I recently had a chance to get a peek at the absolutely stunning brand new Sennheiser Momentum 4 wireless headphones, one of the most strikingly beautiful designs to come along in a long time, and it made me inspired to write an article listing some of the most beautiful headphones on the market today.
But, just like the Sennheiser Momentum 4 – which is as stunning sounding as it is stunning looking – I thought this list would only make sense if I include headphones that are not just great looking, but sound great and are really well made – the whole package.
So let’s look at my picks for the most beautiful headphones on the market today – and headphones that are beautiful in every way!
This is a fairly in-depth article, so if you’d like to cut right to the recs here are my three top picks:
- Best Value in Beautiful Headphones: Jabra Elite Bluetooth Wireless Headphones
- My Personal Favorite Beautiful Headphones: Sennheiser Momentum 4 Wireless Headphones
- Most Beautiful Headphones Overall: Bang & Olufsen Beoplay H95 Premium Wireless Headphones
Are the Best Looking Headphones Also the Best Sounding?
This is a great question that makes a lot of sense
And yes – while not all fashion headphones are going to be incredible sounding, some of them definitely are – and for very good reason.
Because really beautiful headphones are not just the ones with a certain style, but a certain quality. Color, line, and balance are important, but top-grade materials and premium fit and finish take a well-designed headphone to the next level of beauty.
And since those materials and that high-level engineering tend to also extend to the audio components, and have a strong effect on the performance of your new headphones, there’s a really good chance they are going to sound as fabulous as they look!
Who Makes the Most Beautiful Headphones?
It also makes sense, based on what we just talked about, that some of the most beautiful headphones in the world are also some of the priciest – and definitely, high end companies like Focal, Dan Clark Audio, Bang and Olufsen and others are making drop-dead gorgeous ‘phones.
At the same time, you can find some really affordable – often downright cheap – headphones which have a sense of style, and an overall quality, which really set them apart, and companies like MuveAcoustics, Jabra and Urbanista really understand this.
Still, you’ll notice that this is a bit of a higher end list, and this is intentional. I mean, this is first and foremost a buyer’s guide, and I can, from personal experience, whole-heartedly recommend any product here as not just beautiful but a fantastic pair of headphones – well made, well designed and with incredible sound for the money.
But this list is also meant to be fun, and so a few of these beautiful headphones might be here just to see and drool over. If you can afford Momentum 4s, or B&O H95, or even Focal Stelia, I am absolutely certain you will count them as one of the best sound investments you’ve ever made, but even if you can’t, they’re still beautiful to look at, and make lovely objects for dreaming.
But again, there are a few beautiful headphones here that pretty much anybody can afford, and they’re pretty darned pretty too!
At the end, in the Bonus Section, I will talk briefly about some TWS (true wireless) in-ear headphones that are just ravishingly beautiful – I normally don’t really think of earbuds as pretty or ugly, and haven’t included any in-ear ‘buds on the main list, but these stunners from Bowers and Wilkins, B&O, 1MORE, Moondrop and others are definitely exceptional, and well worth a closer look.
But for now, let’s get into the list, with a look at the best looking, best sounding and best made aesthetic headphones in 2024.
Most Beautiful Headphones Available in 2024
Best Value Aesthetic Wired Headphones
MuveAcoustics Over Ear Wired Studio Headphones
Are the MuveAcoustics wireless headphones beautiful, or just cool looking? Well, it probably depends on who you ask, and they definitely have a strikingly cool appearance – kind of retro/DJ/studio hip – but in a range where most headphones look, feel and sound exactly the opposite of beautiful, these gems are absolutely stunning!
Anyway, while I haven’t actually encountered the pure black variety, I have seen and tried the “Flagship Blue” ones, and I have to say they are strikingly attractive – maybe more handsome than beautiful, but really nice looking.
They are also ridiculously nice and great sounding headphones for their very, very low price, and in fact that is maybe the main reason I wanted to include them here. If you love the way they look, you will be absolutely gaga over the way they feel and sound!
