Most headphones with astronomical prices are not worth the money. These are the so-called exclusive models. Nowadays they do something exclusive - they buy any headphones, cover them with diamonds, coat them with gold plating, profit! A “brilliant bait” is ready for fish with tight wallets and without any special complaints about sound quality. The “filling” of such headphones is not worked out, so they still sound at an average level.
We did not include such models in our top 7 most expensive headphones. Our goal is to offer a selection of premium models that will put even the most fastidious audiophile into a state of pleasant languor.
Campfire Audio Atlas
- Mounting type: in-channel
- Frequency range: 5-20000 Hz
- Impedance: 19 ohms
- Sensitivity: 105 dB/mW
- Membrane diameter: 10 mm
Price : from 80,260 rubles
When developing the Atlas, Campfire Audio engineers were guided by the goal of creating headphones with the same power as full-size headphones, but less bulky and more comfortable. Judging by the reviews of experts, they succeeded. And the technical characteristics hint at this: sensitivity of 105 dB / mW for earbuds is an indicator of the “space” level. How did Campfire Audio cope with such a non-trivial task?
The key to the excellent sound of the Atlas is the ADLC diaphragm made of a diamond-like film of a fairly large size (10 mm). This film combines rigidity and light weight. These are very important qualities for a diaphragm: lightness ensures accurate sound transmission, and rigidity allows it to transmit a wide range of frequencies. As a result, Atlas headphones are distinguished by a range that in the low region goes far beyond the frequencies accessible to the human ear.
Advantages:
- The case is made of stainless steel, processed on a CNC machine to a mirror finish.
- Driver with ADLC diaphragm, transmitting sound without distortion in all areas of the frequency range.
- Attractive futuristic design.
- MMSH made of beryllium copper are very durable.
- Rich set - 9 pairs of ear pads plus a cleaning brush.
- Pure silver braided cable.
- Each model is tested by an expert.
Flaws:
- Lack of sweat protection - the headphones are unsuitable for sports.
Bowers & Wilkins P9 – Cool design and high quality build
This device is characterized by an optimized housing. The earpieces are acoustically sophisticated housings that allow the speakers to reproduce music with high fidelity. The device has a headband that isolates the ear pads from vibrations, blocking them.
Another advantage of the model is its well-thought-out suspension system, which guarantees precision at high frequencies and compliance at low frequencies - for good bass.
The table shows the characteristics of this device:
| Options | Description |
| Device type | headphones with microphone |
| Headphone type | full size, closed |
| Headphone type | dynamic |
| Frequency range | 2Hz-30kHz |
| iPhone support | Yes |
| Sensitivity | 11 dB |
| Impedance | 22 Ohm |
| Maximum power | 50 mW |
| Membrane diameter | 40 mm |
| Fastening | headband |
| Design | folding |
| Cable | detachable |
| Connecting the cable | one-sided |
| Headphone jack | 3.5 mm |
Users love the stylish design of the headphones and high build quality. The device's speakers are rotated to deliver more natural sound. You can hear stereo sound just like in real life
Also included in the package is a special bag, trimmed with leather, designed for storing and transporting the headphones, and it also serves as protection against damage.
Unboxing and review of Bowers & Wilkins P9 headphones in the following video:
The cost of Bowers & Wilkins P9 headphones will average 64,900 rubles.
Ultrasone Edition 15 Limited
- Mount type: headband
- Frequency range: 5-46000 Hz
- Impedance: 32 Ohm
- Sensitivity: 96 dB/mW
- Membrane diameter: 40 mm
Price : from 210,000 rubles
Edition 15 Limited from the German company Ultrasone made history as the first headphones using S-LogicEX technology. It provides surround sound no worse than that of full-fledged premium speaker systems. The images are arranged in width and depth. That is, when listening, you feel not only which of the musicians is on the right and which is on the left, but also the distance of each of the musicians from the listener. It’s worth adding about S-Logic that the technology reduces acoustic pressure, so no matter how much you listen to the headphones, your ears won’t become overtired.
