The Best Wired Headphones for Budding Audiophiles in 2025

While we’ve dubbed the Beyerdynamic DT 700 Pro X as our top pick for beginner audiophiles, we’d probably recommend most newbies start out on a value pair of wired over-ears like this Audio-Technica option. They go for less than fifty quid and we’re sure you’ll recognise the design – with its massive logo across the headband – as a mainstay in studios and glimpsed on the head of many podcasters.

Let’s be honest, the look of these may be a bit sterile and boring, but they’re lightweight and focused on conveying details within music and recordings. These are solid cans that are happy to be used every single day and are made for monitoring or studio production – at this price point, they may well be unmatched.

Yes, you read that price right. It’s not a typo. These cost under £20 and get loads of respect from audiophiles within this price range. They’re some of the most lauded cheap earbuds around, but is the hype justified? We’d say so. These may exist in the ultra-budget space but they still deliver high-end ear tips and a metal construction, and that’s before we even talk about the sound.

They’re tuned for a neutral signature so are an ideal option if you’re stepping into the audiophile world and looking for balance, detail and accuracy instead of overwhelming deep bass. All you need to know is that these don’t look or sound like they should be this affordable, yet have a pocket money price tag.

It’s no overstatement to say the original Chus were a game-changer for the in-ear monitor market at launch, and the updated Chu II is a terrific option today, levelling up with a refined sound, a removable cable and brass components without a change to the price.

There’s a really good argument to be made that the Fiio FT1 is the single best-value pair of closed-back headphones released in 2024 and they’re doing a lot to shake up the wired headphone market. We’re not joking, these are such a delight that they’ve got us looking at the price tag and scratching our heads.

You pay under £140 and you get supremely comfortable cans with wooden shells, beautiful sound from the large 60mm dynamic drivers, a great storage case and cables for both a 3.5mm headphone jack connection and a 4.4mm balanced option. Usually at this price, we’d expect plasticky build quality and non-removable cables, and you’d have to pay twice this much to get this kind of lively, energetic, detailed and engaging sound from rivals.

For once, headphone fanatics seem to agree: the hype around these is justified. Sure, we could nitpick and say they’re a bit massive and far from travel-ready, while we’ve heard audio that feels more spacious too. But, the FT1 challenges cans well above its price tier and, even after finishing testing them out, they’ve been a pair we often reach for to listen to our playlists in comfort for the whole day. It’s no surprise they’re so often out of stock.

Want an excellent all-rounder with high-end build quality at a price tag that isn’t ridiculous? We reckon you’re probably looking for the Meze Alba. The more we’ve used these headphones, the more we love them, whether that’s the look of the zinc alloy and anodised aluminium shells with a pearlescent finish, their comfort for long listening sessions or their compact little travel case.

Overall, though, the most appealing thing is just how gorgeous they sound. Now, this isn’t a clinical tuning and that may turn certain audiophiles off, but we’d say the audio from these 10.8mm dynamic drivers is designed for a warm, rich and detailed presentation that to our ears feels musical and natural. They’ve got a lot of clarity and texture, offering an immersive experience from compact buds.

They’re also actually designed for portability, coming with a pocketable carrying case and a matching 3.5mm to USB-C adapter so you won’t have to buy a separate DAC/amplifier. Honestly, we’d have to really stretch to come up with downsides to these. They’re brilliant, and it’s impressive Meze has managed to pack so much quality into something so compact.

Sennheiser’s IE 200 earbuds are tuned to get the most out of your playlists, with an exceptional level of detail and an expansive soundstage that brings out the best in all genres, but particularly impressed when we listened to rock and indie music. You’ll see them described as “precise” and “balanced” – and that’s exactly what you get. This is an affordable route into audiophile-grade quality.

It took us a moment to appreciate the buds’ neutral approach when we stuck them in our ears straight after wearing a bass-heavy pair of headphones (the Sennheiser Momentum 4) but when it clicks, it clicks. We fired up Muse’s Hysteria, Rage Against the Machine’s Bombtrack and the Arctic Monkeys' Hello You and heard tiny instrumental details that we’ve never spotted before when listening on chunkier over-ears or non-wired Bluetooth buds.

