High-end headphones: what do I need to know?<\/h3> Open or closed back?<\/h4>
\u2018Open-back\u2019 headphones allow the music to breathe, providing a spacious sound, ideal for expansive soundscapes. \u2018Closed-back\u2019 models offer a focused sound with enhanced bass and less sound leakage.
Do I need a headphone amp?<\/h4>
A standalone headphone amp or DAC can get the best from your headphones, especially for those with high impedance (25 ohms and beyond). Chord (chordelectronics.co.uk), Audiolab (audiolab.co.uk) and iFi (ifi-audio.com) offer a good range.<\/p>
Which cables?<\/h4>
Premium wired headphones come with cables and connectors to pair with amps\/DACs. Choose a 1.2m cable for portability and a 2m plus cable for relaxed home listening.<\/p>
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High-end headphones: Best Buy<\/h3>
Austrian Audio The Composer <\/figcaption> <\/figure> Austrian Audio The Composer – \u00a32,249<\/strong><\/p>
Following in the footsteps of Mozart<\/a><\/strong>, Beethoven<\/a><\/strong>, Schubert<\/a><\/strong> and Mahler<\/a><\/strong>, these aptly named headphones are engineered and made in Vienna, Austria. They won \u2018Best High-End Headphones\u2019 at the 2024 EISA (Expert Imaging and Sound Association) Awards, and since receiving my review sample I\u2019ve barely taken them off.<\/p>
Tested here using Qobuz (qobuz.com) hi-resolution recordings and Austrian Audio\u2019s The Full Score (\u00a31,299) headphone amplifier, I find these open-backed headphones to be a gloriously enjoyable listen. They leak sound, so are definitely for at-home solo listening (the best kind), but this restriction gives you the chance to indulge in your favourite concertos \u2013 and with the depth of detail, rhythm and drive like you\u2019ve never experienced before. For a relatively new brand, they\u2019ve created a premium audiophile product that happily competes with, and challenges, the established brands in the industry. And they\u2019re even verging on being \u2018good value\u2019 compared to many of those headphones that also manage to sound this fine.\u00a0<\/p>
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Unlike the majority of big stay-at-home headphones, The Composer weighs just 385g (without cables) and never once felt hefty. The build is predominantly metal, which helps strip out excess, and the earpads apply hardly any pressure to the side of the head. My only criticism is the lack of adjustability. They fit me well on the smallest setting (and I have a big head) but they absolutely swamp my wife, so try before you buy.<\/p>
austrian.audio<\/a><\/strong><\/p>
High-end headphones: Indulgent Audio<\/h3>
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/c02.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/43\/2025\/01\/Meze-Audio-Liric.jpg\")
Meze Audio Liric 2nd Generation <\/figcaption> <\/figure> Meze Audio Liric 2nd Generation \u2013 \u00a31, 850<\/strong><\/p>
These beautiful headphones feature advanced hand-assembled planar magnetic drivers that offer a faster, more uniform response than traditional dynamic drivers. The Quarter Wavelength Resonator Mask offers a rich bass response and impressive sense of space, with instrumentation of the orchestra brilliantly realised in almost 3D. They\u2019re warm and balanced, but there is also plenty of attack when needed. Sonically I can\u2019t fault them, though they fit better when you\u2019re relaxing rather than working \u2013 the hinges pivot if you look down at a laptop, for instance.<\/p>
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![\"\"](\"https:\/\/c02.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/43\/2025\/01\/Dali-IO-8.jpg\")