Getting a musical gift for a man who loves music should be pretty fun and easy, but when you really start looking at all of the possibilities and wondering what exactly sets one gift apart from the others, you can pretty quickly get stuck.
So I, a man, a music lover, an obsessive gift guide writer, and an inveterate gift giver, have put together this fun (I hope) and helpful (I hope) article to help you find just the right present for the music-loving man in your life – birthday, Christmas, Father’s Day, Valentines, Anniversaries, Flag Day, you’ll definitely find some fantastic ideas below!
What Are the Best Gifts for Music Loving Men?
I have written tons of gift guides recently, for Classical music lovers, for music engineers, for DJs, and for music lovers in general, but I have to say that this one – the best gifts for male music lovers – has been the toughest.
Don’t know why – I am a guy, after all, and I am a bit of a legendary gift giver from way back, who dearly loves to research, shop, and find the perfect gift.
But yeah, I was stuck for a few days, and then I just stopped and shifted my perspective – if I quit trying to figure out what guys would want for their birthday, for Christmas, for Hanukkah, for whatever, and just ask myself what I would want, what happens?
Well, what happened was that suddenly the ideas began pouring in – and not just the gifts I’d like to receive, but the gifts I’m sure any guy would be totally jazzed about getting – audio gear, musical instruments, cups, shirts, socks (yeah, really, socks), art, gadgets, gizmos and a legendary hoodie – and a lot more.
So let’s see just what I came up with, in this 2023 gift guide for the best presents for music-loving men.
The Best Music Presents for Men: A Speakergy Gift-Giving Guide
KEF LSX II Wireless HiFi Speaker System (Carbon Black)
Why would I start this buyer’s guide with such an extravagant recommendation and scare everybody off? Because the KEF LSX II is quite simply the finest wireless bookshelf speaker system on the market today, and without question the very best gift I can imagine for any man who loves music. Extraordinarily powerful, accurate and musical, these wide-open, effortless beauties bring music to a whole new level, and are essentially perfect in every way. But don’t worry – everything that follows (I think) is less expensive, and some of my ideas are almost stupidly cheap.
Prosonic BT30 Active Powered Bluetooth Bookshelf Speakers
I’m kind of putting my picks for best musical gifts in random order here, but if you are scared by the exorbitance (that’s a word, isn’t it?) of my first choice, here I offer a remedy – the ridiculously inexpensive Prosonic BT30 amplified wireless bookshelf speakers, which are in many ways reminiscent of the KEF above, but at about 92 percent less expensive – seriously, just at a hundred dollars! They look great, sound wonderful and are brilliantly well made – no, they may not have the awesome bass or intense dynamic energy of the KEF, or the ultimate resolving power, but the BT30 are still a great choice for a budget audiophile or any true music lover – man or woman. And did I mention the 92 percent bit?
Zoom H1n Portable Recorder with Onboard Stereo Microphones
A simple and inexpensive portable digital stereo recorder, the Zoom H1n encourages the man on your gift list to find and capture music anywhere and at any time, or to make their own music, record it in beautifully high fidelity sound and easily interface with and send the hi-res digital files to their PC, phone or other gadget or simply play them back through the excellent on-board speaker. The perfect man-toy or a serious and enormously useful tool? Yes!
Sennheiser HD25 Special Edition
Any of the Sennheiser 25 series headphones are as cool as cool can be, with amazing street cred thanks to their unshakable connection with DJing – not to mention their absolutely superb sound. Heck, even their cheap cousin, the Senn HD250BT, would make a great gift for any music loving man, and are my favorite low-priced wireless headphones by far. But the HD25 Special Edition is, well, special – I can’t say why, exactly, but I really, really want a pair.
Foot Traffic Men’s Novelty Socks, Fun Music-Themed Socks for Men
A bit of an anti-climax after such superb speakers and headphones? Not if you love your feet, man! These Foot Traffic socks are not only fun, they are also excellent quality socks, and come in tons of different patterns. I like the guitars, but I would love to get any of them – well, maybe not the drums, but please don’t tell my drummer I said that…
Remo DJ-6112-32 Apex Djembe Drum – Green Kinte, 12″
Speaking of drums, you could buy the male music lover on your list the less expensive Meinl Percussion Mahogany Wood Djembe, which is beautiful and would surely be loved, but this Remo Apex is the next level – absolutely beautiful, with a rich and dynamic sound that’s perfectly authentic and totally amazing, this is an amazingly thoughtful and generous gift that will blow the recipient away.
