the contenders

Bowers & Wilkins P7 Wireless

Highly commended at this year’s T3 Awards, the shapely P7 Wireless are steeped in classic British styling. Connectivity is an issue with some wireless headphones, but not with the aptX Bluetooth P7 Wireless. Charge ’em up to enjoy B&W’s advanced acoustic tech and tailored sound for up to 17 hours.

Marshall Monitor

The legendary guitar amp company knows how to create quality sound, and that heritage shows in the Monitor Bluetooth on-ears. Marshall took the high-octane audio attitude of its Mid headphones and amped it, making the Monitor a no-brainer for hard rock and metal fans craving stadium-standard sound.

Audio Technica ATH-SR5BT

Audio alchemy at its best. We love everything about the Audio Technica ATH-SR5BT, especially the sub-£150 price tag and 38-hour battery life – that should last you at least one prog rock opus, right? NFC pairing is easy and the accurate sound production will satisfy any pernickety purists out there.

BeoPlay H4

Available in more colours than seen on Joseph’s Amazing Technicolour Dreamcoat, the H4 is undoubtedly the primo choice for fashion-savvy techies who love to get down to some seriously bassy sound. We love blasting dance and hip-hop on our Bluetooth H4s and rarely experience any signal drop-out.

Bose QC 35

While Bose didn’t win this year, we’re still mega fans of these outstanding luxury headphones. Via the Bose app and some next-gen noise-cancelling tech you can decide how much you want to phase out the clatter of those around you. The built-in mic is also crystal-clear for voice calls, so you can talk too.