The world’s best audiophile headphones can deliver the best sound, but if they’re too impractical for music-listening scenarios, it might be worth buying something more suited to the task.
We’ve highlighted some of the best audiophile headphones of 2025 that we think you should consider.
10 Best Audiophile Headphones in 2025
1. SONY MDR-Z1R
The Sony MDR-Z1R is an incredible take on high-end headphones. Why is it amazing?
Well, instead of opting for the popular open-backed design that you see in most high-end headphones, the Z1R is a closed-back design. This makes it much more versatile in terms of where and how you use it.
The massive 70mm dynamic drivers (cone-shaped) adorn the exterior with a leather-lined interior. The build quality is top-notch, as it feels premium and solid. You don’t have to skimp on it.
The super comfortable sound is all about big, powerful bass and excellent detail retrieval. We really appreciate them, and their ability to isolate themselves from the outside world is just the icing on the cake.
2. Sennheiser HD 490 PRO
The Sennheiser HD 490 PRO are the best mid-range audiophile headphones we’ve tested. These over-ears are a little more budget-friendly than the Sennheiser HD 800 S and feature a dynamic driver design.
They’re just as comfortable as our top pick, but the plastic yoke is weaker, which means the build quality suffers.
The HD 490 PROs have a balanced sound profile with a flat midrange, so vocals and lead instruments sound present and clear.
There’s also a bit more bass than the HD 800 S, which adds more thump to the mix.
The passive soundstage is impressive, with a wide, spacious soundstage that almost feels like the audio is coming from outside your head in the room.
These over-ears offer a comfortable fit, lightweight design, and light clamping force.
With interchangeable ear pads that slightly alter the sound signature, the HD 490 PROs also let you customize your initial sound and comfort.
Best of all, they’re easier to drive than the HD 800 S, so you don’t need an amplifier to use these headphones with most devices, saving you money.
3. Beyerdynamic DT 700 Pro X
Like their open-back cousins, the DT 900 Pro X, these closed-back headphones are aimed at content creators, and Beyerdynamic calls them ‘studio’ headphones.
But regardless of whether they’re ‘studio’ or not, they have plenty to offer content consumers, too. With a spacious, accurate, agile sound and a comfortable, lightweight design, these are the best traditional closed-back over-ear headphones our expert review team has found in this price range.
At the heart of it all is Beyerdynamic’s new Stellar.45-drive unit, which is designed and manufactured in-house and uses a layered Peek polymer diaphragm sandwiched with damping material and a neodymium motor system.
The goal? To deliver a detailed sound that’s easy to load, so that your laptop and smartphone can drive the headphones without a hitch.
And it works! The DT 700 Pro X delivers an effortlessly composed sound. The order and precision with which the instruments are presented provide a solid foundation for the music the headphones can build upon.
“The honesty of the execution is unrivaled at this price point, and the headphones still manage to convey the dynamic changes in percussion, strings, and wind instruments very effectively,” says our DT 700 Pro X review.
It’s not the most exciting presentation I’ve ever heard, but the headphones instead focus on careful control and subtlety, but they’re still far from musical and cool and emotionless.
Add to this the inherent sound leakage of a closed-back design and reassuringly solid construction (“Overall, I get the impression that these headphones will give you a lot of mileage over the years,” our in-house reviewer noted), and you’ve got a winner for both creators and consumers.
4. Audeze EL-8
These are open-backed, but surprisingly the soundstage is not as wide as I expected. They are heavy at 460g, but at 30 ohms they should work with all devices.
Without getting too technical, most headphones use ‘dynamic’ drivers. This is the most popular way to deliver sound to your ears.
The Audeze EL-8 uses ‘planar magnetic’ drivers. This is a less popular delivery method, but it is often considered to offer better sound quality and enhanced bass.
The Audeze EL-8 has a very wide and detailed frequency range of 10Hz to 50kHz. The bass and sub-bass are excellent.
The ear pads are soft leather, but the clamps are tight, so I wouldn’t recommend wearing them for long periods of time. The 2m cable is a bit tricky to replace, as it is designed to fit into the ear cups in a unique way.
5. Hifiman HE1000
They use a different baffle system than the other Hifiman headphones on this list. This technology is positioned close to the diaphragm, reducing distortion and providing a purer reproduction of the source material.
The build quality is fantastic, and Hifiman has continued to refine and improve its headphone design, making the HE1000 series one of the best models on the market.
The comfort is also one of the best in its class, with a very lightweight design combined with beautiful materials at the points of contact with your head.
The open-back design on the back allows for both breathability and a wide, airy soundstage.
6. Philips SHP9500
If you’re looking for a more affordable pair of headphones, the Philips SHP9500 iss the best budget audiophile headphones we’ve tested.
The open-back design ensures a wide, natural soundstage, making the audio feel like it’s coming from two speakers in your room.
They’re comfortable to wear for long listening sessions and the build quality is decent, but they’re not as stable on your head as more expensive options like the Sennheiser HD 560S.
They offer a generally balanced sound that’s suitable for most music genres. The midrange is particularly good, with vocals rendered without being overpowering or resonant.
The biggest downside to these cans is their slightly lackluster bass response.