The MuveAcoustic are, in fact, a bit of an industry secret among audio engineers and musicians, who love their honest, accurate, low distortion sound, their musical energy and sweet overall presentation, and their deep, pounding bass. An incredibly exciting pair of headphones to listen to, they are also surprisingly high fidelity, and sound great with any kind of music.
There’s no tech here to speak of – just a basic pair of on-ear wired headphones that are quite well made and durable, are comfortable to wear and have a remarkably high level of fit and finish for their price – yeah, did I mention how cheap they are?
One of my favorite budget headphones, the MuveAcoustic are a true value, and easily outperform products that are several times as expensive. Are they beautiful? Heck, at this price they are flat-out gorgeous!
Really Gorgeous Wireless Headphones on the Cheap!
Tuinyo Wireless Over Ear Foldable Headphones with Microphone
At a level where most headphones look alike – and a lot of them look a bit cheap and ugly – the Tuniyo wireless really stand out.
The simple and subtle curve of their headband is really lovely, and complements the oversized cups and pads perfectly. The weight, balance, line and flow are all just right, and clearly the result of careful and inspired design.
But more than that, and making these Tuinyo wireless headphones even more surprising for their price, the fit and finish is really premium, with a beautiful glow to the surfaces and lovely colors – ok, some of the colors wouldn’t be my first choice, but they are all well done, and the dark green, light blue and gray are particularly lovely.
They are also just very nice headphones overall – super comfortable to wear, they have a fun, energetic and engaging sound that is sweet and musical, has plenty of bass and is surprisingly accurate for the price.
The Tuinyo headphones also have all the tech you’d want, and are in fact quite advanced, with latest generation Bluetooth wireless and wired connections, great battery life, and a built in FM radio as well as a slot for SD cards, so you can listen to music even without a computer, phone or other wireless connection – just turn on the radio, or stick in a memory card with MP3 music files, and you’re good to go.
Considering the overall quality, the great sound, the comfort and the brilliant design, it is no wonder the Tuinyo Bluetooth wireless headphones have become one of the most popular and highly rated on the market today – although this is definitely also due in large part to just how pretty they are!
Simply Beautiful and Best-In-Class Sound
Jabra Elite Bluetooth Wireless Headphones 50 Hour Battery
If simplicity is the surest way to true beauty, then these Jabra Elite headphones are as beautiful as it gets, with their ultra-simple design and pure, minimalist aesthetic.
Beyond just talk and theory, though, when you actually hold these babies in your hand you will see that they are almost inexplicably beautiful – that kind of pulse-quickening beauty that seems somehow more than their disarming simplicity might account for.
It is, I guess, partially because of the subtle and lovely curve of the headband’s arms as they join the earcups, or the depth of the finish and beauty of the color on the surfaces, the overall quality of materials and the impressively premium fit and finish, but really it is how all of this comes together in such a simple and elegant package.
And, like so many other choices in this list of most beautiful headphones, I might be even more prone to find these Jabra Elite beautiful because of how great they sound, how well they work and how comfortable they are to wear.
These aesthetic headphones have Bluetooth 5.0 for extended range and a more reliable connection, an excellent dual-microphone array for clear calls and low noise, incredible battery life (up to 50 hours) and a great app for customizing your sound.
And the Jabra Elite sound fantastic – in fact, they are many people’s choice for the best sounding wireless headphones you can get at this price range, with their thrillingly deep, powerful bass, clear and warm mids and sparkling highs – a perfect balance between a fun and popular sound signature and real audiophile-level accuracy.
But just based on looks alone, these Jabra Elite wireless headphones are an easy choice, and in their sublimely simple way one of the most beautiful pairs of headphones I’ve seen.
Fashion Statement with Superb Performance
Urbanista Miami Wireless Over Ear Bluetooth ANC Headphones
Urbanista is a fashion statement – just having a pair of their headphones automatically puts you into a kind of hip, fashionable clique that says loads about your taste and personality.
And a single look at any of their headphones will make this easy to understand – their simple but bold look, part attitude, part understatement and totally beautiful.
My pick for the prettiest of all Urbanista headphones, and my choice also for best sound and best value, is the Miami.
