Headphones

Choosing a gift for a music lover is easier when you match it to how they listen. These five practical picks cost between £50 and £100.

Useful audio gifts do not need to be expensive, but they do need to solve a real problem. The best audio stocking fillers under £25 are small enough to wrap…

The best wired headphones UK buyers should consider first are the Sony MDR-7506: compact, easy to connect and revealing enough for music, editing and everyday desk use. The AKG K52…

Over-ear headphones are the safer choice for most people: they usually spread pressure around the ears, isolate more effectively and remain comfortable for longer listening sessions. The over-ear vs on-ear…

You are in Richer Sounds, and the assistant has just placed a pair of £350 headphones on your head. They sound incredible. Then he hands you a pair at £45…

You put on your AirPods, tap play on a Dolby Atmos track in Apple Music, and suddenly the drums are behind you, the vocals are in front, and the guitar…

Your AirPods fell out at mile three, bounced off the kerb, and landed in a puddle. Before that, your over-ear headphones gave you sweat rash behind your ears during a…

You’re in a ranked match, a footstep sounds behind you, and you can’t tell if it’s left or right because your headset’s stereo imaging is rubbish. Or you’ve been wearing…

Your seven-year-old wants headphones for the iPad. You want them to actually protect their hearing rather than blast Cocomelon at 100 decibels directly into developing ears. The problem: kids headphones…

You’re about to spend £200 on headphones and the reviews keep mentioning “open-back” and “closed-back” like you should already know the difference. You don’t — and nobody explained it when…