Best On-ear headphones 2016

Product of the year

Best portable on-ear headphones under £100

AKG Y50

“The Y50s don’t put a foot wrong as a pair of portable cans - and they’re now even more affordable”

Best buys

Best portable on-ear headphones £100-£200

Philips Fidelio M1Mk2

“We really like the Philips Fidelio M1MKIIs, they’re everything we could hope for”

Best home on-ear headphones £200-£400

Grado SR325e

“The musical, detailed sound of the Grados makes them a truly top buy”

Best portable on-ear headphones £200+

Sennheiser Momentum 2.0 Over-ear

Sennheiser has tinkered with a winning formula, and produced an even better set of Momentum headphones...

Best home on-ear headphones £100-£200

AKG K550

“Rousingly musical headphones with no obvious deficiencies”

Best home on-ear headphones under £100

AKG K92

“AKG has struck gold – the K92s are the best value headphones we’ve heard this year”

Best home on-ear headphones £400+

Beyerdynamic T1 (2nd Generation)

“The second generation T1s are truly convincing performers”

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.


Read more about how we test