The sound, I should say, may not be for everybody – a kind of refined take on the big, boomy street sound popularized by Beats, with more bass than anything else, these are not perhaps the best choice for classical, jazz or acoustic singer/songwriter genres. But for EDM, rock, pop, electronica, hip hop and rap they are unrivaled at this price point – even far better than the Beats, with a lot more detail and clarity and a much more musical sound up and down the frequency range.
But really, whatever kind of music you listen to, these are exciting headphones to listen to, and equally exciting to see – my favorite are the beautifully finished Ruby Red Urbanista Miami, with a depth of color and a quality of finish that must be seen up close to really appreciate, but really all of their colors (and all of their models) are quite beautiful.
Lots of tech make these a smart choice on all levels – excellent active noise reduction, long, long battery life, on-ear detection, great microphones and latest gen Bluetooth, to just scratch the surface – and all in a high fashion presentation that doesn’t just look beautiful, it makes you feel a little more beautiful just wearing them.
Beautiful Looking, Beautiful Sounding and Incredibly Advanced
Sennheiser Momentum 4 Wireless Headphones with Adaptive Noise Cancellation
My favorite headphones for serious listening are my Sennheiser Momentum 3 – they aren’t my most expensive, or even my “best” headphones, but they have that brilliantly clear, warm and musical Sennheiser sound that is so dynamic and exciting, so lifelike and so very wide open.
And, from the very brief time I got to spend with the Sennheiser Momentum 4, I could immediately tell that all of that – the musicality, the dynamics, the big, open soundstage and everything else that makes the Momentum ‘phones great – are here at an even higher level.
But maybe the most striking thing about the new Momentum 4 is their gorgeous appearance. Completely redesigned, these are pretty big headphones but manage to appear so sleek and minimal, and their curves, lines and overall balance are just right.
Don’t get me wrong – I love the look of my older Momentums (I have gens 1 and 3), but their retro appearance is not what I would call beautiful. The Sennheiser Momentum 4, however, is beyond beautiful – something that doesn’t even quite come through in pictures, but when you hold them in your hands… Well, just be careful, because you’ll have to have them!
Subtly Beautiful Headphones with that Superb Bose Sound
Bose 700 Noise Cancelling Over-Ear Wireless Headphones
In my experience all Bose headphones have beautiful sound – a kind of dark, detailed and highly musical sound signature with amazing clarity and detail, big, precise and really convincing soundstage and fun, powerful deep bass.
They also have the best tech, with all the latest wireless technologies and assistant compatibility and active noise reduction which is, by many accounts, the very finest available.
But – it has to be said – they are not all necessarily what we might call “beautiful…”
Ok, yeah, just like I’ve said, beauty is often apparent in the fit, finish, craftsmanship and material quality of a product, and pretty much any Bose headphones score very highly in all of these regards. But they are all a little, well, plain looking, a little “headphoney.”
Well, all except the Bose 700, which in very simple ways is set apart from the rest of the line – the graceful flare of the earcups, the sleek and just right taper of the headband arms as they join the cups, the overall balance and the subtle details.
No doubt about it – this is not just the most beautiful pair of Bose headphones by far, but one of the most beautiful headphones on the market today and – if you can stop looking at them long enough to actually put them on your head – one of the best headphones as well.
The Most Beautiful Apple Headphones
Apple AirPods Max Wireless Over-Ear ANC Headphones
People love Apple, and people hate Apple, but even the haters have to admit that the simple, sumptuous Apple AirPods Max over-ear headphones are among the most beautiful products in all of high-end audio.
And yes, they really are high end, with a sound that is not, perhaps, wholly accurate, but with spatial enhancement, equalization and dynamic emphasis that make these among the most exciting and sonically beautiful headphones as well.
I mean really, I am a bit of a purist myself, and want sound that is as close to the original recording, and the original intentions of the audio engineers and musical artists as possible, but I have to admit that I fall in love with the big, rich and musical – and, in its way, quite pure – sound of the Max every time I listen to them.
