Headphones have an intriguing history. They hark back to the 1880s, when telephone switchboard operators required head-mounted audio receivers to free up their hands, introducing the term “headphone”. One of the first manifestations of music headphones, though, was in the 20th century when the British company Electrophone, based at Pelican House on Gerrard Street, allowed well-to-do Londoners to tap into remote live feeds of theatre and opera performances using unwieldy headsets. It was the advent of stereo sound in the 1950s that ushered in the first headphones with separate left and right ear channels — although this had been preceded by a twisting path of military and commercial applications. And it was the lightweight headsets that accompanied the Sony Walkman in the 1980s that established headphones for music as ultra-portable.
Fast forward to today and there are thousands of headphone products on the market. They come in all shapes and sizes, whether for corporate, remote working, hearing impairment or entertainment. Our focus here is on the latter. Headphones can be wired, wireless, open-back, closed-back, circumaural (over-ear), supra-aural (on-ear) and in-ear. We’ve compiled a selection of the most luxurious, high-fidelity models for those with the deepest pockets, as well as some off-the-shelf suggestions for daily use or on-the-go consumption.
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Warwick Acoustics Limited Edition 24kt Gold Aperio
Warwick Acoustics Limited Edition 24kt Gold Aperio
Limited to 100 units and precision hand-crafted by a team of engineering perfectionists, the British-made Warwick Acoustics 24kt Gold Aperio reference headphone system are a pinnacle of audio design and performance. The headphone grilles and accompanying amplifier are hand-finished in 99.9 percent 24 kt gold. To augment the sense of exclusivity, each Aperio amplifier housing contains a limited edition nameplate. The over-ear headpiece cups use sheepskin leather cushions for comfort and a planar electrostatic thin-diaphragm driver architecture, which adds detail and a meticulous response. The combined open-back design produces a more natural, speaker-like sound quality. The net result is sonic nirvana, placing the listener right inside the recording studio or concert venue.
£45,000
Sennheiser HE 1
Replacing the German manufacturer’s former Orpheus headphones (until then the most expensive in the world) are the Sennheiser HE 1s. If you disregard the interim bejewelled competitors from the likes of Focal or Onkyo, the HE 1 arguably still retains the priciest headphones gong at £60,000. But perhaps that’s not surprising, given that the tube amplifier that complements the cans is fashioned from a block of Carrara marble. The over-ear headphone section sports 2.4-micrometre platinum vaporised diaphragms for accurate and distortion-free sound. Plus, the cups are finely machined from solid aluminium and snug ear pads handmade from ultra-soft leather. Some are touting the HE 1 as the finest headphones in the world, with the transformative listening experience lifting music from something you merely “listen to” into something you “live in”.
£60,000
Hifiman Shangri-La Senior
Hifiman Shangri-La Senior headphones
Unlike the above systems, Hifiman’s Shangri-La is available as separate headphone and amplifier components priced at £17,160 and £30,030 respectively. The New York-founded company does, however, recommend partnering them. The Shangri-La headphones adopt a wired, over-ear and open-back profile. A custom-designed, yet understated, brushed steel amplifier is a work of art in its own right, with 300B vacuum tubes for sonic transparency. A sub-one-micrometre nanoparticle-coated driver diaphragm behind a steel gauze buried inside each cup ensures smoothness in the upper audio registers. The frequency response, meanwhile, measures an infrasonic 7Hz all the way up to 120kHz — technically well beyond the thresholds of human hearing. The Shangri-La offers an airy and effortlessly enveloping listening experience.
£47,190
Best everyday devices
While we’ve picked out some of the highest-priced contenders for the no compromise audiophile set, there are a host of impressive gadgets that hit price-to-performance perfection.
Focal Clear MG Open-Back Headphones
Focal Clear MG Open-Back Headphones
The St Étienne-based manufacturer Focal knows a thing or two about producing fine headphones. It’s good news for audiophiles that some of the acumen imbued in their high-end models trickles down into their more affordable offerings. The Focal Clear MGs are no exception. The open-back designs reduce head weight and lend to a more open soundstage by allowing air to pass through the ear cups. The Clear MGs have a mixed-metals chestnut colour palette, topped off with microfibre earpads. Because they’re wired, you might prefer to hold this pair back for home duties. Nonetheless the Focals represent a marriage of superb design and performance.
£1,299
Bowers & Wilkins Pi8 In-Ear True Wireless Earbuds
Bowers & Wilkins Pi8 In-Ear True Wireless Earbuds
If you’re keen to back British brands, why not consider a pair of wireless earbuds from Bowers & Wilkins? The label gets a celebrity endorsement from David Beckham, if that’s important to you. The flagship Pi8 earbuds are noise-cancelling, meaning they can neutralise surrounding noise and allow the listener to focus on music or phone calls. They’re in-ear models and B&W has carefully designed four insertion tip sizes to ensure it makes as little contact with your ear canal as possible. Among the impressive features are built-in low-distortion carbon cone drivers, direct streaming app control, a 6.5-hour battery life and Bluetooth 5.4 with lossless aptX sound quality. You also get an on-ear touch-sensitive volume control and, perhaps the true showstopper, a “retransmission” charging case that can connect to an inflight entertainment system, obviating straddling wires while vastly improving sonics. The audio is remarkably detailed and spacious, and there are four stylish two-tone shell-case colour profiles from which to choose.
£349
Bang & Olufsen Beoplay H95 Premium Over-Ear Headphones
Bang & Olufsen Beoplay H95 Premium Over-Ear Headphones
Bang & Olufsen takes a different approach to over-ear headphones with the Beoplay H95s. The Danish household-name brand suggests that it has “put a spin on grab-and-go listening”. For those who prefer over-ear models that are both wireless and active noise-cancelling (ANC), then these luxuriously finished cans might fit the bill. A spinning ear-cup wheel facilitates five levels of noise cancellation to tailor the amount of auditory ingress from the surroundings. Plus, you get 38 hours of playback with ANC, or 50 hours without, all from a single charge. Connection to your devices is over Bluetooth and the B&O app provides plenty of audio tweaking and control options. The custom titanium drivers nestle inside expertly crafted aluminium cups, while the ear cushions and headband are formed from lambskin and memory foam. You can stash the plush travel-friendly hard case into your backpack before heading off to the airport or railway terminus. Once on your way, the H95s offer hours of uninterrupted musical clarity, warmth and impressive bass extension.
£879
Devialet Gemini II Opéra de Paris Earbuds
Devialet Gemini II Opéra de Paris Earbuds
While you could settle for the £349 Devialet Gemini II earbuds in iconic white or matte black, consider the £200 upgrade to the Opéra de Paris themed edition. Inspired by the gilded interiors of the Palais Garnier’s grand foyer, these earbuds feature a delicate gold trim applied to both the earpieces and the classy charging case. The onboard active noise cancellation (ANC) combines with Devialet’s own active wind reduction (AWR) to limit the impact of gusty conditions, a useful attribute for negotiating Britain’s blowy…