WIRED OVER-EAR HEADPHONES

GRADO SR325E

$439, gradolabs.com

When you factor just how good these sound, they’re a bargain. In a quiet room, they sound as good as headphones that cost five times more. They’re among the leakiest we’ve tried, however.

AUDIO TECHNICA ATH-A1000Z

$699, audiotechnica.com

Forget or EDM: about these MP3s 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.

AKG K52

$68, akg.com

These have absolutely no right to sound half as good as they do.

For at-home listening they offer a massive soundstage, impressive balance and a frankly ludicrous amount of detail for the dosh.

FOCAL STELLIA

$4,499, focal.com

Carefully engineered to give you the kind of big soundscape expected of highend headphones, the audio quality is stunning. Detail and expansiveness at the high end is really impressive too.