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The Best Audiophile Headphones for Everyday Use

By Lauren Dragan and Brent Butterworth
Updated
Our picks for the Best Audiophile Headphones for Everyday Use.
Photo: Michael Hession

If what you seek in a pair of headphones is the best sound possible for serious listening sessions, but you don’t want to drop thousands of dollars, this is the guide for you. We’ve tested hundreds of audiophile headphones under $1,000 and picked our favorites for different uses.

Most of these over-ear headphones forgo features such as Bluetooth and active noise cancellation and just focus on delivering a great sonic experience.

Everything we recommend

Our pick

These sealed headphones have a detailed, exciting sound that’s good for any type of music. They’re comfortable, but they’re also bulky and not especially portable.

Buying Options

Our pick

This pair delivers a spacious, balanced sound rivaling that of headphones costing several times as much, but its open-back design lets sound in and out.

Buying Options

Budget pick

This affordable pair offers more reliability, more comfort, and better sound than many headphones twice its price. But the long, coiled cable is not detachable.

Buying Options

Upgrade pick

If you want the best-sounding sealed, over-ear headphones under $1,000, get this pair.

How we picked and tested


  • Who this is for

    Audiophile headphones are designed for the music lover who values sound quality above features such as Bluetooth and noise cancellation.

  • Defining “everyday”

    We define everyday audiophile headphones as pairs that sound great but are priced under $1,000 and do not need a headphone amp.

  • Thorough testing

    We combine subjective listening tests (with multiple panelists) and objective measurements to assess performance.

  • Comfy and sturdy

    These headphones should be built to last for years and should be comfortable enough to wear for long listening sessions.

Read more

Our pick

These sealed headphones have a detailed, exciting sound that’s good for any type of music. They’re comfortable, but they’re also bulky and not especially portable.

Buying Options

The Monolith by Monoprice M565C headphones are perfect if you’re a music connoisseur seeking better sound quality than you can get from most Bluetooth headphones, but not something so expensive or delicate that you might be afraid to take them with you to work or school. The set’s planar-magnetic drivers produce an exciting, detailed sound that’s suitable for any genre of music, and in our listening tests these headphones beat out many pairs that cost hundreds more.

The sealed (that is, closed-back) design helps to block out distractions and lets you focus on enjoying your playlist. The headphones have a sturdy, comfortable build, but because of their bulk they aren’t the most portable or subtle-looking. The cable lacks a remote and microphone, but it is replaceable, and Monoprice’s five-year warranty is the longest for any headphones we’ve seen.

Our pick

This pair delivers a spacious, balanced sound rivaling that of headphones costing several times as much, but its open-back design lets sound in and out.

Buying Options

If you dislike the closed-off feeling of traditional headphones or prefer increased detail in the high frequencies, open-back headphones are for you. “Open-back” means the earcups are vented and don’t seal in or block out soundwaves—and you don’t have to be an audiophile to hear the difference in sound quality.

The FiiO FT3 set sounds more spacious yet more delicate than a pair of sealed headphones; you’re likely to notice fine details on closely miked musicians, such as the intake of breath before a note begins or the soft tap of a piano key being released. This particular pair provides better representation of lower frequencies than many open-back headphones, without the thudding, reverby bass that many sealed headphones produce.

The only downsides: A slightly jagged emphasis between 5 and 8 kilohertz can add a breathy quality to female vocals, and because of this set’s open-back design, sound leaks both in and out—so you can hear noise around you, and you may annoy the person sitting next to you.

Budget pick

This affordable pair offers more reliability, more comfort, and better sound than many headphones twice its price. But the long, coiled cable is not detachable.

Buying Options

The Sony MDR-7506 has been a studio staple since its introduction in 1991, and for good reason: Not only does this pair of headphones provide accurate-sounding bass, mids, and treble, but it also gives you a better sense of the depth and dynamics of your music than many headphones twice its price. If you’re looking for something to monitor your band while you’re recording and editing your project, the MDR-7506 is a fantastic and affordable choice.

Plus, this set is durable, comfortable, and reliable—our pair is over 10 years old, and all we’ve had to replace is the earpads. But the long, coiled cable is not detachable and thus not replaceable.

Upgrade pick

If you want the best-sounding sealed, over-ear headphones under $1,000, get this pair.