Korg TM-60C Combo Tuner Metronome with Contact Microphone
The best value I’ve found in a general use electronic tuner and metronome – useful to any musician and a perfectly accurate and very high quality product, the Korg TM-60C is a wonderful gadget, with geek appeal and artistic cred beautifully balanced, and it might be the most appreciated and well used present you could get for any music making man.
Spoontiques Bold Colorful Music Travel Mug
Eco Chic Stainless Steel Insulated Coffee Cup with Leakproof Lid
Here are a couple of nice and really useful music themed travel mugs I’m sure any man would love to get. I myself really like the first one, the Spoontiques mug with its bold and attractive design, but for more conservative tastes the second, in tasteful black and white, may be a better choice – and don’t worry – the word in their brand name is “chic,” not “chick,” so we’re good to go.
Sony WH-1000XM4 Wireless Noise Canceling Headphones
I could not possibly write a buyer’s guide to the best musical gifts for men without including the legendary Sony 1000XM4, which are widely considered to be the best, most musical and beautiful sounding premium wireless headphones on the market today – and with the very best noise cancelling and superb material and build quality. For my money, at this admittedly high price point the Sony are as good as it gets, and an ideal premium gift, but I have to say that if the music man on your list is an Apple user he will not be impressed, and would greatly prefer the similarly superb, if slightly more expensive, Apple AirPods Max.
Fender Jack Rack Amp Key Holder
Marshall Jack Rack Amp Key Holder.
Below I have included a Fender guitar and a Marshall Bluetooth speaker, but to really make sure I’ve covered my bases, and nobody from either tribe feels slighted, I’m including both the Marshall and Fender versions of this uber-cool key holder. Suggesting the look and style of those companies’ legendary guitar amplifiers, these may well be the best affordable presents on this list of gifts for men who love music, and actually useful as well – just make sure to sneak into his man-cave first and check the brand on his amp!
Definitely one of coolest looking turntables I’ve ever seen, the Pro-Ject Elemental is a bit of a masterpiece of modern design, and an especially attractive piece for any man who loves records and fine audio gear. Thankfully, with its included Ortofon OM 5E cartridge it is also a really sweet sounding ‘table, with an open, effortless quality, an incredibly low noise floor and the dynamic energy and superb imaging you expect from any Pro-Ject product. Beautiful, yes, and quite possibly the finest sounding turntable at this price.
I’m not sure if I’d want this rug and shower curtain set in my bathroom, but it does come from Fashion Man, so I’m probably in the minority. Either way, you’re sure to get a positive reaction from this gift – the man on your list will absolutely love its musical boldness, or he’ll laugh and laugh. We’re guys, though, so even if it’s the second reaction he might still go home right after the party, hang up the curtains and lay down the rugs and then, you know, sit down and enjoy.
Orba by Artiphon Portable Synth, Looper, and MIDI controller
As cool as… well, I can’t really make a meaningful comparison because I’ve never seen anything else like the Orba, which is easily one of the most fun and fascinating little gadgets I’ve ever found. An incredibly intuitive interface lets you move, shake and bump the little guy to make all kinds of interesting sounds, and the built in tech lets you loop, layer and process those sounds, hear them on a nice internal speaker or headphones, record them and even stream them wirelessly to a phone, PC or anything else – absolute genius!
I’m a huge fan of all the JBL portable wireless speakers, which are all really tough and waterproof, include great tech and have awesome sound – big, bassy, energized and so much fun. I would be thrilled to get the extraordinarily popular JBL Flip as a gift, or even the wee JBL Go 3, but the big, manly Boombox 2 is the dream, and one of the finest portable speakers on the market today – the very best at this price point, IMO.
Ace Music Notebook Leather Hardcover Songwriting Journal
A beautifully made leather music notebook, the Ace leather journal has normal ruled paper on one side and musical staffs on the other – perfect for the songwriter on your list, and a nice harkening back to when we used to take notes with something other than a fingertip or digital stylus.
Yamaha YPT260 61-Key Portable Keyboard with Power Adapter
With about a gazillion built-in instruments and other sounds, rhythms and effects, the Yamaha 260 is a complex and powerful musical instrument, but so easy to use and play that it will make any man – trained or not, talented or not – feel like he’s really got it going on. Whether he just sits and noodles for a few minutes or goes into serious music-making, either way he’s sure to have so much fun!
