Headphones

Donning a pair of headphones is great for immersing yourself in music, but you can feel a little closed in after a while. Open-backs allow in more air for a more spacious sound, and Sennheiser has just announced a new pair for budget audiophiles.

The Kokoon Bluetooth headphones are deeply comfortable and deliver solid sound. However, the "sleep enhancing" bells and whistles are a little inconsistent for headphones priced at the luxury end of the market, so they're not for everyone.

Until we tried on a pair of the original 1000X headphones in 2016, we had thought Bose would rule the noise-canceling roost for a long time to come. Now Sony is pushing the envelope yet again with the highly anticipated XM4 noise-canceling headphones.

Avantone Pro has released a pair of heavy-looking reference-grade headphones featuring planar driver technology for the promise of "amazing accuracy, high-end detail, clarity, natural bass and response time."

Iconic Brit amp maker Orange Amplification jumped into the headphone space at the 2016 NAMM show with the wired O Edition on-ears. Last month, the company released the Crest Edition wireless cans, and we got a pair to try.

Orange Amps has been in the audio business for over 50 years, helping to throw out sounds from likes of Jimmy Page, Billy Gibbons and Orianthi along the way. The brand makes ear candy too, and has now launched the Crest Edition wireless headphones.

COVID-19 has put paid to big tech events for now, but companies are still pushing out their wares. Microsoft is the latest firm to launch new hardware: the Surface Book 3, the Surface Go 2, the Surface Headphones 2, and the new Surface Earbuds.

Sony has announced some new wireless over-ear noise cancellation cans with dual noise sensors, all day playback and a mode that lets in the sounds of the outside world when needed. Bass lovers have also been treated to some true wireless earphones.

So far, Dyson hasn't made any headphones, but a recently-published patent shows that its engineers are certainly thinking about it. And these cans are designed to provide the wearer with a steady supply of filtered air.

Audio giant JBL has turned to crowdfunding platform Indiegogo with a new set of solar-powered headphones that promise “virtually unlimited” playtime, owing to a Powerfoyle material built into the headband that generates power from the sun.

Not only do many people walk around with their eyes glued to their smartphones, but a lot of them also wear headphones. With that in mind, scientists are developing headphones that warn their wearers when vehicles are approaching.

Last year, music gear maker Boss cut the instrument cable for its impressive portable guitar amp: the Katana Air. Now the company has put premium amplifier technology and guitar effects into a pair of wireless headphones.