The key to the attractiveness of Ultrasone Edition 15 Limited is the uniqueness of each model, because the patterns on the wooden cups are unique. The headphones were released in a limited edition of 999 pieces in 2021, and no one knows how many are left for the summer of 2020. Perhaps if you don't buy them today, tomorrow it will be too late.
Advantages:
- Made from high-quality and rare materials - American cherry wood and Merino leather.
- High sound detail across the entire frequency range.
- Extended warranty from the manufacturer - 5 years.
- Rich set (2 four-wire cables, genuine leather case).
- Supports ULE technology, which reduces low-frequency radiation by 98%.
- Unique design of each model.
Flaws:
- Limited number of items.
SONY WH-1000XM4
SONY WH-1000XM4 review - Sony's best over-ear headphones in 2021.
In all respects, the Sony WH-1000XM4 is an excellent model of wireless noise-canceling headphones. They deliver exactly what they promise, including exceptional noise reduction and the latest codec support.
The Sony WH-1000XM4 delivers excellent noise cancellation and amazing sound quality in a lightweight, comfortable design.
While they aren't all that different from their predecessors, the Sony WH-1000XM3, there are a number of new features including multipoint pairing, DSEE Extreme, speech understanding and auto play/pause using the built-in sensor. Sony WH-1000XM4 claim to be the best headphones of 2021.
Main characteristics
- Device type: wireless headphones
- Type: full size
- Technology: dynamic
- Active Noise Cancellation (ANC)
- Frequency range: 4 – 40000 Hz
- Impedance: 47 Ohm
- Sensitivity: 104 dB
- Weight: 255 g
- Membrane diameter: 40 mm
- Connector: mini jack 3.5 mm
- Connector shape: L-shape
- Cable length: 1.2 m
- Bluetooth: 5.0
- NFC
- Codec support AAC, LDAC
- Work profile support: Handsfree, A2DP, Headset, AVRCP
- Range: 10 m
- Standby time: 200h
- Talk time: 24 hours
- Working time: 38 h
- Operating time with active noise cancellation enabled: 30 hours
- Charging time: 3h
Equipment
- Headphones
- Charging cable
- Cable for connection 3.5
- Airplane adapter
- Case/case
- Documentation
HiFiMan Susvara
- Mount type: headband
- Frequency range: 6-75000 Hz
- Impedance: 60 ohms
- Sensitivity: 83 dB/mW
Price : from 349,990 rubles
The price of HiFiMan Susvara would not surprise you if you knew with what surgical precision everything is arranged inside them. Susvara are magnetic planar audiophile headphones with a weightless diaphragm that is also thinner than a human hair. The manufacturer also uses special magnets. They have a rounded profile, due to which they do not form interference and have almost no effect on the sound. The thin diaphragm and rounded magnets work harmoniously together to provide tonal clarity throughout the entire frequency range. You will feel the technical features of the musicians' sound production as if they were playing in front of your nose.
However, the music lover’s expenses most likely will not end with the purchase of HiFiMan Susvara. Since the sensitivity of the headphones is only 83 dB/mW, not every amplifier is suitable for them. You need top-level equipment, which is a surprise! – can be bought in addition to Susvara at the HiFiMan store.
Advantages:
- Using stealth magnets that provide extremely clear sound.
- Fantastically wide frequency range.
- Unusual design - and the rear curtain not only adds sophistication to the appearance, but also protects against resonances.
- Comfortable headband, thanks to which you can listen to the headphones for a long time and without discomfort.
Flaws:
- Heavy weight - 450 grams.
- Only an expensive amplifier can reveal the potential of Susvara.
- Sensitivity is low for such a sky-high price.
Grado PS2000e
- Mount type: headband
- Frequency range: 5-50000 Hz
- Impedance: 32 Ohm
- Sensitivity: 99.8 dB/mW
Price : from 169,000 rubles
On the official Grado website, representatives of the Brooklyn company, throwing away all modesty, call the PS2000e model the best headphones in the world. Three generations of the legendary Grado family, legendary in the audio industry, worked on them for two years. What happened?
