£250, Selfridges.com
A cool pair of cans – they deliver an earthy bass from the battery-run amp and a tight treble. An integrated volume control in the headphone is handy, too.
£19.99, gear4.com
As well as the Atari computer styling, this pair are fold-away and stand up relatively well to school-bag bashing. Not bad for under £20.
3. Aiaiai Capital Midnight Black
£79.99, amazon.co.uk
This pair compresses down to fit in your handbag. They may be light as a J cloth, but they also pack some pretty punchy audio.
£199, fannywang.com
Fanny Wang obviously set out to make a pair of headphones as accessories, but it has managed to do it while giving cracking sound quality.
£79.99, superfi.co.uk
It’s easy to dismiss these phones as a bit of deft marketing by the band but they are surprisingly good. Features clear highs and a bass that could raise the dead.
£199, focal.com
Focal have created these as an antidote to celeb-endorsed cans which, it says, give too much emphasis to bass and treble – the sound here is crystalline.
£49, Rha-audio.com
This sleek black and leather pair from Scottish firm RHA look good and offer a very decent sound for their price. An iPod-friendly volume control is cool, too.
£169, bowers-wilkins.co.uk
The Sussex-based firm is known for two things: audio detail and chic design. The P3s excel at both. They’re foldaway, small and in a silky black fabric.
9. House of Marley Exodus Harvest
£89.99, hmv.com
The Marley family’s cans are made from a very cool (and comfy) leather and birchwood, giving things a pleasing 1970s vibe.
£30, johnlewis.com
A dinky pair of “closed back” cans with a nice minimalistic design and sound quality no worse than you’d find in any of the under-£50 range of headphones.
