A $5,000 headphone around your head may not make you an audiophile, but it is sure to turn head around with its price tag. Be it the Sennheiser Orpheus or the costliest one still in production — the Abyss AB-1266, these models represent each of the world’s best headphones.
Fur-lined Dolce and Gabbana headphones
For ages now, fashion brand D & G has set the bar for luxury and while Sennheiser or AKG may trump them in tech quality, nothing trumps D&G in extravagance. D&G’s special uber luxe headphones come with customisations such as Nappa leather and Zwaroski crystals. And while these headphones promise sound quality on par with best brands, what’s eye popping about these pieces are their price tags. A pair of these headphones can go up to $8,000 depending on the customisation. And if you are a fashionista and an audiophile with deep pockets, there can’t be much that’s wrong with getting the best of both worlds.
Sennheiser HD800
At $1,900 per pair, the Sennheiser HD800 may not be the costliest headphones ever made, but this beauty has been the favourite of a lion’s share of technicians and audiophiles in the music industry. One of the best that Sennheiser has to offer from its stable, the HD800 is known for what the company calls a ‘spatial music experience’. For a world obsessed with price tags and fur-linings and shiny crystals, the HD800 may not evoke much desire, but it certainly occupies along with a few other brands including Klipsch and AKG the pinnacle when it comes to technology.
Ultrasone Edition 5
Ultrasone surely knows how to make a style statement. While at a considerably modest $5,000 for a pair of headphones that are manufactured as limited edition models, the Edition 5 may not have a hefty price tag. However, buying yourself one of these will make you one of the only 555 others around the world who have got their hands on this beauty. This limited edition headphone may rival best brands in terms of quality but what really sets it apart is its visual appeal and the exclusivity that comes with it. This one surely is the Bentley of headphones.
Abyss AB-1266
A single glance at this piece of machinery would give anyone the impression that this could very well be a failed Nazi era mind control contraption. But what the Abyss lacks in looks, it more than makes up for it in quality of sound. Widely considered to be the best headphones that money can buy in terms of quality, the AB-1266 is also one of the most expensive headphones still in production. One has to shell out around $5,500 to own a pair of these but the quality and the ‘sound’ experience that comes with surely more than makes up for it.
Sennheiser Orpheus HE90
The crown jewel of Sennheiser’s impressive collection, the legendary Orpheus was made with the intention of lodging it at the pinnacle of sound and headphone technology when they came up with it in the 90s. While only 300 of these ever made it out of production, owning an Orpheus today would wilt your wallet by a whopping $30,000, which is almost double of what it was priced at when it came out. When created, the Orpheus was touted as the world’s best ever pair of headphones. And while recent developments in technology may have dethroned the legendary HE90, the Orpheus still symbolises man’s quest for the best sound experience.
Lil Wayne’s diamond studded Beats Headphones
If you are still counting the number of zeroes in the options laid out above, then it’s wise to give up on this one before you even start because the next item on the list has six of them in its price tag. For all his rhymes about money and bling, rapper Lil Wayne sure knows what he is talking about. The Carter hitmaker’s special customised Beats Headphones has real diamonds studded on its body and costs a whopping $1,000,000. Rappers are usually known for their extravagant use of gold and shiny rocks, but with this one Lil Wayne certainly sets the bar to a new, very loud high.