If price is less of a factor in your decision, the best closed-back (or sealed) set of headphones we’ve heard that doesn’t cost thousands is the Dan Clark Audio Aeon 2 Closed. Expertly tuned, the Aeon 2 Closed pair offers a fantastic sense of space and detail. Even if you were to spend several thousand dollars more, you’d get very little extra for your money.

Not only do these headphones sound great, but they are also comfortable and remarkably lightweight for full-size planar-magnetic headphones. The detachable cable lacks a remote and mic, but you can replace it. And this pair is covered by a two-year warranty.

Senior staff writer and headphone editor Lauren Dragan holds a bachelor’s degree in music performance and audio production from Ithaca College and has tested more than 1,000 pairs of headphones while working for Wirecutter. In addition to reviewing gear for AV magazines, she has been in and out of top recording studios for over a decade, first as a radio producer and on-air talent and then as a professional voice actor.

Senior staff writer Brent Butterworth has been reviewing audio gear professionally since 1990. He previously worked as an editor or writer for Sound & Vision, Home Theater Review, Home Theater Magazine, and numerous other publications. Brent is one of the extremely small number of audio journalists who own laboratory-grade headphone test equipment, which he uses for part of our testing here.

Whenever possible, we also engage the ears of experts—including audio reviewers, musicians, and composers—to participate in our listening tests.

Audiophile headphones are designed for the music lover who values sound quality above all else. If you’re interested in this category, you want the purchase price of your headphones to go toward the audio and build quality, not features such as Bluetooth, active noise cancellation, or water and sweat resistance.

But even among audiophiles, one headphone style does not fit all. The first choice you need to make is between open-back and closed-back designs. Open-back headphones have mesh or vented earcups that allow air and sound to pass in and out of the headphones. Closed-back headphones have the traditional solid-walled earcups that most people are familiar with—they block out external sound and prevent what you’re listening to from leaking out. Someone looking to enjoy their vinyl collection at home may appreciate a larger headphone set with an open-back design, while a commuter may prefer a more portable, sound-isolating, closed-back pair.

If you prefer in-ear headphones, we have a guide to high-performance wired earbuds, but due to their smaller drivers, they struggle to produce the same sense of space that over-ear headphones offer, and you often pay more to achieve similar levels of detail.

With audiophile headphones, once you get into the higher price ranges (above $300), the difference in sound is typically a matter of preference, not quality. How much do you want to spend? Although we found a distinct jump in sound quality between our budget studio pick and our upgrade audiophile pick, spending more may not be practical. Think about your lifestyle before getting seduced by a high-priced pair.

Four pairs of wired, over-ear headphones.
This guide focuses primarily on wired, over-ear headphones priced under $1,000. Photo: Michael Hession

For this guide, we focus on models that we consider to be “everyday” audiophile headphones—meaning that they sound great but are still fairly affordable, under $1,000.

We primarily test wired, over-ear headphones, though we also consider Bluetooth headphones with exceptional sound quality. Wired headphones generally cost less for the same sound quality, and they last longer since they don’t involve concerns about batteries dying. If you’re interested only in wireless headphones, our guide to Bluetooth headphones is for you.

With everyday audiophile headphones, you should be able to listen at home or at work while plugged into your smartphone, tablet, computer, or sound system. So we require that our picks sound good when powered by a mobile device alone; in contrast, many higher-end audiophile headphones need a separate headphone amplifier to drive them effectively. Even so, we still test the contenders with headphone amps to listen for differences.

In making all of our picks, we look for the following:

  • Detailed, clear, perceptually accurate sound: No frequency range (highs, mids, lows) overpowers another, instruments sound authentic to real life, and the headphones create a sense of three-dimensional space, rather than a flat wall of sound.
  • Comfortable fit: The fit is adjustable to suit a broad range of head and ear sizes. The design is not cumbersome, heavy, or fatiguing, and it doesn’t painfully squeeze your head.
  • Sturdy build quality: The headphones are built to last for years of reasonable use without falling apart or failing. Replaceable parts, such as cables and earpads, are an important consideration.
  • Responsive customer support and a good warranty: If anything goes wrong, we want to know that someone will reply and resolve your problem quickly.
  • Value for the price: Any model priced significantly higher must justify that increase with a substantial increase in overall quality.

