The headphones category is always one of the most contested at the What Hi-Fi? Awards, and this year has been no different.
While there are a few regulars and old reliables in there, we have had a few shake-ups this year, courtesy of a clever USB-C dongle, the revival of a six-year-old classic, and a surprise £35 budget offering.
Whether you’re after the convenience of wireless, a trendy wired pair or are open to either, there’s an Award winner whatever your budget.
We have found some great deals on several of them too – so why don’t you take a look?
Our budget wireless pick for another year, the Sony WF-C510, continues to impress by nailing the basics for the price of a round of drinks. We have seen them as low as £28 before, but £34 at Smart Home Sounds for an Award-winner is still quite the bargain.
If you want to go wired and can live without noise cancelling, then the Austrian Audio Hi-X15 is unmatched at this price. Austrian Audio headphones rarely go on sale, but they are great value headphones anyway and well worth £87 at Scan.
If you want budget buds but can’t live without noise cancelling, then the Sony WF-C710N are the cheapest headphones that we recommend with the feature. But they also sound rather good and have several impressive features, all for £67 at Amazon.
The Røde NTH-100 are consistently among our top budget recommendations, wired or otherwise, thanks to their eloquent, revealing sound. We’ve seen them as low as £89 over Black Friday, but they are still great value for £115 at Amazon.
Don’t let the 2024 in Bose QuietComfort Earbuds (2024) put you off – their third What Hi-Fi? Award proves they are still the best wireless buds at this price range. We have seen them at £109 over Prime Day, but you won’t be disappointed for £150 at Amazon.
As long as you don’t mind an open-back design, the Beyerdynamic DT 990 Pro X remain class leaders and are the finest and most comfortable wired headphones we have heard at this price. Discounts are rather rare, so don’t hold your breath for an imminent drop from £189 at Amazon.
A new entry, the Sony WF-1000XM6 are Sony’s latest flagship earbuds and were well worth the wait, with a wonderfully musical sound, superb noise cancelling and great call quality. Get them now for their lowest price of £209 at Very.
It may surprise you that the best wired in-ear headphones are the £35 Sennheiser CX 80U, but just wait until you hear them. The USB-C buds offer a big, dynamic and surprisingly sophisticated sound, and are available for a new low price of £28 at Amazon.
Another new kid on the block, the Sony WH-CH730N replace their Award-winning predecessors, the WH-CH720N, and add a more premium, folding design, a monster 50 hours of battery with ANC on and an even more engaging sound. They have yet to receive a discount, but you can pick them up for £100 at Amazon.
As much as we loved the Sony WH-1000XM4 from 2020, we never expected them to win a What Hi-Fi? Award six years later. But here we are, with the revamped Sony WH-1000XM4C bringing back an old classic with tweaked tuning and a lower price of £219 at Amazon.
How do you overcome the sonic shortcomings of wireless headphones? With a nifty little USB-C dongle, according to the Sennheiser HDB 630. The result is a new standard of wireless sound at this level, all within a well-built, feature-rich and competitively priced package, available for £399 at Richer Sounds.
If money is no object and you want style as well as substance, may we recommend the Focal Bathys MG. They are undeniably premium for £999 at Richer Sounds, but they will reward you with a wireless noise-cancelling headphones performance that’s on a whole new level.
MORE:
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Check out our best wired headphones buying guide
