Best Headphones 2013

Product of the year

Best portable on-ears up to £100

AKG K451

Product of the Year, Awards 2013. Now even better value

Best buys

Best portable on-ears £200-£300

Sennheiser Momentum

Best portable on-ears £200-£300, Awards 2013. Great looks, great sound, great headphones

Best in-ears £40-£80

Beyerdynamic DTX 101 iE

Best in-ears £40-£80, Awards 2013. Vocals sound particularly sweet through these smart Beyerdynamics.

Best in-ears £80-£150

Beyerdynamic MMX 101iE

"In-ear headphones this good really do deserve to be enjoyed by everyone"

Best home on-ears up to £150

Grado SR80i

Best home on-ears up to £150, Awards 2013. Whatever you play, these Grados will make it sound superb

Best in-ears £150-£300

Shure SE425

Best in-ear headphones £100-£300, Awards 2016. Could do with a bit more bass, but they really are the finest in-ears we’ve ever heard at this price

Best in-ears up to £40

SoundMagic E10

Best in-ears up to £40, Awards 2013. A genuine no-compromise proposition for the money.

Best in-ears £300+

Sennheiser IE800

"Phenomenally expensive, but if your source is good enough you won't find better"

Best portable on-ears £300+

B&W P7

Best portable on-ears £300+, Awards 2013. Great headphones – the P7s still set the standard at this price

Best noise-cancelling headphones

Bose QuietComfort 15

Best noise-cancelling headphones, Awards 2013. Commuting doesn't need to be hell with these effective noise-cancelling headphones

Best home on-ears £150+

AKG K550

Best home over-ear headphones £100-£200, Awards 2016. Rousingly musical headphones with no obvious deficiencies

Best portable on-ears £100-£200

Philips Fidelio M1

Best portable on-ears £100-£200, Awards 2013. Never tiring, always pleasant, these are great cans

Best wireless headphones

Philips M1BT

Best wireless headphones, Awards 2013. The Philips cost a bit, but it’s a small price to pay for superb sound and Bluetooth functionality

What Hi-Fi?

What Hi-Fi?, founded in 1976, is the world's leading independent guide to buying and owning hi-fi and home entertainment products. Our comprehensive tests help you buy the very best for your money, with our advice sections giving you step-by-step information on how to get even more from your music and movies. Everything is tested by our dedicated team of in-house reviewers in our custom-built test rooms in London, Reading and Bath. Our coveted five-star rating and Awards are recognised all over the world as the ultimate seal of approval, so you can buy with absolute confidence.


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