For our listening tests, we employ the audio-testing process described in this article. For our latest round, we used an iPhone, Android phone, Denon receiver, and MacBook Pro as our sources, and we tested each pair with and without a headphone amp to see how the sound quality varied.

After we completed our hands-on testing, Brent measured the contenders using a GRAS Model 43AG ear and cheek simulator with a KB5000 simulated pinna, in conjunction with an Audiomatica Clio 10 FW audio analyzer and TrueRTA software. Measurements aren’t the last word in what makes a good-sounding pair of headphones, but they can reveal anomalies and give you a fuller picture of what headphones sound like. You can see our measurement results in this spreadsheet.

Our pick for the best audiophile headphones for an audio upgrade, the Monolith by Monoprice M565C.
Photo: Michael Hession

Our pick

These sealed headphones have a detailed, exciting sound that’s good for any type of music. They’re comfortable, but they’re also bulky and not especially portable.

Buying Options

The Monolith by Monoprice M565C set is a great choice for the person who’s ready to upgrade to their first pair of audiophile headphones without breaking the bank. If your goal is to sit back and enjoy all types of music, undisturbed by your surroundings, this pair is for you.

These headphones are a joy to listen to. Our panelists agreed unanimously that the M565C sounded as good as—or better than—pairs costing twice the price. In our tests, the sound was not perfectly neutral; rather, it was slightly boosted in the high and low frequencies. But the result was clear highs supported by a foundation of deep, rich lows. Similarly tuned headphones often muddy the lows or make highs so jagged as to become painful. But the M565C avoided piercing, sizzling, or blurred sound.

The drivers reproduced even the most delicate notes with clarity in our tests. The M565C features planar-magnetic drivers, which use a thin sheet of plastic film embedded with wire in place of the dynamic drivers in most headphones. Because planar-magnetic drivers reproduce sound using that extremely thin sheet of film rather than the thicker plastic diaphragms of conventional headphone drivers, they tend to do a better job of reproducing little details.

Planar-magnetic drivers respond to notes quickly and don’t resonate too long, so midrange instruments such as bass guitar or the lower end of the piano keyboard don’t sound muddy even when playing a rapid succession of notes. That said, in our tests the middle range seemed mildly lower in the mix through this pair, in comparison with headphones tuned to be flatter in frequency response.

This set also produced a larger sonic depth of field than similarly priced pairs—a result that we found especially noticeable on concert-hall classical works and other live-recorded music.

A Wirecutter writer wearing the Monolith by Monoprice M565C headphones, showing their tall wire frame.
Though sturdy and comfortable to wear, the Monolith by Monoprice M565C headphones aren’t exactly the most subtle looking. Photo: Kyle Fitzgerald

They’re very comfortable, even for long listening sessions. Despite this pair’s substantial, 13.7-ounce build, the metal frame and suspension headband distribute the weight well. The padding on the leatherette headband and earpads is remarkably soft.

The earpads’ foam conforms easily to any face shape, which in addition to being extra comfy helps this closed-back pair better isolate your ears from external noises.

You don’t need special equipment to enjoy listening to them. Though Monoprice recommends 1 watt of power to drive the M565C headphones, they have a low 20 ohms of impedance, which means you can reasonably drive them to satisfying volume levels with a laptop or mobile device. If you have an older, less-powerful phone or prefer to use a portable amp/DAC, we have a guide to assist you.

The replaceable, fabric-wrapped cable has an eighth-inch (3.5 mm) jack, and a quarter-inch adapter is included.

Monoprice covers this pair with an impressive five-year warranty. That’s the longest coverage we are aware of for a pair of headphones, with most companies offering only a year or two.

How the Monolith by Monoprice M565C has held up

As with all over-ear headphones, the earpads on the M565C set degrade over time. They’re replaceable, but Monoprice has stopped selling the original pads. Fortunately, we were able to find a suitable alternative: This Brainwavz set of earpads worked great, though we had to do a bit of modification (shown below).

Here, Wirecutter associate staff writer Ellen Airhart documents how her M565C earpads started to fall apart. Photo: Ellen Airhart

Flaws but not dealbreakers

The design is pretty big. The M565C set has a look that says, “Not now, I’m busy.” These headphones don’t fold up like some others we’ve tested, and their hard-sided storage case is the largest in the group—but at least it has a handle and does a great job of protecting the cans.