The result is headphones that convey the most naturalistic sound imaginable. Listening to the Grado PS2000e feels like you're standing right in front of the stage during a concert. The “magic” lies in the special geometry of the diaphragm and the design of the cups, which are made of maple and chromed metal. It is the metal that is responsible for eliminating various types of distortion and ringing. Maple provides a special vibration of sound inside the cup.
Grado PS2000e will be a godsend not only for the audiophile, but also for the sound engineer. After all, it is the “sound specialists” who need to hear the sound as it is, without impurities.
Advantages:
- Premium materials - maple and chromed metal.
- Wide headband, comfortable for long listening sessions.
- Naturalistic sound.
- Each model is made by hand.
Flaws:
- The design is discreet - the Grado PS2000e looks like an expensive computer headset.
SENNHEISER
This company produces some of the most expensive headphones in the world. German companies are known for their attention to detail and luxurious design. Sennheiser combines both. Their products will suit even the most demanding music lovers.
The company's range is quite wide: you can find both regular wired headphones for $100 and more expensive models. The flagship Sennheisers sell for $60,000, which can be compared to the price of a good new car.
HE-1 Orpheus are made using marble. The headphones have built-in temperature control, and additional features minimize external interference for the purest sound possible.
Sennheiser Orpheus HE-1
- Mount type: headband
- Frequency range: 8-100000 Hz
Price : from 4,100,000 rubles
What do Sennheiser Orpheus HE-1 headphones and Michelangelo sculptures have in common? These are works of art, for sure. But there's something else: the cabinet that hides the headphone amplifier is made of Carrara marble, a luxurious stone used by Michelangelo to create sculptures during the Renaissance. Sennheiser Orpheus HE-1 is not just headphones in the usual sense. This is a whole system with its own luxurious amplifier and eight vacuum tubes arranged in two rows.
Grado boasted that they worked on the PS2000e for two years? Nothing. Sennheiser engineers have been pursuing perfection for 10 years. They managed to create a sound that even the most fastidious audiophiles admiringly call reference and magical. The perfection of sound is ensured by a membrane that is coated with platinum and has a thickness of only 2.4 nm. Gold-plated electrodes move the entire membrane in the electromagnetic field, resulting in crystal clear sound and absolutely free of distortion.
The price of the Sennheiser Orpheus HE-1 is such that most music lovers can only lick their lips. But if you still have an extra hundred thousand dollars and want to get your hands on this “miracle”, remember that Orpheus is not available for retail sale. Sennheiser makes the best headphones in the world exclusively to order within 40 days.
Advantages:
- The ideal appearance of a music system.
- Low reactance oxygen-free copper cable.
- The purest live sound.
- Availability of S/PDIF and USB connectors.
- Low power consumption.
- Incredibly wide frequency range (up to 100,000 Hz).
Flaws:
- The price is like a sports car.
Official site
SHURE
Most of the most expensive items on this list are in-ear headphones. But Shure went a different route and created the KSE1500, which costs $3,000. What distinguishes them from other headphones is the amplifier and digital-to-analog converter included in the kit. Naturally, they are equipped with soundproofing technology and are able to convey the clarity of the sound picture.
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Five D4-band parameters and a 4-band equalizer make it possible to customize your music to suit your individual needs. The headphone body is made of aluminum.
Audeze Mobius
- Mount type: headband
- Frequency range: 10-50000 Hz
- Sensitivity: 120 dB/mW
Price : from 30,990 rubles
Audeze has established itself as a manufacturer of audiophile headphones, but now it is making noise primarily thanks to the Mobius gaming model. These are magnetic planar headphones in which the manufacturer has implemented a number of unique solutions.
The most interesting technology is Waves NX, developed by Waves, a cult company among sound engineers. The technology allows the headphones to track the position of the gambler’s head in space 1000 times per second and build a 3D sound picture in accordance with this information. That is, if the user, for example, turns to the computer with his right ear, then the sound on the left will be muted. Due to this, the illusion is created that the person is not wearing headphones, but in front of the speakers.