They’re not the best cans for audiophiles who love hip-hop kick drums, as they tend to have a lot of thumping bass, so if you’re one of those people, the Superlux HD 681 is worth considering.
The Superlux offers a balanced sound that’s suitable for most genres, but they’re a particularly good choice for fans of modern, bass-heavy genres like EDM.
Unfortunately, they have a plasticky build quality and aren’t as comfortable as the Philips, but they’re worth the price.
7. Focal Clear Mg
Focal may have made a name for itself with its loudspeakers, but the French company is now respected for its headphones, and the Clear Mg is one of the best.
Even before you open the box, it’s clear that these are high-end audiophile headphones. The packaging is suitably luxurious, and the high-quality materials and build standards are undeniable,
while the appearance is a far cry from the more drab-looking competition. A carrying case and two detachable cables (a 1.2m 3.5mm and a 3m 4-pin XLR) are included, but for the price, you’d expect a slightly longer 3.5mm cable in the box.
The Focal Clear Mg is as comfortable on your head as you’d expect. The 450g weight is well distributed, and the thick leather-cushioned headband and microfiber earpads ensure that there’s not too much internal pressure.
Like many on this list, the Clear Mg is better suited to listening at home rather than out and about, but the lack of enclosures means that it excels in transparency and dynamic expression.
It’s expressive and fun, with plenty of clarity, texture and punch. You can also expect precise stereo placement and a sense of stability and control over rhythm.
If you don’t fancy a flashy design, the Grado GS3000x is worth considering if you can afford the extra money, but in terms of performance per pound, Focal is our clear high-end champion.
In a relatively short space of time, established speaker manufacturer Focal has built a reputation for producing wired headphones that not only sound fantastic but also look great, unlike many pairs.
The Clear MG is proof of that, and when paired with a decent DAC (at least some of the talents of the Chord Mojo 2) or a source of equal skill, you’ll get the most out of your sonic extravagance.
Just avoid aggressive-sounding electronics – this only serves to highlight the Focals’ forward-thinking nature.
8. Sennheiser HD800s
The HD800 has long been considered the ultimate audiophile headphone. I still own these headphones, but have since upgraded to the current model, the HD800s.
These are the headphones I use as a reference for listening to and testing other audio equipment, such as amplifiers and DACs.
The sound is very pure and unadulterated. Sennheiser has designed the headphones to faithfully reproduce the audio input. In this regard, these headphones are among the best in terms of transparency.
Unlike the 820 models listed below, these headphones still use an open-back construction and continue the tradition of an open sound that is very detailed yet airy with a huge soundstage.
These headphones are a true classic, a worthy successor to the original.
9. Shure Aonic 5
The Aonic 5 is the top-of-the-line in-ear model in Shure’s Aonic range. On paper, its design credentials are suitably impressive.
It uses three high-quality balanced armature drivers in a dual-woofer and single-tweeter configuration, which you can actually see for yourself thanks to the transparent section of each earpiece acting as a window.
Each earpiece connects to the supplied headphone cable (which helpfully has an in-line remote) using MMCX connectors, but can also be used as a wireless pair with Shure’s true wireless secure fit adapter, which costs an additional £175/$179/AU$309.
While you can use it with your phone if it has a 3.5mm headphone jack, you’ll need to source high-quality audio files from a high-quality source to get the best sound.
Using a laptop and streaming at lossless CD quality? I’d seriously suggest pairing the Shure with a dedicated external DAC/headphone amp (like the AudioQuest DragonFly Red).
In addition to a couple of pairs of eartips of various sizes, there are three pairs of nozzles that change the balance of sound produced by the earbuds.
During our Aonic 5 review test, our in-house team tried all three and chose the “Balanced” option for “the best balance of weight, agility, detail, and refinement.” But as with anything of this nature, it’s worth experimenting for yourself.
10. Fostex TH900 Mk2
Another legendary audiophile headphone on this list is the Fostex TH900 Mk2. I consider these to be great closed-back headphones with a huge open soundstage and amazing bass performance.
The dynamic drivers are supported by Fostex’s famous Tesla technology, which helps to move the sizable dynamic driver diaphragms.
For the best sound quality, I would recommend pairing them with a powerful linear/neutral sound amplifier such as the Sennheiser HDV 820 Reference Amplifier.
The build quality is top notch and the stunning wooden earcups give this classic design a premium feel.
They come in a variety of colors and are made from real Japanese cherry birch, so no two headphones will look exactly alike.
Finally, of all the audiophile headphones we tested when compiling this list, the Fostez TH900 MK2 has the highest level of isolation.
This makes it a great option for those who don’t want to be distracted by their surroundings or are concerned about sound leaking from open-back headphones.
Are audiophile headphones good for gaming?
Audiophile headphones have a few good gaming headphone characteristics. First, they tend to be wired, so they can be plugged directly into your console or controller.
Second, they generally sound much better than dedicated gaming headsets, prioritizing sound quality and combining a neutral tonality with an open soundstage.
However, they typically don’t have an integrated microphone, which is essential for online gaming, and they don’t have any adjustments for bass levels or surround sound modes.
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