While finding the right fit is fiddly, they are lightweight and comfy to wear, plus the build is excellent throughout, especially the braided cable which feels durable. The overall design of the buds is fairly standard – only coming in black – but we really like that they come with both silicone and foam tips and that the wiring closest to the buds is thicker so it can be shaped around your ear for a stronger hold. That said, we did find the wire got in the way when we were trying to find the right seal.

There’s a lot of shared design language between Grado headphones, so you aren’t going to see a massive difference in style between a more entry-level pair like the SR80x when compared to the more expensive SR325x. However, you’re getting a ton of value for £99 when you pick up this set of cans, which deliver a pure hi-fi experience without any extra frills. Like every Grado, they’re handmade in Brooklyn, New York and focus on sound quality above everything else. The stripped-back and distinctive aesthetic keeps these lightweight (more so than the SR325x) and Grado says its SR80 line is its oldest “continuously-made” model, going back to 1991.

The same concerns that apply to other Grado headphones still exist here – the open-back design leaks a lot of sound if you play them loud and they’re not comfortable to wear for hours on end – but that open-back approach also means you get a much more expansive soundstage over closed-back rivals, and there’s quite a lot of treble on these compared to “consumer” cans.

There’s also punchy and controlled bass too, and a fantastic amount of energy and detail. Like any other Grado pair, these are repairable and you can replace the foam ear pads if they start to wear down. If you need a new cable or a more complex repair, they may need to go back to the “Grado Labs” in the US – reassuring, but not the most convenient if you don’t live in America.

We haven’t tested a lot of wired in-ear monitors that cost over £500 because, even for us, that seems like a huge amount of money to spend on earbuds. And we’re sceptical by nature. Did we truly think these were actually going to sound that much better than anything in the sub-£300 tier? Probably not.

Surely at a certain point, it must be diminishing returns, Can you really hear the difference? Well, yes and no. Many might not be able to, but we sure can. Fiio’s FH19 in-ears are phenomenal and they’ve shot right to the top of our list of the best-sounding earbuds we’ve sampled. Yes, we know there’s a lot in the high-end space and we evidently haven’t heard everything on the market like some enthusiasts, but we’re suitably impressed by all the sheer clarity these deliver.

They’re incredibly detailed, clean and spacious, with a setup utilising dual dynamic drivers and six-balanced armature drivers per bud. They deliver on a much larger soundstage than we’ve heard from others. All this does make them a bit heavy at 12g per IEM, though, and sometimes a little too big to be comfortable for long listening sessions (for our ears at least).

The titanium and aluminium design is highly premium, though, and they’ve got the most accessories of any in-ears we’ve ever seen – they come with an outrageous 22 different pairs of ear tips (including silicone, foam, “SpinFit” and more), a hard storage case, 3.5 and 4.4mm swappable plugs, removable audio filters, a cleaning brush and a magnetic clip. We ended up switching to the “balanced” filters and “vocal” ear tips, and they’d now be the first pair we’d reach to when firing up a new album.

If you’ve had enough of plastic earbuds and are after proper build quality at a sub-£100 price tag, we’d recommend the Moondrop Aria 2 in-ear monitors. With these, you get an eye-catching metal construction that offers a snug in-ear fit with the included ear tips and excellent tangle-free cable. They’re a little bigger than the predecessor Aria model, but we don’t think most listeners will struggle to get a comfortable fit.

And the audio experience? It’s excellent. Each bud's single 10mm dynamic driver delivers a balanced and natural sound profile, with a clear midrange, tight bass and detail in the highs. The soundstage feels expansive too – overall, the sound is smooth with no sign of distortion. It makes for an engaging listen and we love the sparkly vocals. Our only potential downside would be that some might find the high-end a bit tiring a few hours in.

We’re impressed by the balanced audio tuning, the high-quality build, the detachable cables and the well-made (although not especially pocketable) carrying case. The Aria 2 are easily one of our favourites for value, offering terrific sound and durability for a tempting price.

We’ve got a lot of headphones, so the best way to illustrate just how much we love the 99 Classics might be with this hypothetical scenario: if some fiend was to force us to hand over every single pair, leaving us with just one model for the rest of our days, these Romanian cans would be our pick. We’re yet to experience another model that delivers on comfort like these do, with the self-adjusting headband leaving you feeling like they’re barely there at all, and they come with all the cables and adapters you need in a sleek case.

