5 Best-Wired Headphones 2024: Who Else Has The Fun In

The greatest wired headphones and in-ear monitors, sometimes known as IEMs (short for in-ear monitors), are the perfect method to experience high-resolution music. They also offer an additional degree of protection (no more misplacing earbuds in puddles) because of their high-quality cables, which either slide into their corresponding ‘buds by wrapping around your ear or can be quickly attached to the padded ear cups.

Furthermore, the finest wired headphones continue to sound better than wireless ones, which is a delicate truth. Yes, Bluetooth bandwidth is increasing, and the best wireless headphones and earbuds allow you to enjoy the comfort of not having to deal with tangles in your cord by just placing them in or over your ears. However, when you stream music via Bluetooth, there is some compression, or “loss,” to the sound you hear. This issue is resolved if you just put a cable on your smartphone and enjoy high-quality music files instead of worrying about wires. Need evidence? You are presently unable to experience Apple Music’s lossless and hi-resolution lossless output in its entirety without adding a minimum of one physical connection to the source.

The Sony Xperia 1 V, which is perhaps the best phone ever for sound, is one of the few phones these days that has a 3.5mm jack. If that’s not the case, you can find alternatives spanning conventional 3.5mm, 2.5mm, 4.4mm, and USB-C connections within this guide.

Sure, we’ve included a few sets that are perfect for anyone on a tight budget—wired listening is the domain of planar magnetic drivers, open-backed ear cups, and audiophiles who want precision and nuance—but this best-in-class list also includes some reasonably priced options.

Before a product is ever given consideration for our buying guide, it must pass our stringent testing procedure, which includes not only an individual listening to each product but also a direct comparison with the level’s leaders in the class. Are you undecided between wireless and wired earbuds? To assist you in making a decision, we’ve put up a list of the top wired, true wireless, and wire-free earbuds. If not, continue reading.

5 Best-Wired Headphones 2024

1. Sennheiser HD-660S2

Specifications
Acoustic design: Over-ear, open-backDriver size: 38mmFrequency response: 8Hz – 41.5kHzConnectivity: 6.3mm (1⁄4inch) to 3.5mm adapter, 4.4mm suppliedWeight: 260g
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REASONS TO BUY
+Open-back design and comfortable fit
+Consistent, neutral sound
+Various cable options
REASONS TO AVOID
-Lack of smart features
-Needs a separate amp to get the most out of them

These amazing wired headphones were designed for the mixing booth, but they’re also great for listening to music in general because of their neutral sound reproduction, intensely sharp bass response, plush cushioning, and stiff headband, which keeps your favorite songs from vibrating while you listen to them.

Do these headphones leak sound being open-backed? Since the HD-660S doesn’t leak much sound, you should be able to sit close to someone without disclosing your most obscure and in-depth musical preferences. However, since there is little to no sound isolation on the subway, you won’t be able to use them there. Instead, they are best suited for people who listen to their records while working at their desks or while relaxing in a comfortable chair after work.

You came here for the finest in wired listening, didn’t you? Well, unlike many of the best over-ear headphones we’ve tested, this one doesn’t include Bluetooth or any other kind of wireless connectivity other than a detachable cord.

In the end, the HD-660S2 are the greatest for sound mixing, enjoying a favorite record in high definition sound at home, or listening to static without worrying about missing a doorbell.

2.Sivga Oriole

Specifications
Acoustic design: Over-ear, closed-backDriver size: 50mmFrequency response: 20Hz – 20kHzConnectivity: 3.5mm, 3.5 mm to 6.3 mm adapter, (connectors on ear cups are 2.5mm)Weight: 280g
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REASONS TO BUY
+Great sound balance
+Beautiful wooden design
+Light and comfortable build
REASONS TO AVOID
-Better for smaller heads
-A little light on bass power

Let’s get right to it: they are excellent wired over-ears for the price. Although you would have to pay a lot more for them to be an affordable alternative to the expensive wireless earphones you already use, you should give them serious consideration.

You’ll be hooked by the hardwood cups, the 50mm drivers (which are bigger and more powerful than those in the majority of the best over-ear headphones in their price range), the beautiful light 280g construction, the soft memory foam padding, the high-gloss finish, and the unique voicing.

While the company’s concurrent introduction of the Robin earphone headphone has a more “lively, forward sound” targeted for rock, pop, and dance music fans, the Oriole have a “balanced and wide tuning ideal for classical and jazz music” for clarity.

The Oriole boasts virtually unheard-of levels of sensitivity and non-taxing impedance—32 ohms—for this price range. Sonically, they’re also quite good for the money; so good, in fact, that you may mistake the box’s $199, £219, or AU$399 MSRP for something else entirely.

