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 last year, making their rich 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 five Awards in the past five years - 2016 makes that an impressive six from six.
Those looking for something more high-end should go for the Shure SE425s, which take the Award in the £100-300 price range. Meanwhile, the AKG N40s depose Sennheiser's IE 800 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 £300.
MORE: Awards 2016: 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 the Sennheiser Momentum 2.0s as the best in their price brackets - both headphones with fantastic sonic character and a sense of fun.
The AKG K92s take the top spot for home use on-ear headphones under £100. Those with a bigger budget should take a look at the Grado SR325Es in the £200-£400 range, or above that, the Beyerdynamic T1 Generation 2s. An impressive combination of insight, fluid dynamics and rhythmic precision makes these high-end headphones good value for money.
MORE: Awards 2016: On-ear headphones
Wireless headphones is a fast-expanding sector, and this year they have a category all of their own, with the Bowers & Wilkins P5 Wireless headphones taking the top prize for Product of the Year, closely followed by the P7 Wireless.
Philips’ SHB8850NCs were our choice at the budget end of the noise-cancelling market with Sony's MDR-1000X causing something of an upset and beating Bose and Sennheiser to the premium Award.
