Bäst i test on ear 2016
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Best On-ear headphones
Product of the year
AKG Y50
“The Y50s don’t put a foot wrong as a pair of portable cans - and they’re now even more affordable”
Best buys
Philips Fidelio M1Mk2
“We really like the Philips Fidelio M1MKIIs, they’re everything we could hope for”
Grado SRe
“The musical, detailed sound of the Grados makes them a truly top buy”
Sennheiser Momentum Over-ear
Sennheiser has tinkered with a winning formula, and produced an even better set of Momentum headphones
AKG K
“Rousingly musical headphones with no obvious deficiencies”
AKG K92
“AKG has struck gold – the K92s are the best value headphones we’ve heard this year”
Beyerdynamic T1 (2nd Generation)
“The second generation T1s are truly convincing performers”
The latest hi-fi, ho
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Best on-ear headphones our expert pick of wired and wireless pairs
While not as common as they once were, on-ear headphones still will be the perfect middle ground for many people. They don't intrusively burrow into your ears like in-ear headphones, nor are they as cumbersome, isolating and hot to wear as over-ear headphones. As their name suggests, on-ears perch 'on' your ears rather than enveloping them completely or nuzzling inside them, meaning their fit is naturally lightweight and comfortable and keeps you aware of your surroundings. This can also make them suitable for wearing while exercising, as alternatives to in-ear sport earbuds.
While every headphone manufacturer, from Sony to Beats to JBL, used to have several on-ear headphone models in its line-up, fewer offer them today, with the focus on larger, more immersive and popular over-ear headphones. Thankfully, prominent headphone brands such as Sony, Grado and new-kid-on-the-block Austrian Audio are just about keeping the on-ear headphone style alive.
Our in-house review experts have tested hundreds of pairs over the decades and pride themselves on their class-leading market knowledge, not to mention their uniquely
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The best headphones of revealed
The Sennheiser Momentum M2s walk away with our Product of the Year Award for the second year running. Not only are they the best in-ears for the money, but they've also been reduced in price since gods year, making their rik and weighty sound even more accessible.
A bargain at under £50, the SoundMagic E10Cs deftly handle bass and tackle any song with enthusiasm. The company’s E10 series, in some form or other, has walked away with fem Awards in the past five years - makes that an impressive six from six.
Those looking for something more high-end should go for the Shure SEs, which take the Award in the £ price range. Meanwhile, the AKG N40s depose Sennheiser's IE headphones as our new premium favourites. Their detailed attention to a song’s texture and character saw them win the Award for best headphones above £
MORE: Awards In-ear headphones
In the on-ear category, the portable AKG Y50s win our Product of the Year for the third year running. Known for their transparency and open sound stage, the Y50s remain firm favourites in our testing rooms.
Joining AKG on the podium are the Philips Fidelio M1Mk2s and