Purists may prefer more high-frequency intensity. In our tests the M565C didn’t deliver quite as much midrange presence as would have been ideal, and some of our panelists would have preferred a little extra sparkle on the highs. But we would’ve had to pick headphones that were far more expensive to get that slight difference in performance.

Lastly, the cable transfers some noise into the headphones if you move around a lot or wear a scratchy sweater, and it lacks a remote and mic option for mobile use. But it is detachable.

Our pick for the best open-back audiophile headphones, the FiiO FT3
Photo: Michael Hession

Our pick

This pair delivers a spacious, balanced sound rivaling that of headphones costing several times as much, but its open-back design lets sound in and out.

Buying Options

The FiiO FT3 open-back (unsealed) headphones are a great investment for the music enthusiast who likes to sit in a quiet room basking in the latest album releases, especially in acoustic genres such as classical, jazz, or folk. However, open-back headphones probably shouldn’t be most people’s first choice in over-ear headphones, as the design is impractical for many situations.

These headphones deliver a wonderfully natural sound. Even the most well-tuned sealed headphones can’t mimic the acoustic environment in which human ears are accustomed to hearing live instruments. This is why the spacious sound provided by open-back headphones such as the FT3 can make performances sound more authentic.

Though our panelists’ tastes in sound reproduction vary, we all enjoyed the FT3’s detailed, balanced sound more than that of any other pair of open-back headphones available for under $500.

FiiO utilizes dynamic drivers made of diamond-like carbon (DLC), a material that has more surface tension and is made to be more responsive than cheaper plastic drivers. Though the FT3 pair has a higher claimed impedance of 350 ohms, we were able to drive it to a satisfying volume level using a laptop or phone.

Unlike many open-back designs, this pair has bass. Our panelists were impressed by the FT3’s ample low-frequency output. The balance between the low notes and the crisp, detailed highs resulted in music that had a lush, supported feeling from the highest strings to the deepest contrabass tuba.

You can slightly modify the low-frequency intensity by changing which pair of earpads you use. The FT3 comes with two sets: The perforated leather set enhances the bass response, and the velour set offers a slightly brighter sound. You can see the variation between the two earpad types’ results in our measurement chart.

They’re comfy. The pliable foam in the earcups gently hugs the head, and the suspension-style headband distributes the chassis’s weight well, so even though the FT3 weighs around 13.8 ounces without the cable, you can wear this pair for hours without getting a headache.

The sturdy, hard-sided leatherette carrying case looks luxurious and will protect your investment in transit. It isn’t quite slim enough to fit in a briefcase, but it can slip into a backpack or messenger bag without problems.

The included cables are durable, thick, and wrapped in fabric. FiiO also includes a Velcro-attached holster containing three adapters (XLR, 3.5 mm balanced, and 6.35 mm), so whatever the audio source is at your destination, you’re ready to plug in.

Flaws but not dealbreakers

Open-back headphones aren’t as versatile as closed-back headphones. Because the earcups are unsealed, sounds can get in and out—and as a result, such headphones aren’t good for commuting. Try to use them on an airplane or subway, and you’ll get near-zero relief from the noise.

Likewise, people around you can hear your audio, so you probably wouldn’t want to use this set in an open office or next to a partner who is trying to sleep. And you definitely can’t use it when you’re recording in front of a mic.

The FT3’s larger chassis and its long, thick cable may be bulkier than many listeners prefer, especially for traveling.

Bass lovers may be disappointed. While the FT3’s low bass is better than what you can get from most open-back headphones, it’s still understated compared with what you hear from many closed-back headphones. This pair also has a bit of spiky treble emphasis, so cymbals might seem a little harsh or intense, but this effect is typical of headphones voiced for audio enthusiasts. It’s a notably different sound from what you hear through most headphones; whether you like it is a matter of personal preference.

The best audiophile headphones for recording sessions and music students, the Sony MDR-7506.
Photo: Michael Hession

Budget pick

This affordable pair offers more reliability, more comfort, and better sound than many headphones twice its price. But the long, coiled cable is not detachable.

