Best Headphones - Review of the Top 10 Best Headphones

Reviews of the best headphones across the three most popular categories of headphone.

Choosing the top ten best headphones from the massive selection available is a not a simple task. With so many different types of headphones and such a variety of applications where you might want to use headphones it is absolutely impossible to nominate a single headphone as the 'best'. Instead this review is a summary of some of the best quality headphones available from a broad selection of different categories, applications and budgets.

Check out the reviews of some of our favourite headphones and earphones below:

Best In Ear Headphones

One of our favourite categories is the in ear sound isolating headphone, also called In Ear Monitors (IEM's) or Ear Canal Headphones (ECH's). This type of earphone is designed to seal in your ear canal, which means you can listen uninterrupted by the noise around you. The design makes this type of headphone perfect for commuting and travelling.

IEM's can take a little while to get used to and do need some perseverance with fitting, but in our opinion can offer the best experience when listening to headphones in active everyday situations.

Sennheiser CX300

A good entry into the in ear sound isolating category is the very popular Sennheiser CX300 in ear headphone, which is actually a hybrid of the humble ear bud and the full blown ear canal earphone. The CX300 actually seals just outside the ear canal, rather than inside.

The CX300 is a great quality headphone for the price (RRP is £39.99). While the sound quality won't blow you away, they are a big improvement over standard iPod ear buds.

Some find the CX300's bass a little undefined and overpowering, but at this price point there isn't much good competition.

Ultimate Ears Super.fi 3 Studio

If you are prepared to spend more on your headphones then the Ultimate Ears Super.fi 3 Studio is an excellent introduction to the world of proper ear canal sound isolating headphones (with a modest RRP of £69.99).

With a name that is frankly a bit of a mouthful (you can tell the Californian marketing team got a bit carried away) this set of ear canal headphones offer a very accurate and clean sound that will open your ears to a new level of detail that is not discernible with cheaper headphones. If you are a basshead you may find you are wanting more low end kick.

Sleek Audio SA6

The innovative Sleek Audio SA6 secured a first in earphone design with the possibility of customising the audio response to match the individuality of your ears and musical tastes. Sleek Audio call it finding your audio fingerprint. It's a great idea and it actually works. These miniature earphones are also very comfortable and easy to fit due to their diminutive size.

It's at this price point where ear canal headphones get really interesting, the sonic improvements become dramatic and of course the headphones get more expensive. The Sleek Audio SA6 comes in at a RRP of £149.99.

In contrast to the approach taken by dual driver designs such as the Ultimate Ears Super.fi Pro 5 and Shure SE420, the Sleek Audio SA6 is a single wideband driver design. The result is a very balanced sounding earphone. In fact we feel that the sound from the SA6 is more balanced than the similarly priced dual driver designs. Sleek Audio claim this is due to the lack of crossover electronics, which is required for dual driver designs.

The Sleek Audio SA6 sounds very impressive, with an excellent level of musical detail and a punchy bass response. The SA6 is an excellent choice for upgrading an iPod or MP3 player and can be driven without a dedicated headphone amplifier, although reports on the Head-Fi forums suggest that a headphone amp extends the bottom end and highs very nicely.

The SA6 is well built and comfortable for everyday use, with replaceable cables, and offers well balanced sound reproduction across the entire audio range. In our opinion the SA6 definitely deserves the title of best mid-priced in ear sound isolating headphone.

Ultimate Ears Triple.fi 10 Pro

The top of the range Ultimate Ears Triple.fi 10 Pro is a truly incredible set of in ear sound isolating headphones, but don't come cheap with a RRP of £229. The three drivers of the UE Triple.fi 10 Pro provide amazing clarity and definition, from the deepest bass notes right through the upper registers.

The UE 10 Pro earphones are fitted upside down with the cable running over the ear. The cables are malleable and hold the earphones securely over your ear. This fitting system works really well for most people and means they can even be used for sports such as running and jogging.

If you are serious about your music then the UE Triple.fi 10 Pro will satisfy your craving for the best possible quality earphones you can get your hands on.

Best HiFi Headphones

If you are listening at home or in an office then a pair of full size headphones is worth considering. The major choice when buying full size headphones is whether to go for a pair with open back ear cups (for a more open sound, but the sound leaks in/out) or closed back ear cups (for better noise isolation, good bass, but a more boxed in sound).

