WIRED OVER-EAR HEADPHONES

BOWERS & WILKINS P9 SIGNATURE

$1,249, bowers-wilkins.com

The P9s don’t just sound wonderful with hi-res audio. They do a stellar job with poor quality music, such as compressed MP3s. You can have any colour you like as long as it’s brown.

AUDIO TECHNICA ATHA1000Z

$700, audiotechnica.com

Forget about MP3s or EDM: these headphones don’t flatter or sacrifice sound quality for bass. But if you give them a good amp and a good sound source they do incredible things.

SENNHEISER MOMENTUM 2.0 AROUND EAR

$328, sennheiser.com

The best sub-$350 over-ear headphones aren’t too picky about sonic sources. They don’t quite have the frequency range of our more expensive picks but they’re well built and good for the price.

BOWERS & WILKINS P5 SERIES 2

$199, bowers-wilkins.com

The little sisters of the mighty P9s deliver a beautifully warm and spacious sound for a lot less money, and their closed backs mean they’re less likely to annoy other people when you commute.