We review hundred of headphones so this is the place to look if you want to find the best headphones for you. It's all covered – whether you're looking for a set to replace the feeble white headphones packed with your iPhone or you're looking for a pair that blocks out the noise of your morning commute.
Our rundown of the very best headphones is split into best in-ear, on-ear, over-ear and noise canceling as well as by price so you don't have to worry about looking anywhere else. The aim here is to find the best headphones for your needs.
Our latest update has seen loads of new cans added, including the winners of the sub-£200 headphones, sports headphones, wireless headphones and over-ear headphones categories. There's also a new king when it comes to the best Hi-fi headphones for home.
Picking the right headphones is not easy. There are hundreds of pairs out there that range in cost from £10 to over £1000. And there's no obvious way to tell how good they are: no megapixels to count, or resolution numbers to pore over. However, we've listened to dozens and dozens of pairs of find out which you should buy.
The question is, which headphones should you invest your hard earned cash on? We've gathered together the best headphones that we think any buyer should consider, whether you're out to spend £30 or £300. Before you pick a pair and hit the checkout, though, there are a few things to consider. If you know what type of headphone you're looking for then click the arrows on the picture to get started otherwise read on for an explanation of the basic types of headphone out there and which type might be best for you.
You can click below to go direct to the perfect pair or read on to get some advice on finding the headphones that will suit you best.
Best Headphones Overall | Sennheiser Momentum
Best Headphones Under £200 | Audio-Technica ATH-MSR7
Best Headphones Under £150 | Audio-Technica ATH-M50x
Best In-Ear Headphones Under £100 | Audio Technica CKX9is Sonic Fuel
Best Headphones Under £50 | AKG K451
Best On-Ear Headphones | V-Moda XS
Best Over-Ear Headphones | Sony MDR-1A
Best Noise-Cancelling In-Ear Headphones | Bose QuietComfort 20i
Best Wireless Headphones | Philips Fidelio M2BT
Best Surround Sound Headphones | Sony MDR-HW700
Best Headphones for Bass | V-Moda Crossfade M-100
Best Hi-fi Headphones for Home | Audeze LCD-X
Best Sports Headphones | Jabra Sport Pulse
SEE ALSO: Best headphones under £20 | Best headphones for running
Headphone buying advice and jargon buster
Earbud earphones
The much maligned earbud is the type that usually comes bundled portable audio products or smartphones. It's generally pretty rubbish at blocking out sound but this type of earphone can be good from a sound perspective. Several companies out there producing top-quality buds and if you can't stand the invasive rubber tip of an IEM, check out Yuin's range. It produces true audiophile earbuds that sell for upwards of £100. None of them have made it into our best headphones round-up yet, though.
In-ear/IEMs headphones
Possibly the most common upgrade from a pair of bundled buds is the IEM or in-ear headphone type. IEM stands for in-ear monitor, and it involves a pair of earphones that ends in an isolating tip of some sort - usually silicone, occasionally foam.
The approach of the IEM is a little different to the earbud, in that it isn't tuned for compensate for sound lost by an imperfect seal. Choose the wrong tip and you'll find that the bass response and overall sound quality of an IEM pair drops dramatically.
They're our top pick for anyone looking for a portable pair, though. They're discreet, often provide superb sound and block out the outside world effectively.
On-ear headphones (Supra-aural)
One big step up the size chart, we find on-ear or supra-aural headphones. These feature much larger drivers than the in-ear type and use pads that sit directly on your ears. These tend to (but not exclusively) use closed cups, as their relatively small size makes them a good second choice as a travel pair if you don't get on with IEMs.
One issue with on-ear headphones, though, is that they're often a bit picky about positioning. Not all sets will make a good seal with your ear in every position, which can result in reduced sound quality if they're not sitting right.
Comfort can be a problem too. If you can, we recommend giving on-ear headphones an audition, as much to check out the padding as the sound. If you have sensitive ears, insufficiently soft pads may cause discomfort.
Over-ear headphones, closed (Circumaural)
A real hybrid headphone, the closed over-ear type can often function as a great at-home pair and an on-the-go set. If you can pull off the look, that is. Over-ear headphones are often very large, and therefore are a bit conspicuous.
They tend to side-step most of the comfort issues of the on-ear kind as the padding rests on the less-sensitive area around your ears rather than directly on them. They usually offer decent noise isolation too.
These kinds of headphone are frequently used for broadcast and professional monitoring purposes too.
Over-ear headphones, open (Circumaural)
Arguably the best headphone type for at-home use, open-backed headphones tend to offer the best sound quality of any type. This kind of design gives sound an airy, wide quality that's very hard to achieve with a closed set.
You do pay for this, though. Open headphones leak sound like no other and offer barely any isolation from the noise of your surroundings. Don't even think about using an open pair as a travel partner.
Over-ear headphones, semi-open (Circumaural)
Semi-open headphones try for the best of both worlds, with a porous outer layer finishing off the ear cups. The aim is to get some of the sonic benefits of the fully-open design while reducing sound leakage and offering some level of isolation. These headphones are relatively uncommon, although there are plenty of options out there if this sounds like your bag.
Wireless headphones
Unlike the other types above, wireless headphones do not suggest a particular design, rather the incorporation of some kind of wireless tech – usually Bluetooth.
Bear in mind, though, that they'll almost invariably offer worse sound quality than a rival non-wireless pair. Plus there's the added consideration of batteries. Few wireless headphones offer the option to plug in a cable once the power's run dry, making them useless without charge.
Many cheaper wireless headphones also use lossy wireless tech, which means some information is being lost in the transition from your player to your headphones. If you're out for portable Bluetooth headphones, look for the aptX codec. It's still not 100 percent lossless, but it offers much better performance than standard Bluetooth.
Noise-cancelling headphones
The other feature worth thinking about is noise cancellation. This is clever tech that actively gets rid of noise, rather than passively blocking it like a simple closed-back headphone.
It does this with the help of at least one microphone. The mic is used to monitor ambient noise, an inverse wave of which is then piped-out by the headphone, negating the hubbub.
Active noise cancelling works best on low- and mid-frequency noise, such as engines, air conditioners and other such drones. It's generally less effective at reducing high-frequency noise than simpler isolation. If you want the best noise cancelling in the business, look at Bose's range of headphones. They don't always offer the very best sound quality, but their cancellation is second to none.
Whichever you're after, we have the best headphones right here. All the best from Sennheiser, Philips, Sony and all the best names in the biz.
We've drawn together the best headphones available now in one convenient location so whether you are looking for wireless headphones, noise-cancelling headphones or in-ear headphones we've chosen the best cans to suit your needs. Click on to see our comprehensive round-up of the best headphones available right now.