Audio-Technica ATH-AD700

The full size headphone market if often dominated by Sennheiser with it's HD range, but there are other options. A solid performer in the full size headphone category are the Audio-Technica ATH-AD700 open back headphones, which have a very open and natural character to their sound and come highly recommended (RRP is £99).

Audio-Technica are the number one headphone brand in Japan, and for good reason. The AD700's are very well engineered and the sound is very neutral and a little more lively than the equivalently priced Sennheiser HD595.

Grado SR80

Next up we have to mention one of the Grado SR range. Choosing the best Grado headphone is a little tricky as they are all excellent, but the sensibly priced Grado SR80 headphone is a worthy contender for best mid-priced on ear Hi-Fi headphone (RRP is £110). The SR80 is a beautiful sounding headphone, with excellent clarity through the mids/highs, highly detailed resolution and a solid bass kick. Grado's have a very up-front sound that really makes your music sparkle.

Unlike some audiophile class headphones, both the Audio-Technica ATH-AD700 and the Grado SR80's are sensitive enough to give good response without any dedicated amplification, as they are both rated at a very efficient 32 ohms.

All of the Grado range are fully open back, which means sound can leak in and out of the ear cup. If this isn't a problem then the SR80 could well be the best headphones you have ever listened too.

Sennheiser HD650

Probably the most often recommended pair of full size Hi-Fi headphones on the planet are the extremely refined Sennheiser HD650 headphones. The HD650's have an excellent reputation among audio enthusiasts for good reason. Providing a beautiful silky smooth response across the entire audio range the HD650's really do make your music come alive.

The HD650 earpads are circumaural, which means over the ear, and are very comfortable indeed for long term listening. We often recommend a dedicated headphone amplifier with the Sennheiser HD650's as low quality headphone outputs will have trouble driving the 300 ohm drivers with any authority.

Best On Ear Headphones

The on ear headphone category contains a mixed selection of headphones that suit a many applications, including upgrades for standard iPod headphones, high quality Hi-Fi headphones for listening at home and even sports headphones.

Generally speaking on ear headphones are not great at isolating you from external noise as they do not seal on the ear, so the majority of headphones in this category are open back.

Koss PortaPro

A very worthy mention in this category is the inexpensive, but high performance, Koss PortaPro headband headphone. The Portapro has incredibly been in production since the 1980's, which definitely shows in the retro styling. We love the way the PortaPro's sound and can definitely recommend them as an upgrade from the cheap standard headphones supplied with an iPod, MP3 player, laptop/PC, portable CD/DVD/MiniDisc player, or portable radio.

The headphone fit is very good, thanks to the headband that has extra supports which sit just above your ear. The Koss PortaPro's are perfect for active listeners. If you like the retro look of the open back PortaPro they are excellent value (RRP of £39.99) and are ideal for listening on the move.

Sennheiser PX200

If you are looking for something a little more modern looking than the Koss PortaPro and also need better sound isolation then the closed back Sennheiser PX200 headphone is another great choice. The sound quality is excellent for the price (RRP is £39.99). The extremely lightweight PX200 conveniently folds away for storage and sits very comfortably on most ears.

Although the noise isolating properties of the Sennheiser PX200 do not compare well with a full size sealed headphone or an in ear sound isolating earphone, the closed back design does help reduce outside noise to some degree. The sealed back also reduces the leakage of sound from what you are listening, so you can listen to the headphones sitting on a bus or train without annoying people sitting nearby.

Grado iGrado

Without doubt the best pair of street style headphones currently on the market are the incredible sounding Grado iGrado neckband headphones (with a reasonably RRP of £39.95). The drivers used in the iGrado are the same as those used in the Grado SR60, so you can expect a lively delivery of your music across the entire frequency range. The iGrado's sound every bit as good as their home listening cousins. The styling of the iGrado's is not too everyone's taste, but who cares what you look like when the music sounds this good!

The only downside for commuters is that the iGrado's have open backs, so sound leaks out and in. This is fine for walking on the street (as long as the traffic isn't too loud), but is no good for travelling on underground trains or while sitting next to someone on a bus.