I hate expensive headphones — but after years of testing, I've finally found a pair I can't live without | Tech Radar
Overview
News, deals, reviews, guides and more on the newest computing gadgets
Start exploring exclusive deals, expert advice and more
Details
Unlock and manage exclusive Techradar member rewards.
Unlock instant access to exclusive member features.
Get full access to premium articles, exclusive features and a growing list of member rewards.
I hate expensive headphones — but after years of testing, I've finally found a pair I can't live without
When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission. Here’s how it works.
Many people review tech so they can test fancy and expensive new gadgets, but I love the cheapies; the affordable yet competitive tech that most consumers actually buy, that offers you actually exciting value for money.
Because of that, I've always had an aversion to expensive audio products. Sure, the best headphones may sound amazing, but if they cost more than a month's groceries, then I'm not convinced.
No; give me a pair of the best cheap headphones and I'll be a happy chappy (whose wallet will be equally chipper). I don't mind sacrificing on some audio quality and noise cancellation, and I love how affordable tech often has a more hardy build and longer-lasting battery.
One Odio Focus A1 Pro review: budget headphones that sound much better than you'd expect
The Nothing Headphone (a) are official — here are 5 things you need to know
Nothing Headphone (a) review: fixes the problems of the original, for a cheaper price
Recent headphones such as the One Odio Focus A1 Pro, Soundpeats Cove Pro and Soundcore Space Two have all impressed me more than the next audiophile headset would.
Unfortunately, extra groceries are not the only thing I get to consume this week, because I'm now having to eat my words. A year ago I tested the AKG N9 and, without exaggeration, I've used them (almost) every day since.
As smart readers will have gathered from the headlines, the AKG N9 are two things: a) headphones and b) expensive, retailing for
The picture above shows you what they look like; they have a premium finish, comfortable pads and fairly reasonable weight for what's within. I know many audiophiles lament AKG's free-wheeling pre-Harman/Samsung acquisition days, but I'm still pretty fond of what its created since then.
One of their best specs is the battery life, which goes to an astounding 100 hours if you've got ANC turned off (55 hours with it turned on, which is still two straight days of listening and then most of The Lord of the Rings). It's a fantastic figure which lets forgetful people (two thumbs pointed straight at me) avoid charging them for weeks on end.
Despite my distain for pricey tech (and despite the existence of fancy multi-thousand-dollar headphones, these still are expensive), I gave the AKG N9 four and a half stars out of five in my review, which took a lot for someone as cynical as I. And that's all because of the killer feature which has cemented these as my favorite headphones.
Nestled inside one of the AKG N9's cups is a little USB-C dongle. If you plug this into a device, it'll override that device's audio output so that sound will come out of the AKG N9 instead.
The best headphones you can buy today, all tested by our experts
The best noise cancelling headphones, all Tech Radar tested
The best wireless earbuds for all budgets, all tested by our reviewers
This has three benefits. Firstly, for the headphones, it lets you quickly connect them to whichever device you want to use, without the arduous Bluetooth pairing game, or for work devices where maybe that's not an option. Secondly, for a device, it lets you easily switch from your current speaker or earbud to the AKGs.
Lastly, the connection is also higher-quality and lower-latency than Bluetooth, which is always welcome.
It's a novel feature, which the N9 shares with its sibling earbuds the AKG N5 and only a handful of gaming buds, and I waxed lyrical in my review about how cool it was. I talked about how being able to switch between your various gadgets easily, or borrow other people's, could be incredibly convenient.
A year later, and I'm back with actual experience of all that. Not only have the AKG N9 shown themselves for even more handy use cases, but I've used them probably every day since.
I use the Creative Pebble Nova on my PC: I like the way they sound, I like the way they look, and may have conveniently 'forgotten' to give them back to Tech Radar after my review was published. However they don't get as much use as they deserve, because of the AKG.
The N9's dongle now takes an almost-permanent place in the USB-C port atop my computer, so I can pull it out if I want to use the speakers or push it in when I want the headphones. And most of the time, I want to use the headphones.
I've got a flatmate and I don't want to annoy him by using the loud and bassy speakers; when I hear him come home, I can slip in the dongle and play games or watch a movie from the headphones instead. Likewise when he leaves, it's only seconds before I'm listening to my videos with the speakers.
It helps that the AKG sound amazing and have hardy noise cancellation, which help me forget that my house borders a train line and is under a flight path. I find it easier to hear videos and get immersed in games when I'm using them.
For various tasks, I've also got my i Pad, laptop and phone, so if I need to I can also start using the N9 on these devices with no re-connection fiddling; likewise my partner can borrow them for her tablet without any fuss. I've taken them on holidays, on coffee-shop work trips, and to friends' houses.
As I use them, more handy use cases for the AKG N9 crop up; only the other day I used them (with a converter) alongside an audio field recorder to check a mic was working. I could have spent ages trying to find my wired headphones, or some seconds with the N9.
The only thing I can't use them for is exercise, but thankfully I test plenty of open earbuds for that.
If I calculated the price of individual headphones or earbuds for the various tasks I use the AKG N9 for, it'd certainly be more than the cans themselves cost. I may hate expensive headphones and still consider the vast majority unnecessary, but versatile headphones like these will save the right buyer loads of money.
Follow Tech Radar on Google News and add us as a preferred source to get our expert news, reviews, and opinion in your feeds.
Tom Bedford is a freelance contributor covering tech, entertainment and gaming. Beyond Tech Radar, he has bylines on sites including Games Radar, Digital Trends, Android Police, Tech Advisor, Whatto Watch and BGR. From 2019 to 2022 he was on the Tech Radar team as the staff writer and then deputy editor for the mobile team.
You must confirm your public display name before commenting
1'The second life of drones': Why thousands of UAVs in Ukraine have stopped working, how a team of 'craftsmen' is fixing 24,000 obsolete drones every year, and what it means for the future of the drone industry
2 Don't wait for Memorial Day to buy a new TV — shop record-low prices right now, with up to $1,400 off 4K, QLED, and OLED TVs
3 Experts call for more repairability in the EV battery industry
4 The lampposts in your street could double up as mini data centers
5 Marshals: A Yellowstone Story episode 12 release date and time on Paramount+
Tech Radar is part of Future US Inc, an international media group and leading digital publisher. Visit our corporate site.
© Future US, Inc. Full 7th Floor, 130 West 42nd Street, New York, NY 10036.
Key Takeaways
- News, deals, reviews, guides and more on the newest computing gadgets
- Start exploring exclusive deals, expert advice and more
- Unlock and manage exclusive Techradar member rewards
- Unlock instant access to exclusive member features
- Get full access to premium articles, exclusive features and a growing list of member rewards