Buying Options

The inexpensive, neutral-sounding Sony MDR-7506 pair is perfect for music, recording, or film students, performers doing session work, podcasters, videographers who need to monitor sound, and folks building up their sound booth—or, really, anyone who wants great-sounding headphones for less than $100.

We’ve been recommending this set for over a decade. Every audio professional we’ve interviewed speaks highly of these headphones, and nearly every recording studio and radio station we’ve seen has a pair or two.

The sound is price-defying. The MDR-7506 headphones sound fantastic, especially when you factor in the price. In our tests, they offered accurate-sounding, evenly balanced bass, mids, and treble—and they reproduced nuances in music in a manner unmatched by other headphones in their price range. As one panelist put it, they’re “just great reference headphones” that handle dialogue, music, and sound effects equally well.

The build is durable. The MDR-7506 has been around forever, and one pair might last you forever. These headphones have great build quality, replaceable earcups (eventually the vinyl pads deteriorate; for us, this happened after five years, but a replacement set of pads is a fraction of the cost of new headphones), and a one-year warranty on parts.

The long, coiled cord has some give, should you walk a little too far away from your device, and it’s tough, too—we’ve seen DJs roll over the cord with desk chairs and people drop the headphones on the floor with no ill effects.

The only design drawback is that the cable is not detachable and therefore not replaceable. Though the coiled cable is practical in an office or studio environment, the ability to swap it out for something shorter or in the event of a snag would be nice.

They isolate noise rather well. We measured an average of 9 decibels in reduction in the human-hearing range from 20 Hz to 20,000 Hz. With these headphones, you’ll not only be able to shut out the outside world when you’re listening but also keep your monitor audio from bleeding into your recordings.

You can wear these headphones for hours, too. Our entire panel found the 8.1-ounce MDR-7506 pair to be notably comfortable. These headphones also fold over for easy travel and storage. And since they come with a quarter-inch adapter and a travel pouch, you can easily move them from your iPhone to a receiver or mixing board.

On this pair, aesthetics weren’t a design priority for Sony. The MDR-7506 won’t win any beauty contests. Available in the same color options as a Ford Model T (black and black), the MDR-7506 has a utilitarian look that, while perfectly practical for audio professionals, is unlikely to inspire the fashion-minded. That said, many headphones that look twice as fancy also cost twice as much—and sound half as good.

How the Sony MDR-7506 has held up

Lauren’s pair is well over a decade old and still working well. She has replaced the earpads two times over the years, but beyond that the headphones are in great shape.

Because we use these as reference headphones in many tests, we bought replacement earpads made by Sony, but you can also find replacement pads from companies such as Auray, Brainwavz, Dekoni, and Wicked.

The best audiophile headphones for a step up in sound quality, the Dan Clark Audio Aeon 2 Closed.
Photo: Michael Hession

Upgrade pick

If you want the best-sounding sealed, over-ear headphones under $1,000, get this pair.

For the dedicated audiophile who is in pursuit of the best sound possible but can’t quite justify spending several thousand dollars on headphones, the Dan Clark Audio Aeon 2 Closed pair is our recommendation. These are hands down the best-sounding closed-back headphones under $1,000. Spending more might buy you somewhat better detail or space, but dollar for dollar you’d receive diminishing returns. The Aeon 2 Closed is just that good.

These headphones are as balanced and natural as we’ve ever heard in a sealed design. In our tests the highs were detailed and lively but not piercing, and we didn’t notice any sibilance. To our ears, this set did seem to produce a little dip and then spike around 3 kHz, and then another spike between 8 kHz and 10 kHz, but the effect was mild.

Listening to the Aeon 2 Closed pair was an immersive experience for us. Even for our experts who’ve tested hundreds of headphones, these headphones were good enough to make us forget that we were supposed to be analyzing what we were hearing and just get lost in the music. And really, isn’t enjoyment what all this high-end audio fuss is supposed to be about?

You can tweak the sound manually. Dan Clark Audio includes several dampening pads that somewhat adjust the sound profile, so you may want to experiment to find your favorite. Generally, regardless of our pad choice, in our tests the syllables on soprano vocals popped slightly more than what is natural, but some people may enjoy that as detail. Midrange frequencies were never hidden and never overwhelmed by the present but well-controlled low end. Even hip-hop bass lines didn’t blur everything else in the mix.

