Top 15 headphones for listening to music

Legendary headphone model with good sound, the only significant drawback of which is a symmetrical Y-shaped cable. A simple but well-thought-out folding design, a very small weight and absolutely fantastic sound (for such a price category) have provided Koss Porta Pro for non-diminishing popularity over the years.

It is no coincidence that these headphones serve as the basis for several more solutions, and the differences in them focus mainly on the design, and the driver remains unchanged. Yes, sometimes the bass head is not enough, and the upper frequencies are not as fast as we would like, but some of the problems are caused by foam ear cushions and a grille with very narrow slots.

Some owners risk upgrading Porta Pro with the help of direct hands and improvised means, getting an order of magnitude more detailed and clear sound. In terms of genres, the model is conventionally universal, but aggressive styles are still worse than others.

You can buy headphones ATH-M30x ... Or you can not buy, but over time you will regret from this, since other decent closed monitors for such a price is not easy to find. Excellent noise isolation, accurate transmission of the entire frequency range - what else is a novice DJ needing on the dance floor? Is it only a durable case and a reinforced cord. Well, so they are here as well.

Affordable price allows you to recommend headphones not only to music lovers, but also to the "ordinary" user. Especially if the latter prefers a dry, academic sound, without protruding bass or emphasis at high frequencies. Among other advantages of the ATH-M30x it is worth mentioning the folding structure, due to which the headphones will not burden their owner on the trip.

The most annoying disadvantage is one - and this is an unmountable cable having a length of 3 m. For a home, this is good, and for a mobile application - not very.

Purpose is universal. The impedance is 47 ohms, and the sensitivity is not the highest, therefore a relatively powerful signal source is required.

These headphones look brutal. They have large sizes and professional cable curling. In the twisted state, the cord is 1.5 m long, but it easily stretches to all three meters.

Open-type monitors do not adequately cover external noises and this should be kept in mind when choosing. As for the sound reproduced by the headphones, this is all fine. The wide frequency range allows you to enjoy both the bass and the tops, the latter being reproduced very brightly and accented. Sensitivity reaches 96 dB.Given the relatively high impedance, the Beyerdynamic DT 990 PRO sounds best with a powerful amplifier.

The model is well suited for most musical styles. Weigh headphones a lot - 250 g. But this does not mean that you don’t want to wear them for a long time. Velor ear cushions are comfortable. By the way, this element can be washed in any washing machine. The headset comes with an adapter from a 3.5mm to 6.3mm jack.

The word Reference in the title involuntarily attracts the eye: reference acoustics are called the one that evaluates the quality of amplifiers and audio signal sources, that is, it should, by definition, provide the most accurate sound transmission without “coloring” and, moreover, God forbid distortion. Over time, the "reference" steel in everyday life to call any high quality acoustics. So how much does Klipsch fit its claims? Let's get a look.

Despite the fact that the cups are overhead, rather than covering, the headphones are very comfortable to sit on your head, and you can listen to the nuances of the sound, without being distracted by the inconvenience. The sound of 40-mm speakers is weighted and clear, resembling studio headphones, but with a very important difference: if studio headphones deliberately emphasize all the flaws in the sound (they were created to catch this), then Klipsch is more relaxed. Complicated compositions with a large number of instruments do not merge into a mess, the attenuation of the sound of the violin strings can be distinguished behind the plump of the Turkish drum. Headphones are great for old vinyl, but do not save before the modern synthetics in lossless.

Of course, this is not a top-end high-end: there is no inherent feeling in high-end headphones to distribute instruments in space, the sound stage here is noticeably aligned along the line between the ears. But now look at the price: for the money, the Reference On-Ear headphones will definitely become one of the best choices.

A premium product does not have to have an impressive price tag. In fact, ATH-MSR7 headphones lack only the natural leather trim, since the used substitute can create inconvenience in the heat. All other characteristics of the model are fully consistent with the level of High-End and allow you to enjoy music of different styles in almost any environment.

