Group test: On-ear headphones

For listening to music on the move, there’s little better than headphones. You could, perhaps walk around with a barbershop quartet or an orchestra on rollerblades, but neither has quite the versatility or discreetness of a decent pair of cans.

At the slightly higher end of the market, which we’re looking at here, headphones are as much about home listening as wearing whilst jogging or on the bus, but they should ideally be able to fit both bills. It’s not unreasonable to expect a wide frequency response with plenty of bass, low impedance and little or no distortion.

We’re here to offer guidance, but the only sure-fire way to buy ‘phones is to decide whether you want noise cancelling or not, whether you mind annoying those around you with leaked sound – if not then open-backed ‘phones may be for you – and then try and audition as many pairs as you can. The specs on the box will all be similar and won’t tell you anything about whether they sound right to you or not, unless you’re a robot. And if you are a robot, what are you doing reading this? Get back to work welding cars together, already.

Bose QuietComfort 3

Even if you find everything else about Bose a bit “John Major”, the QC3s are well worth a listen. They have a less “artificial” sound than Sennheiser’s rival PXC 450, but the RRP is higher and being less widely available, they tend to be more expensive in the real world too. However, excellent sound and the splendid, on-ear design mean they should appeal to a wide variety of listeners above and beyond Bose’s usual clientele of suburban MOR buffs. You can also use the noise cancelling without music, should you just require a bit of peace and quiet – a nice touch.

Click to read the full review >>
Go to the Bose QuietComfort 3 product page >>

Creative Aurvana X-Fi

The Aurvanas are a perfectly respectable pair of noise-killing headphones. They’re comfortable to wear and reasonably priced, if you shop around. However, we’re not convinced that the various additional technologies add a great deal to the experience.

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Go to the Creative Aurvana X-Fi product page >>

Sennheiser PXC 450

More for the business class traveller than for jiving down the street listening to La Roux, these whoppers sound impressive, kill noise stone dead and can be worn from London to Bangkok and back without discomfort. Like the Bose QC3, they can be used with noise cancelling but no music, and they do a great job as this kind of “helmet of silence”.

Click to read the full review >>
Go to the Sennheiser PXC 450 product page >>

Sony PFR-V1

It’s always good to see innovative approaches to audio, and full props to Sony for trying to break the headphone mould. However, buying these is a bit like replacing all the tyres on your car with super narrow gold hexagons on the basis that it’s “a revolutionary new way of doing things”.

Click to read the full review >>
Go to the Sony PFR-V1 product page >>

PriceRunner recommended
AKG K181 DJ

You could do a hell of a lot worse than these cans, which sound great, are comfy enough for long-term wear, ruggedly built and have a mercifully simple look. DJs will doubtless appreciate the 180-degree rotating ear-cups, for when they are “cueing up choonz” in order to “make all posse and crew in the place big up themselves”. They may even be able to work out what the “Big/small club” switches do. For the rest of us, this is just a great-sounding, well-made, versatile pair of headphones that can be found online for not too much dosh at all. “Sorted”, as today’s dance music-fancying young folk put it.

Click to read the full review >>
Go to the AKG K181 DJ product page >>

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