Gallery: 9 of the World's Most Outrageously Expensive Headphones

  • Image may contain Electronics Headphones and Headset
    Photo: Ariel Zambelich/WIRED
    01
    AKG's new $1,990 open-backed flagship, the K812, marries premium materials with precise sonic engineering.
  • Image may contain Electronics Headphones and Headset
    Photo: Ariel Zambelich/WIRED
    02
    Proudly made in Brooklyn, the $1,700 PS1000s are the tippy-top of the Grado line, and thus the finest expression of the company's signature airy, roomy sound.
  • This image may contain Electronics Headphones and Headset
    Photo: Ariel Zambelich/WIRED
    03
    Like many of the headphones in this gallery, the $1,299 Hifiman HE-6s use planar magnetic drivers that are supremely thirsty. To showcase their true potential, you'll need to plunk down an extra $500-$2,000 for a quality amp to supply that voltage. NBD.
  • This image may contain Electronics Headphones and Headset
    Photo: Ariel Zambelich/WIRED
    04
    Like all Beyer's premium Tesla headphones, the $1,400 T1's drivers are made with lightweight, and thus highly efficient, neodymium magnets.
  • Image may contain Electronics Headphones Headset Helmet Clothing and Apparel
    Photo: Ariel Zambelich/WIRED
    05
    Ask any audiophile to name the best sounding headphone he or she has ever listened to and the alphanumeric answer is likely to be: HD 800.
  • Image may contain Electronics Headphones and Headset
    Photo: Ariel Zambelich/WIRED
    06
    At a mere $5,000, the Edition 5 from Ultrasone is not the priciest headphone on our list. But these Bavarian beauty queens are certainly the most rare — only 555 have been manufactured for sale.
  • Image may contain Electronics Headphones and Headset
    Photo: Ariel Zambelich/WIRED
    07
    If the M50s are Audio-Technica's $140 Crown Victoria, the W5000s are the company's $1,200 Bentley.
  • Image may contain Electronics Headphones and Headset
    Photo: Ariel Zambelich/WIRED
    08
    Another fixture in audiophile listening rooms around the world, the $1,945 Audeze LCD-3 is renowned for its tight, impactful bass and lush sound.
  • Image may contain Electronics Headphones and Headset
    Photo: Ariel Zambelich/WIRED
    09
    The Abyss AB-1266 holds two distinctions. First, at a wallet-wilting $5,495 they are the most expensive pair of headphones in this gallery. They're also the only headphones that look like they could have been used as a medieval torture device.
Read More
Ebay Has to Pay $55.7 Million in Settlement for Its Unhinged Harassment Campaign
For months on end, eBay employees and contractors made life hell for a couple that had criticized the company. Six years later, the company is finally paying up.
Lauren Goode
Laura Loomer's Reversal on Ukraine Stirs Up the MAGA Civil War
Donald Trump's base has been increasingly spilt. Laura Loomer's sudden embrace of Ukraine has only widened that divide.
David Gilbert
Is the Electric Trike the Next Big Thing in Shared Micromobility?
Veo is launching accessibility-focused electric tricycles in Denver, with plans to put its e-trikes on the streets nationwide.
Boone Ashworth
What WIRED Writers Would Actually Give Their Moms
Your mom never gets you a thoughtless gift, so you shouldn’t get her one, either. Here’s every cool gift WIRED writers would give their mothers.
Nena Farrell
Which Apple Watch Should You Buy?
Should you splurge on the new Series 11, or will the SE 3 do? Let us help you figure out which version to get (and which to avoid).
Boutayna Chokrane
12 Adventurous Gifts for Hikers, Backpackers, and Outdoorsy People
Let them pick out their own hiking boots. Instead, try gifting a useful blade or a nature journal to delight your outdoorsy friend.
Scott Gilbertson
A Two-Person Startup Has Fixed One of the Most Hated Sounds in Modern Life
Beeeep. Beeeep. Beeeeeeeeeeeeeeeep.
Jeremy White
Can the New York Times Save Journalism From Our AI Overlords?
In 2023, the Times sued OpenAI and Microsoft for copyright infringement. They’ve since spent more than $20 million on the case, and publisher A.G. Sulzberger has no plans to stop fighting it.
Katie Drummond
Silicon Valley’s Next IPO Billionaires Are Coming. Nonprofits Are Ready for Them
Anthropic and OpenAI employees are expected to give generously after their companies go public. “It’s going to be a wild ride,” says one nonprofit leader.
Paresh Dave
The Dyson V16 Piston Animal Can Do It All
Dyson’s new stick vacuum can vacuum and mop in a single cordless device—if you’re willing to really splurge.
Nena Farrell
‘They’re Fucking a Lot of People’: 7-OH Users Brace for DEA Ban
The opioid-like compound, which is found in kratom, can cause brutal withdrawal symptoms and will soon be a controlled substance. Some users tell WIRED it has relieved their pain and anxiety.
Manisha Krishnan
An Extreme Solar Storm May Be Even More Devastating Than Previously Imagined
Scientists have long assumed that there’s an upper limit to the intensity of the solar winds that reach Earth. New research suggests there’s not—and the implications are alarming.
Javier Carbajal