Being Apple, you can of course count on the AirPod Max headphones to have the best active noise cancelling, the best Bluetooth, the best engineering overall and the most useful and innovative features – and they do, and a lot more. And if you’re using an Apple iPhone, iPad or MacBook the user experience itself is so beautiful – phenomenal even.
An expensive pair of headphones that owners regularly claim to be one of the best values they’ve ever found, and one of the best products they’ve ever owned, the Apple AirPod Max over-ear Bluetooth wireless headphones are beautiful on every level, and just stunning to look at.
The Most Beautiful Headphones Overall
Bang & Olufsen Beoplay H95 Premium Wireless ANC Over-Ear Headphones
Maybe no name in high-end audio is more synonymous with style and beauty than Bang and Olufsen, and especially that kind of true luxury style and beauty that reveal themselves more and more as time goes by.
And nowhere is this contemporary and yet timeless beauty more evident than in the gorgeous Beoplay H95 wireless headphones.
A wondrous juxtaposition of high functionality and strikingly subtle design, the Beoplay H95 sets new standards for sumptuously luxurious materials, sublime comfort and heart-rending beauty, and really demonstrates what a company with almost a hundred years of experience in trend-setting, award winning avant garde audio designs can make of a simple pair of headphones.
But we should not forget that B&O is not just known as the style king, but as a company as devoted to beautiful sound as to beautiful appearance. The H95, for example, have that stunning musicality that no other company has ever come close to.
Yes, certain brands have a more popular “street” sound signature, with bigger bass and brighter highs, and others offer – especially at this level – a more accurate high-fidelity presentation, but I’m not sure any of them have a more beautiful sound, and I am sure that none of them are as beautiful to look at, or as nice to wear or use.
I think there may be more striking looking headphones on the list – like the cool Dan Clark Aeon just below – but when you actually see the Bang and Olufsen Beoplay H95 in person you immediately see that they are probably the most beautiful headphones on the market today – and like any B&O product they are sure to just keep getting more and more beautiful the longer you have them!
The Most Beautiful Budget Audiophile Headphones
Dan Clark Audio AEON 2 Noire Planar Closed Back Audiophile Headphones
I say just above that you can’t necessarily tell by photographs just how beautiful the new Sennheiser Momentum 4 are, but with the Dan Clark Audio Aeon 2 Noire planar headphones it’s pretty obvious even when you see them on the screen.
And when you hold the Aeon 2 in your hands, those initial impressions are confirmed in an almost overwhelming way. There is a kind of beauty that only comes from the very best design, and the highest quality materials and craftsmanship, a beauty that you can see as well as feel, that is immediately apparent and really thrilling to experience.
Of course, for this price they need to do a lot more than look and feel pretty – ok, really, really pretty – and the Aeon 2 have become a bit of a legend among the high end audio community for their – perhaps somewhat surprisingly – extreme value.
I mean they are, after all, just short of a thousand bucks, and so officially a bit more than I spent on my first car, but the Aeon 2 Noire have a sound that easily rivals some headphones which are several thousands of dollars in price – an open, effortless quality that is incredibly detailed, accurate and unbelievably low in distortion.
And, considering they are actually closed-back headphones, the Noire have a stunningly large, precise and immersive soundstage – in this regard, as much as in their warm musicality, musical energy, detail and dynamics, these Dan Clark headphones have few rivals, and maybe none at this price level.
Indeed, there aren’t many headphones, at any price, that can match the Dan Clark Audio Flow 2 Noire in sound, or offer a more accurate and believable musical presentation, and none that I’ve come across look – or feel – anywhere near as beautiful. Expensive, yes, but an amazingly low priced entry into the highest levels of audiophile listening.
The Most Beautiful Line of Headphones Overall
Focal Headphones
I’m going to give some special love to Focal headphones here – not just one or another of their products, but pretty much the whole product line, which is so consistently beautiful from the least to the most expensive model.
Many of their high-end headphones (and they do get pretty darned high-end!) are similar in design, with graceful concentric dimples on the cups, lovely brushed metal arms, beautiful leather pads and the distinctive Focal logo, and the elements, the balance and the quality of materials and craftsmanship make these really gorgeous headphones – especially in the flesh.
