Skip to content
Maison Sonore
Cart

Listening guides

Choose for the way you listen

Four chapters on where and how you listen, and what each setting asks of a pair of headphones. Read one, or read them all.

HiFiMan HE1000 Unveiled headphones on a wooden desk

Chapter one

At home

In a quiet room, open-back headphones come into their own. With nothing sealing the sound in around your ears, long evenings stay comfortable and unhurried.

  • Open-back designs leak sound in both directions, so they suit a room of your own.
  • Planar magnetic models are often heavier. Every product lists its published weight.
  • Many reward a dedicated headphone amplifier. Impedance and sensitivity are listed for every model.

10 models for at home

Browse the full collection
Beyerdynamic DT 1990 PRO MKII open-back headphones, three-quarter view

Chapter two

In the studio

For mixing and monitoring, what matters is consistency over long sessions, parts you can replace, and cables that survive daily use.

  • Every studio model here uses a detachable, replaceable cable.
  • Check the published impedance against your interface’s headphone output.
  • Open-back designs are favoured for mixing; closed designs for tracking near microphones.

3 models for in the studio

Browse the full collection
Bowers & Wilkins Px8 S2 headphones in Warm Stone, three-quarter view

Chapter three

On the move

On trains, in the air, and through the city, closed-back wireless headphones with active noise cancelling let you listen at lower volumes and arrive less tired.

  • Every wireless model here has active noise cancelling.
  • Each lists its published battery life, so you can plan a long journey.
  • Most also play over a cable when the battery runs low.

5 models for on the move

Browse the full collection
Noble Audio Kronos in-ear monitors with multicoloured titanium faceplates

Chapter four

In-ear monitors

The most personal fit and the smallest footprint. A good seal blocks outside sound on its own, with no batteries involved.

  • Every in-ear model here uses detachable cables.
  • Fit depends on the ear tips, so try each supplied size.
  • Hybrid designs divide the frequency range between different driver types.

3 models for in-ear monitors

Browse the full collection

Before you choose

Choosing well

  1. 01

    Open or closed

    Open-back designs leak sound in both directions. Closed-back and in-ear designs isolate more, which suits shared spaces and travel.

  2. 02

    Wired or wireless

    Wireless models add Bluetooth, batteries, and noise cancelling. Wired models need a source with a headphone output.

  3. 03

    Power

    High impedance or low sensitivity can call for more amplifier power than a phone provides. Each product lists the manufacturer's published values.

Shop all headphonesAsk for advice