What Hi-Fi? Verdict
Best in-ears £40-£80, Awards 2013. An accomplished all-rounder at a very affordable price – if you're on a budget, these should be on your must-listen list
Pros
- +
Controlled, but exciting delivery
- +
lots of punch and weight
- +
musically flexible
Cons
- -
Nothing, so long as you run the cable over your ear
Why you can trust What Hi-Fi? Our expert team reviews products in dedicated test rooms, to help you make the best choice for your budget. Find out more about how we test.
There are lots of great earphones around, but these ones are perhaps the best performance-per-pound proposition of the lot.
MORE: Awards 2013
For £64 you get from Beyerdynamics a smart but otherwise fairly unspectacular-looking pair of in-ears – you can choose a red finish if you want your headphones to be a little more eye-catching.
More importantly, your money buys you a beautifully balanced performance with sparkly, controlled treble and the kind of bass that not only underpins and solidifies the presentation, but also adds lovely fullness to vocals.
The dynamic shifts of Nick Cave’s The Road OST are handled with ease, but there’s punchy, giddy excitement to be had, too, as a quick spin of Friendly Fires’ Pala album quickly proves. Essentially, they’ll happily turn their hands to anything you might throw at them.
The three supplied pairs of tips makes it easy to find a comfortable, noise-isolating fit.
Our only niggle is the cable noise, but this can be easily cured by running the wires over your ears before popping the buds in – they’re more secure that way, anyway.
MORE: Best headphones 2014
See all our headphone Best Buys
Follow whathifi on Twitter
Join whathifi on Facebook