But even the (somewhat…) affordable Focal Listen Chic – which are not cheap but actually a remarkable value for their audiophile-level sound and overall quality – are lovely ‘phones. They take a totally different approach in design, and are almost plain looking, but the lovely colors bring them to a new level. And, while not as stratospherically expensive as some of their models, they still have that fantastic Focal sound.
And, speaking of the Focal sound, few companies enjoy more positive reviews and fierce devotion among their customers than Focal. Even the most discerning audiophiles, who normally love to tear apart even incredible sounding products, are pretty unanimous in describing Focal as almost uniquely attractive in sound – unbelievably accurate and neutral, highly detailed, very low in distortion, with fantastic soundstage and imaging and phenomenally deep, fast and powerful bass. And, somehow, with all of that accuracy and neutrality, an indescribably beautiful sound.
In fact, I have to admit that while I find all of the Focal products to be really wonderful looking, when I think of them as beautiful headphones I’m always thinking about that sound.
So here’s a list of some select Focal headphones, from most to least expensive. Of course, the highest end Stelia are world-beaters, and considered by many to be the best sounding headphones you can get period, but even the “cheapest” Focal ‘phones aren’t far behind, and they are all really beautiful!
- Focal Stellia Closed-Back Circum-Aural Over-Ear Headphones
- Focal Clear MG Open-Back High-Fidelity Over-Ear Headphones
- Focal Celestee High-End Closed-Back Over-Ear Wired Headphones
- Focal Elegia High-Fidelity Closed-Back Circum-Aural Headphones
- Focal Listen Chic Wireless Circumaural Closed-Back Headphones
Bonus Section: But Aren’t There Any Beautiful Earbuds?
Well, yeah, I’m sure there are, but to me they all kind of look the same. And really, the ones with a little style, or the ones at least that are somewhat striking looking, tend to stick a bit awkwardly out of your ears – as if the manufacturer were a wee bit too proud of the look, and so kind of ruined the effect.
Still, without going into too much detail – but assuredly not just based solely on their looks – there are a few really gorgeous in-ear headphones which are also really amazing sounding, as well as superbly designed and engineered and really beautifully built.
So even though this article focuses on the most beautiful over-ear headphones and the most beautiful on-ear headphones, to close, I’d like to at least list out some of the most beautiful in-ear headphones – ones that aren’t just the best looking, but which I can enthusiastically recommend on all levels.
TOZO T6 TWS Bluetooth Headphones IPX8 Waterproof – ridiculously inexpensive, considering the tech, the build quality and the superb sound – both highly accurate and incredibly fun and engaging – these Tozo T6 are also surprisingly pretty in their own understated kind of way.
1MORE EVO Dual Drivers Adaptive ANC Bluetooth Audiophile Headphones – with absolutely best-in-class sound and amazing tech, the focus here is on performance, and yet these are also absolutely stunning to look at, and with a truly premium fit and finish.
Bang and Olufsen B&O EQ TWS In-Ear Headphones – in any of their four colors, these are some of the most beautiful in-ears on the planet, and some of the most advanced and best sounding as well – a truly premium product.
Bowers & Wilkins PI7 True Wireless in-Ear Headphones – superbly made and with a sound that – while far too neutral for many listeners – brings you closer to the music than any other in-ear I’ve tried, these are a gorgeous pair of earbuds, and even at their high price a substantial value.
Moondrop In-Ear Monitors – and last but not least, the most consistently beautiful, up and down the line, in-ear monitors I’ve ever seen, which are superbly made and enormously popular among audiophiles and music lovers around the world. Here are some highlights, including my favorites – the Aria and the Starfield – and the absolutely stunning (looking and sounding) Solis.
- Moondrop Solis 2EST 4BA Hybrid Drivers HiFi in-Ear Earphone
- Moondrop S8 8BA IEM Bass HiFi in Ear Monitor Earphone
- Moondrop Kato DLC Composite Diaphragm Ultra Linear Earphone
- Moondrop Starfield Carbon Nanotube Diaphragm Dynamic Earphone
- Moondrop Aria High Performance LCP Diaphragm Dynamic Earphone