3. Meze Audio Lyric

Specifications
Acoustic design: Over-ear, closed-back driver size: 92mm x 63mm ovoid MZ4 isodynamic hybridFrequency response: 4Hz – 92kHzConnectivity: 3.5mm (2x, different lengths), 3.5 mm to 6.3 mm adapter, in-flight adapter weight: 390 g
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REASONS TO BUY
+Confident, precise, and revealing sound
+Remarkable sonic control and positivity
+Reassuring build quality
REASONS TO AVOID
-Not the weightiest listen
-Intolerant of poor sources of music
-Sizeable case

Okay, so now. With almost two grand worth of wired headphone capability, you will not get your money’s worth if you connect these cans to a subpar audio source. That is your fault. This is the domain of audiophiles. Those who wish to connect their headphones directly to their laptop, possess smartphones that still have a headphone jack, and Spotify free-tier customers should all a) seek elsewhere and b) spend a lot less money on headphones. The Liric are blatantly intolerant of everything.

Increased capacity? Nope. Standard pricing? No once more. Flexible or laid back? Not really. The Meze Audio Liric wired over-ear headphones don’t spoil you. If you purchase a pair, you’ll be the one providing most of the pampering.

Nevertheless, a sizeable sum of money donated to Meze Audio purchases large, hard-wired headphones with exotic planar magnetic drivers. While their ridiculously large carry-case and closed-back design make them somewhat more commuter-friendly than the majority of Meze Audio over-ear headphones, they are neither particularly discrete nor particularly portable.

What they are is exquisitely crafted from premium materials. And the most important thing to remember from this passage is that they sound amazing. The Liric headphones are highly accurate and musical, making them one of the top over-ear headphones in terms of fidelity. They provide detailed information, a good interpretation of a recording as a performance, and an understanding of the tone, timbre, and shape of individual notes.

4. Sennhieser IE 300

Specifications
Acoustic design: In-ear, closed-back driver size: 7mm dynamic frequency response: 6Hz – 20kHzConnectivity: Detachable cable with MMCX connectors and 3.5mm jackWeight: 4g per earpiece
REASONS TO BUY
+Balanced, spacious, and clear audio
+Solid and precise construction
+Affordable for in-ear monitors
REASONS TO AVOID
-Cheaper wireless competition
-Cable noise is fairly prominent
-No in-line remote or mic

At a fair price for the class, this set of cabled in-ear monitors (IEMs) provides an excellent introduction to the world of high-fidelity. The construction is superb, featuring gold-plated connectors and cables coated in a substance resembling kevlar. The audio components have been designed with the same meticulous attention to detail, and some ingenious engineering has made it possible to achieve a far greater sense of space than is often possible with in-ear headphones.

With a small inclination for bass, which is delivered with passion and panache, the sound characteristic of the IE 300 is pleasantly balanced. It can handle all genres with ease and produces astonishing levels of clarity in the process.

These aren’t the greatest IEMs for the more active among us due to some noticeable cable noise, but this is a problem that only arises with more complex or quieter audio explorations.

Undoubtedly, not everyone will find the IE 300 appealing. The intense competition in the consumer true wireless market, led by companies such as Sony and Bose, makes tethered offerings more difficult to defend. However, if sound quality is your primary concern, these Sennheiser wired headphones will not let you down.

5. 1More Triple Driver In-Ear Headphones

Specifications
Acoustic design: In-ear, closed-back driver size: 2 balanced armatures + 1 dynamic driver frequency response: 20Hz – 40kHzConnectivity: 3.5mm, in-flight adapter weight: 18g
REASONS TO BUY
+Lush sound quality
+Excellent build and design
+Unmatched value
REASONS TO AVOID
-Rubber cable catches on itself
-Plastic remote feels cheap

There are several options available to you if you’re looking for in-ear headphones that cost less than $100 (£70 or AU$150). And without a doubt, these are the greatest of the lot.

Right now, the 1More Triple Driver In-Ear Headphones rank among the greatest affordable headphones in our opinion. Listen up if you’ve never heard of 1More; it’s a firm you should be keeping an eye on.

The amount they provide for the price is astounding; they can easily compete with some of the greatest headphones. The 1More Triple Driver excels in sound quality. Although the sound characteristic wasn’t particularly remarkable at first, we eventually grew to value it in comparison to the fine detail produced by the excellent triple-driver setup.

The music has a wonderful sense of spaciousness and is incredibly detailed. Because instruments are layered, intricate tunes don’t sound muffled because you can still hear every layer of the instrumentation. Even if there are in-ear headphones with greater detail available, the slight performance improvements come at a far higher cost.

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5 Best-Wired Headphones 2024: Who Else Has The Fun In These?

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