The sound from the lightweight wooden ear cups is beautiful, warm, dynamic, detailed and engaging, elevating every track we threw at them. They’re a bit bassier than some audiophiles might like, but the neutral and accurate approach isn’t going to suit every person, and these are perfect for our tastes.

Introduced in 2015, they’re an ideal model for longevity and repairability, with Meze offering all the replacement parts you’d need. And, there’s no plastic or glue in sight so they’re fully serviceable. If you’re adept with a screwdriver, it’s entirely possible to fix them yourself. As we said, they’re the wired headphones we’d pick for life.

These terrific in-ears are tuned to enhance your playlists, with excellent stereo imaging, a wide soundstage, loads of detail, punchy bass and clear highs. We’ve got no complaints whatsoever when it comes to the audio – these sound gorgeous with all music, whether we’re listening to vocal-heavy tracks, thumpy electronica or sweeping soundtracks. They boast an exceptional level of detail and expansive spaciousness, and offer loads of comfort for long listening sessions in addition to the terrific passive noise isolation that works just as well as noise-cancelling.

We're big fans of the classy “Shibo” finish of Final headphones like the ZE8000 flagship true wireless buds and the UX3000 over-ears, and these sport that same fingerprint-resistant texture (which is a lot like what you’ll find on high-end cameras). They come with loads of different ear tips to help you find the right fit and are small enough to deliver a cosy fit, with the cables bending over behind your ear. It’s great that Final includes some ear hooks to help with this process, but we found them more than comfortable enough without using the hooks.

For a remarkable performer at a low price, we’d go with the SoundMagic E11C, which you can pick up for under fifty quid. They’ve got a sturdy cable, in-line microphone and controls, a great selection of ear tips for a comfortable fit and impressive audio performance that puts them in competition with several models that cost a whole lot more. We appreciate the detail, energy and dynamism of the sound, as well as the quality of the microphone, which is of course far better than anything you’ll find on even the best Bluetooth models.

We’re happy to see these come with a useful protective pouch, and the look of the buds is straightforward and understated without looking too cheap. We also think this will suit those just starting out with wired models much better, as it’s a more traditional fit compared to some pairs where you have to twist the cable over and behind your ears to get them in place. There’s no worrying about that with these. While we weren’t about to subject the cable to any kind of stress test, we can attest that it never gets tangled and that makes these a better pick than Apple’s EarPods.

We’re big fans of the simplicity on offer from the Final VR2000 and while we know some will worry about the lack of removable cable, you’re not going to find anything better for gaming at this price. We reckon this offers terrific audio for video games and its rendition of live performances and complex electronic music that makes the most of three-dimensional sound.

That’s because they’re designed to have a large soundstage with exceptional detail, which makes them a perfect pick for gamers who need to pick out every subtle sound like the rustle of footsteps behind them in Call of Duty. Basically, these give you that “superhuman” hearing effect and make the whole thing that much more immersive.

The VR2000 makes for a super easy plug-and-play option with loads of great-fitting ear tips in the box, a sleek design overall and some excellent passive isolation to keep you focused on your game and not distracted by the outside world. For £60, you can’t ask for much more.

Grado is one manufacturer that can say its designs are “timeless” – the family-owned and Brooklyn-based company has barely changed its core design principles since it first introduced the HP 1000 headphones back in 1989. Take a look at the successor SR100, SR200 and SR300 models from the 90s and they still look virtually identical to what the brand sells in 2024.

Well, if it ain't broke, don’t fix it, right? We love the metal finish and retro design philosophy of the SR325x, and these minimalist cans deliver serious audio power. They’re balanced, controlled, and detailed, and help you hear musical subtleties. It can be hard to hear high-resolution differences without premium gear, and with these, we got our best-ever results on audio-quality quizzes.

That massive chunky cable is also designed to last for years, and the foam earpads are easily upgradeable with replacements available on Amazon. We’ve got our concerns with these, of course, they’re not the most comfortable for extended listening sessions and the open-back approach leaks loads of sound if you set them to higher volumes. But for detailed home listening they’re tremendous. And, if you just want to dip your toes into the Grado world, we’d also recommend the affordable £99 Grado SR80x, which also offers an audiophile sound and bare-bones design.

