, transients, and reverb tails harder to evaluate accurately. Even with those limitations, the Ellipse remains an enjoyable and thoughtfully built pair of closed-back studio headphones. It is best suited to listeners and producers who value a warm, natural presentation, strong isolation, and premium construction over a brighter or more analytical tuning.
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The Baum Audio Ellipse is available from Baum Audio directly here.