You can listen at higher volumes without distortion, and every kind of music sounds great. In addition, you can swap out the included earpads with a perforated set that lets in more outside sound but also changes the audio profile.

If you are looking to optimize your experience, this pair does benefit from a decent headphone amp, becoming richer in dynamics with better control and balance in the lower frequencies. However, if you don’t have an amp handy, the Aeon 2 Closed doesn’t fall apart in use with only a laptop or phone, as it still sounds better than most anything else you could compare it with at this price.

The sound isn’t as spacious as on open-back pairs. These headphones don’t sound as three-dimensional as open-back headphones of equivalent price. A sense of spatial depth is difficult to achieve in closed-back designs. Usually, to create the illusion of depth, headphones are tuned with a somewhat bloated bass and diminished mids, trading accuracy for a more three-dimensional feel.

Really, the only way to get that “open” feeling is to, well, use open-back headphones—check out our pick from FiiO, if you’re interested. Keep in mind too that Dan Clark Audio also makes an open-back version of the Aeon 2.

They’re surprisingly comfortable and portable. At around 11.5 ounces, this set is about 2 ounces lighter than the Monolith by Monoprice M565C. The leatherette earpads and fabric-wrapped cable are replaceable, the headband is metal with a replaceable leather strap, and the earcups have actual carbon fiber.

That said, the design isn’t subtle. Big and bright red, these headphones definitely have a presence.

Despite being on the larger side when worn, these headphones fold up to be surprisingly compact. The included hard-sided case will protect them from bumps during transport; the case is smaller than that of the M565C but larger than those of most Bluetooth headphones. If anything goes wrong, Dan Clark Audio covers the materials and workmanship on the Aeon 2 Closed for two years.

How the Dan Clark Audio Aeon 2 Closed has held up

Our test pair is over three years old and still in great shape. We haven’t needed to replace the earpads yet, but you can get a set directly from Dan Clark Audio or go with a third-party option, such as these pads from Dekoni.

The one thing that is degrading is the case: The rubberized coating on the outside has broken down over time, and it sheds a good deal. This problem hasn’t hurt the headphones in any way, but it can make a mess in a bag or briefcase. A new case is available on the Dan Clark Audio site for about the same price as earpads.

The case of a pair of Dan Clark Audio Aeon 2 Closed headphones, showing visible wear and tear.
The rubberized coating started flaking off the case after two years of use. It’s annoying, but it hasn’t affected the headphones inside. Photo: Lauren Dragan

If you’re looking for mixing headphones that are a step up from the Sony MDR-7506: The overall sound quality of the AKG K371 is even more natural than that of the MDR-7506, with more spatial sense and a particularly clear midrange. But typically this pair is nearly twice the price, and people with a smaller head may find that the elongated earcups sit below the jawline and let sound out. That said, if these headphones fit and you have the cash, the K371 pair is fantastic. For more insight, Brent expanded on this pair in an article for SoundStage.

If you’re looking for excellent-sounding headphones that work both wired and wirelessly: Although this guide focuses primarily on wired headphones, we liked the sound of the Edifier Stax Spirit S3 so much, we concluded that it merited inclusion here. It’s one of the best-sounding pairs of headphones we’ve ever tested under $500, and it’s a pick in our guide to Bluetooth headphones. This portable pair uses planar-magnetic drivers that are capable of reproducing delicate detail in addition to powerful bass notes. The S3 set sounds amazing both wirelessly and wired, largely due to the built-in amplifier, which provides consistent driving power.

If you prefer a studio set with a detachable cable: The Fostex T50RPmk3 and T20RPmk3 are based on a design that dates back to the late 1980s, and both are worthy of recommendation. The T50RPmk3 headphones have a semi-open-back design, yet they still offer that classic open-back sound, which is spacious but lacks most of the bass. The T20RPmk3 cans have a more traditional open-back design but sacrifice some of that spaciousness to produce more bass—which can verge on bloated. Although Fostex promotes them as pro models, they work well for music listening at home. Both are sensitive enough to deliver plenty of volume from a smartphone, and both are extremely comfortable.

If you have a very limited budget: The Koss SportaPro on-ear headphones are light and cheap, and they sound better than you might expect for the low, low price. Yes, these headphones have 1980s-style foam earpads. Yes, they have a plastic chassis and a thin metal headband that might catch on your hair. And no, they don’t come with an in-line remote or microphone. What they do have is a nice, natural-sounding midrange that sounds great with most music genres.