We keep a pair of 1More’s flagship earbuds in our laptop bag for one key reason – the in-line microphone. It makes us sound significantly better on all our work calls, improving on the built-in laptop mic or anything most Bluetooth buds can manage. From the sound perspective, these are no slouch too. 1More has updated these earphones to be more detailed than its already great Triple and Quad bud, tossing in extra drivers (we’re up to five now) and focusing on the balance and dynamism of the audio. It’s not as simple as “more drivers deliver better sound”, but we are now hearing a stage that’s more expansive and detailed.

These come with a USB-C to 3.5mm jack adapter in the box, along with an outrageously comprehensive selection of different ear tips sizes and materials (we’re fond of the memory foam ones), so you’ll be able to connect to newer iPhones, Androids, tablets, laptops, your Nintendo Switch and everything in between. With a sub-£200 price, these are great value, and the combination of this performance, a removal cable and an in-line mic puts them now among the best bang for the buck wired earbuds around We also recommend the older Quad Driver and the Triple Driver from 1More for their mic and sound performance, and these are now some of the best value buds you’ll find.

If you want “reference-grade” sound quality without a high price tag, this model from Sennheiser is probably the ideal starting point and the one we’ve been using when testing high-end audio players like the Astell and Kern SP3000. The key thing to note here is that it’s an open-back option, unlike several other over-ears on this list. That means that they’re not even designed to keep music isolated and whatever you listen to will be heard by others around you.

The reason for an open-back approach is that it improves the sense that music is natural and spacious, although it’ll have less of a powerful low-end. The audio leakage, of course, means these aren’t a pick for your commute or use in the office. For at-home listening, though, these are tremendous value, offering an ideal sound for analytical music lovers.

This Audio-Technica pair comes with many of the same positives as the other neutral headphones within this roundup, and are another excellent pick if you want an affordable over-ear set for detail, balance and in-studio monitoring.

We like the well-built foldable design and how these are sturdy yet lightweight, and they have qualities that make them as useful for podcasters and audio producers as they are for anyone looking for a solid pair for everyday listening.

The sound profile is good for analytical listeners while not being so flat that it isn’t approachable for those used to consumer headphones like the Bose 700. We think it may be worth paying the extra for these over the M20x if you want more than the basics, as you’ll get extra detachable cables and a more protective hard carry case.

As mentioned, the basic Apple dongle is more than good enough for 99% of people listening through most headphones. It’s a top product at a decent price, so you can probably afford to grab a handful of them. Audio boffins confirm that it tests well and works with no issues on all USB-C devices.

Of course, Apple makes a great Lightning-only version too. If we were to be picky about the downsides though, we’d have to say that it feels a bit flimsy and doesn’t have the best build quality. We’d also like it if it came in black or grey rather than only white.

We’d call this the default upgrade dongle for developing audiophiles. It’s a straightforward USB-C DAC and amplifier that comes with adapters for Lightning and USB-A in the box, and in side-by-side comparisons with the Apple 3.5mm adapter, we can confirm that this delivers a noticeable audio improvement.

Whether it’ll transform your listening experience will depend on how sensitive you are to the subtle changes, but we can hear more richness, depth and detail out of our favourite wired in-ears and headphones. You’re also unlikely to notice a big difference beyond this without buying something much more expensive and even if we recommend the build quality of the Astell & Kern HC3, we prefer the portability and price-to-performance ratio of the iFi model.

While the BTR13 is a DAC just like the other options mentioned, it’s also a high-fidelity Bluetooth receiver, allowing you to use your wired headphones or speakers with wireless audio as the source.

It supports all the high-res codecs certain audiophiles care about (including LDAC, which is capable of transmitting near-CD quality), and it’s both a DAC and headphone amplifier that works brilliantly for delivering a clearer sound with more dynamic range that you’d be able to get through a device’s headphone jack. It has a clip, a tiny colour display, charges via USB-C, and it’s simple to control with its buttons.

Yes, it costs a fair bit more than the simple Apple dongle and is a little bulkier than some rivals (although still weighs under 30g), but it’s pretty clear how much versatility it delivers, and it’s a steal at £65.