Whether you’re using a smartphone or some other fancy form of music-listening tech (you delightful snob) – we all spend a significant amount of time cranking tunes in public via a set of headphones. Sure, you could just use the run-of-the-mill standards provided in your phone pack. But if you’re someone with strong sartorial views, those decidedly un-chic versions just won’t cut it. And if you really, really love your music, you probably want something with more of a phonic punch.
We’ve rounded up our faves on market that give killer sound and won’t ruin your fashion aesthetic. Cos let’s be honest, stylish things make us happy.
will.i.am is back at it again being an entrepreneur, this time via his company i.am+ and their new range of painfully cool earbuds, Buttons. The celeb world has such faith that these’ll be rolling outta shops in the ears of the most fashionable that Kendall Jenner and Naomi Campbell didn’t just star in the campaign for the brand, they bloody bought stakes in it. They’ve got a 10 metre Bluetooth range, they give high fidelity sound and have a 6 hour battery life.
Sennheiser are easily up there with the big guys when it comes to pure sounds and flawless design. So obviously some of there headphones made the cut in this list. The HD 4.30 are a minimalist dream – basically if texture, detail or pattern doesn’t need to be there, it’s not. The closed back over-ear design also means sounds are crisp and bass is deep.
You’re definitely across Frends if you’re into headphones with a style skew – their Layla version is easily the most popular, featuring clip-off covers so you can switch your vibe up with your general look each day. They boast 360 degree quality sound and a genuine leather headband – plus, well, they look really beaut.
The Bang & Olufsen site touts these as being “refined & crafted without compromise” and damn if they’re not 100% correct. These are some adult-level headphones, the kind that won’t make your mega expensive suit look cheap, for example. Of course, their main concern was with sound quality – crisp, clean and exactly how you want to hear your fave tracks.
Never have in-ear headphones looked this slick. If you prefer your listening devices to be wire-free and out of the way, you’re probably aware most in-ear bad boys are pretty ugly, so it’s refreshing to find ones that actually look nice and also do the job real well. These guys also charge in their storage box, which is some A+ thinking from Sol Republic tbh.
Wooden details always take tech from looking plain and sterile to lush Instagrammable levels. All the stuff made by US company House Of Marley is 10/10, but we love these earbuds the most, because they fit perfectly in your ear (nothing worse than half-out earbuds) but look pretty slick hanging off your phone, too.
You can’t make a list about chic headphones without including Beats, can you? Dre’s absolute monster of a brand is the go-to for stylish music lovers who also like their sounds to be clean as hell. Beats come in so many colours and styles now you could basically buy a set for every outfit you own.
Wish you had some spare $$$ to get a pair of baller headphones right bloody now? If you win our current comp c/o Set for Life, you’ll pocket a cool $20k – you could buy all the headphones in this list and have loads of moolah left over. Enter here:
Image: i.am+.