The Audeze Mobius sounds great, and not only in terms of music and scary audio effects - the speech of your playing partners is also clearly audible. The only problem is that Mobius costs like a middle-class laptop.
Advantages:
- The ability to track the position of the gamer's head.
- Live cinematic sound.
- The presence of a reverberator responsible for recreating the acoustics of the room.
- Microphone with built-in noise reduction.
- Bluetooth support.
- Capacious battery, designed for at least 10 hours of battery life.
Flaws:
- The control keys are on the left cup - right-handers will have to get used to it.
Audio-Technica ATH-DSR9BT
- Mount type: headband
- Frequency range: 5-45000 Hz
- Impedance: 38 ohms
- Sensitivity: 97 dB/mW
- Membrane diameter: 45 mm
Price : from 36,990 rubles
The Audio-Technica ATH-DSR9BT debunks the myth that Bluetooth headphones can't sound good. The key to high-quality sound is the patented Pure Digital Drive technology. It allows you to exclude a digital-to-analog converter from the design of the headphones, which takes away the liveliness and naturalness of the sound. In addition, this technology is highly efficient, thanks to which Bluetooth headphones work for quite a long time without recharging.
However, to fully enjoy the sound of the Audio-Technica ATH-DSR9BT, you need a player that supports the aptX HD codec. The codec can transmit a digital stream at a resolution of 24 bits / 48 kHz and with an increased bitrate. Bluetooth headphones support this codec, but it must be present on both the transmitting and playback devices - otherwise you will listen to music in good, but quite ordinary sound.
Advantages:
- Ear pads filled with memory effect.
- Clear and vibrant sound delivered by 45mm True Motion drivers.
- LED indicator that shows the remaining charge and the active codec.
- Storage case included.
- High-quality materials - metal and leather.
Flaws:
- Quite a lot of weight – 310 grams.
HIFIMAN Shangri-La, $78,000
HIFIMAN has become best known for its flat magnetic headphone designs. Planar magnets are completely different from the usual cone-shaped speaker design, instead using a large flat surface excited by the movement of an electromagnetic force created by conductors woven across its surface.
They move as their electrical signal changes within a fixed magnetic field created by magnets on each side, thereby moving the membrane across its entire surface, unlike the piston-like motion of conventional dynamic headphones.
This technology is different in that it can display finer signal details and reproduce much faster transients. Hence, flat magnetic headphones are famous for their detail and speed.
Let's sum it up
Do the headphones we presented to you in the rating sound good? Undoubtedly. Is it worth buying expensive models? Big question. Think about it, after all, headphones are just one element of the musical path, and sound quality, as you know, is determined by the weakest element of the chain. You will have to buy an additional expensive amplifier, which means that the headphones will actually become non-transportable. However, even if you buy the best, you may still be disappointed. In certain genres of music, premium models do not demonstrate even 10% of their potential. Relatively speaking, the impression that the headphones will make on you will depend on whether you prefer Radiohead or Tim Belorusskikh.
So decide first whether you need expensive headphones for great sound or as a fashion item. This is important, because in the latter case you can choose cheaper headphones - the same Beats Audio.
Pros and cons of expensive headphones
Even if you buy the most expensive headphone model presented, this does not mean that it will not have shortcomings. All instances have their pros and cons.
The advantages include:
- beautiful and high-quality design;
- excellent sound, the quality of which can satisfy even the most demanding music lovers;
- status: owners of expensive headphones can be distinguished from the crowd, especially if it is an on-ear model. And the owner of the device himself understands that his model is not available to everyone, which means he stands out.
- versatility: expensive headphones can be used equally well both at home and for professional activities, for example, working as a DJ. Some devices have several operating modes built in: “concert”, “studio”, “easy use”
With so many positive qualities, there is one huge minus - the price. It is worth buying expensive headphones when your profession is related to music or you have sensitive hearing. In other cases, shelling out over 50 thousand rubles for a model does not make sense.