The widest range of reproducible frequencies, a half-open design with a good ventilation system, optimum impedance, providing trouble-free connection to a variety of sources. By the way, the manufacturer completes your product with three cables at once. A long three-meter will be comfortable at home, and two cords shorter differ only in the presence of a microphone, which turns the headphones into a full-fledged headset. The sound model is neutral, close to the monitor.

Headphones pleased with a high level of sensitivity. Unfortunately, the range of frequencies called a very wide language does not rotate. However, in practice, it is not easy to notice the lack of tops, unless you connect headphones to expensive audio equipment. There is plenty of bass here, so electronic music in the CX 300-II will sound much better than rock or classical.

Headphones have a strict design. Matte body. The cable is standard. Differ in a good noise isolation.

Many headphones from our list are worth a lot of money. Fortunately, there are instances such as the Panasonic RP-HJE125. For these in-ear headphones they ask for about 500 rubles, so you should not expect any supernatural quality from them. Panasonic RP-HJE125 have a standard frequency range. Percussion instruments feel good, let them work and is far from ideal. Bass saturated and voluminous. In short, good inexpensive headphones without any complaints, universal purpose. Headphones differ from other copies for such money in long service life. Judging by the reviews, people use them even a year after the purchase.

These headphones look very simple, while the Spartan design didn’t affect the quality of the “insides”. The creators have tried to simplify the design for the sake of improving reliability. Buyers say that their headphones are very long.

Headphones have received support for a wide range of frequencies, so that both percussion instruments and vocals are felt well, which is extremely atypical for dynamic plugs. On the other hand, “reproach” IE 4 with a clear separation of individual batches is also impossible. For the "metal" these headphones - obviously not the best choice.

The legendary company that produces professional amplifying equipment for musicians, was able to make a contribution to the range of headphones that deserve the attention of music lovers. In addition to a very decent quality workmanship, Marshall Mode are distinguished by a dense and collected sound, with powerful, absolutely not bubbling bass, a clear detailed middle, and transparent high frequencies.

The model is ideal for reproducing complex compositions - you will not hear any “porridge”, and the positioning of any instrument is beyond praise.

The presence of a built-in equalizer significantly expands the genre “coverage”, therefore Mode EQ can be considered as universal headphones. Rather, a headset. And with a very decent microphone separated from the console. The study of various trifles, such as a spring from cable bending or notches on the clip and buttons, also evokes a portion of satisfaction.

Of the several models of the SE line, designed for lovers of quality music, this one is of the greatest interest. Presumably, it is no coincidence that Shure SE425 is recognized by the British magazine “What Hi-Fi” as the best in-ear headphones for 2016 in its price category. According to practically unanimous reviews of experts, professional musicians and happy owners, there is a surprisingly literate balance between raising the bass and focusing on the emotional highs, beyond which the “middle” of any stylistic composition is not lost. In the Shure SE425 headphones, you will hear such details that you never suspected, even if you know the track being played by the notes.

The two-driver novelty of 2018 has already received a worthy recognition among lovers of high-quality sound. It was not worth waiting for anything else from the fruit of cooperation with the well-known custom acoustics manufacturer Jerry Harvey Audio: their Freqphase proprietary technology fit perfectly into the format of in-channel headphones, where one “armature” is responsible for the whole range of low and medium frequencies - from 10 Hz to 5 kHz, and the RF spectrum takes the second driver.

Let's say at once: “Billie Jean” (by the way, who is this - a boy or a girl?) Has his own character, and is very pronounced. Neither symphonic orchestras, nor the progressive logic of progressive electronics will feel at ease here. The sound, of course, will be, and not bad, but the feeling that “something is not right” will haunt you until the playlist jumps to rock'n'roll, scychobilly or outright punk. At this very moment, the fingers will begin to fold out of control in a “goat”, and the wardrobe selected by the dull office dress code will turn into a leather jacket and torn jeans. Therefore, we do not recommend listening to music in these headphones ... unless, of course, you plan to lay down the well-known combination with your fingers in front of your boss, turn around and go to the bar. The author confirms that it is really fun, but to frequent repetition is not recommended.