We’ve tested more than 200 headphones for this guide and considered well over a hundred more, so we can’t include everything here. Below are a few noteworthy pairs we tested recently; check out this spreadsheet for testing notes on many other pairs.

Dan Clark Aeon RT Closed: This $500 pair is an upgrade from the Monolith by Monoprice M565C in terms of detail and sense of space, but we weren’t quite as in love with it as we’d hoped to be. These headphones had a bit of a sibilant push to the high frequencies that could be fatiguing, as well as a little too much emphasis in the lower mids. Even when we swapped out the included filter pads, we never quite found the sonic sweet spot we were looking for. To be clear, this is a great pair of headphones, but it doesn’t sound as balanced, nuanced, or spacious as the company’s Aeon 2 Closed. We all said that, if we were to purchase the Aeon RT Closed, we’d still be longing to upgrade to the Aeon 2 Closed one day—whereas we all agreed that if we owned the Aeon 2 Closed, we wouldn’t feel the need to upgrade any further.

Dan Clark Aeon RT Open: The open-back headphone arena is home to a lot of competition, and we concluded that the Aeon RT Open just didn’t have the airiness or openness that we’ve heard in other open-back headphones in this price range. We detected a spike around 8 kHz that lent an iciness or metallic quality to the detail on strings and cymbals.

Grado RS2x: This pair needs more power to play at louder levels, so a portable headphone amp that comes in under 180 mW at 32 ohms may not be enough—you need something like the iFi Hip-dac2. In our tests, even when it was receiving enough juice to move the drivers, this pair was significantly lacking in bass response; to hear a bassline, we needed to crank the volume up to a level that made the highs uncomfortably loud. Additionally, Grado’s build quality on this model felt plastic and cheap in comparison with similar headphones in the same price range.

HiFiMan HE400se: For $150, the HE400se is an admirable pair of open-back headphones. In our tests, we found the highs to be tuned in a more traditional “audiophile” style, with extra zip that some folks love and others might wish could be adjusted down a few decibels. However, unlike many open-back designs, this pair has enough bass response to balance out the sound very well. The HE400se can’t match the delicacy of the FiiO FT3, but if your budget is lower, this set is worth your consideration.

OneOdio Monitor 80: This open-back pair is lightweight, and in our tests it sounded decent for the under-$100 price, but the upper lows were a bit bloated, which resulted in voices sounding somewhat recessed. Using an amp added a bit more energy to the highs, which helped with clarity but also added a tizzy quality.

This article was edited by Adrienne Maxwell and Grant Clauser.

Meet your guides

Lauren Dragan

Lauren Dragan is a senior staff writer and has tested nearly 2,000 headphones for Wirecutter. She has a BA from Ithaca College in music performance and audio production. She’s been featured in Good Morning America, NBC Nightly News, The New York Times, and more. Additionally, she’s a voice actor whose work includes projects for Disney and Mattel.

Brent Butterworth

Brent Butterworth is a senior staff writer covering audio and musical instruments at Wirecutter. Since 1989, he has served as an editor or writer on audio-focused websites and magazines such as Home Theater, Sound & Vision, and SoundStage. He regularly gigs on double bass with various jazz groups, and his self-produced album Take2 rose as high as number three on the Roots Music Report jazz album chart.

Further reading

  • The ear muffs of multiple over ear headphones sitting on a wood table.

    The Best Over-Ear Headphones

    by Lauren Dragan

    Whether you’re looking for the best sound or just to cancel out the noise, we’ve picked the best headphones for anyone who wants an immersive experience.

  • Half a dozen of our best headphones picks arranged on a wood surface.

    The Best Headphones

    by Lauren Dragan

    We’ve tested several hundred headphones, including wireless, noise-cancelling, and even kids headphones, to pick the best headphones in each category.

  • Our favorite noise-cancelling headphones and earbuds, displayed next to a computer keyboard and a notepad, in front of a blue background.

    The Best Noise-Cancelling Headphones

    by Lauren Dragan

    Whether you prefer over-ear or in-ear noise-cancelling headphones, we have recommendations to help bring peace to your next trip.

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