Top headphones

With an even helping of tight bass, level mids, and sharp high tones, the TMA-1s complemented every genre of music we pumped through them, so we won't limit our recommendation of them to DJs alone. The tough constructions and efficient sound isolation means that students, mixing engineers, commuters, and office jockeys will all enjoy their standout performance.

Logitech lowered the price of the Ultimate Ears 700 to $150 when it took over the company a few years back, which makes these headphones some of the most affordable dual-driver earbuds on the market right now. You'll notice a big difference in sound if you're upgrading from the stock headphones that came with your music player, and as long as you don't mind the lack of a remote control on the cord, the Ultimate Ears 700 headphones won't disappoint.

The Marshall Major headphones are suitable for anyone shopping for a passive noise-isolating headphone, and the acoustic contouring from the 40mm drivers will satisfy nearly any music listener, regardless of genre. As long as you're not planning to exercise in them, the Marshall Majors are a worthwhile buy for your next headphone purchase.

The ER-4PT can tell you more about your digital music than lesser headphones would, and when the music sounds good, you hear it--that's what you should expect from earphones that cost $300.

The Soul by Ludacris SL300 headphones are suitable for blocking outside noise and add a colorful sonic boost to bass-heavy genres like hip-hop, house, and rock music. We recommend them over competing models like the Monster Beats by Dr. Dre headphones, thanks to their more controlled low-end that doesn't sacrifice ambient noise isolation.

These earphones are clearly aimed at extreme sports enthusiasts, who tend to listen to heavier music during activity. And for that purpose, the Image S5i earphones are practically perfect.