Deco 79 Traditional Metal Music Notes Wall Hanging
Deco 79 Eclectic Polystone Jazz Band Musician Sculpture
A couple of really premium quality home decorating ideas from Deco 79, both the Music Notes wall art and the Jazz Musicians sculptures are beautifully made and very attractive. If there is a stereotype about how guys don’t really decorate their spaces, it might be because people aren’t buying them the right items – but if you get them either of these, or both, it’s for sure they’ll be running to World Market or Pier One to find complementary pillows and throws.
Pro-Ject X2 Turntable with Sumiko Rainier Cartridge
If you want to buy the best turntable possible, for a serious record collector, an ardent audiophile or any man who really loves music, the Pro-Ject X2 is it. Well, no, the actual best turntable is quite probably the AV Design Haus Dereneville VPM, which at around 650,000 dollars makes the X2 seem downright cheap. Seriously, though, this glorious Pro-Ject turntable delivers top-tier audiophile sound and is an extraordinarily beautiful object. Especially with the included Sumiko Rainier cartridge, this is the best turntable under 2,000 dollars, and a stunningly impressive gift – and, quite literally, it costs less than the Dereneville’s power cord!
Vinyl Doctor Vacuum Record Cleaning Machine
You can get the music loving man in your life the best basic record cleaner on the market today – the Big Fudge Professional Series Vinyl Record Cleaning Kit, which is cheap and works beautifully, and is a really thoughtful and useful gift. Or you can go all out and give him the superlative Vinyl Doctor. Admittedly a wee bit expensive, but offering a much deeper, more complete and longer lasting cleaning, the Doctor can even dramatically improve the sound of a brand new record, and is a must for any audiophile or serious record collector.
Martin 2017 D-28 Dreadnought Acoustic Guitar
One of the finest acoustic guitars on the planet – short of five figures, at least – and possibly the most desirable item on this list of best music gifts for men, the Martin D-28 is a modern classic, and the dream of any guy who plays guitar – or, for that matter, any guy who wants to play guitar. Beautifully voiced, superbly hand-crafted and with an unmistakable aura, this D-28 is it.
Of course, if “it” is a bit too pricey, but you still want the musical man on your list to have the best, please consider the Martin D–15M, which is half the price and still indescribably special. And for the best on a budget, and a beautiful premium guitar that is still seriously desirable but at a very, very low price, the Fender Squier Dreadnought Acoustic Guitar can’t be beat – and it’s a Fender!
Because of the wide variety of musical tastes and preferences men exhibit, I generally try to stay away from recommending gifts tied to a certain musical artist or band. That said, it is a well known fact that every man in the world, of any age and from any background, loves Led Zeppelin. We also all love hoodies, so win-win.
Marshall Stanmore II Wireless Bluetooth Speaker
For the man who loves music and wants the ultimate cool factor in his wireless speaker, it doesn’t get much cooler than the Marshall Stanmore II, with its classic Marshall amp styling. The hip vibe is just part of the charm, though, and more important is the fact that the Stanmore II has superb sound – rich, clear and analog-warm, with thundering bass when needed and tons of dynamic power – as well as the best technology. They’re all good, though, and if the Stanmore II is a bit too pricey, please think about the Marshall Emberton which, considering its size and price, is flat-out mighty.
Ambesonne Music Fitted Sheet & Pillow Guitar Sheet Set
Earlier in this list of best musical presents for men I joked about the perhaps slightly overly bold Fashion Man musical bathroom set I’ve “recommended,” but this equally bold bedroom set is different. The Ambersonne guitar sheet set is incredibly high quality, soft and comfortable, and the high quality printed designs will last a long time and are just so cool.
Skullcandy Indy Evo True Wireless In-Ear Earbuds
If the man on your gift-giving list is a teen or tween, or if he is middle aged who has recently purchased a Corvette, he will love the Skullcandy Indy Evo, which are an incredibly fun and exciting listen, have great tech and are tough as nails.
Actually, the older guy would probably greatly prefer a premium pair, like the peerless Bang and Olufsen Beoplay EX (which he can’t afford to buy for himself, you know, because of the ‘Vette), but teens – for whom street cred is more important than sound – love the Skullcandy, which gives them the best of both.
Ludwig van Beethoven’s 5th Symphony T-Shirt
Wild looking, gruff and grumbly, inestimably brilliant and with music as loud and unruly as he himself apparently was, Ludwig’s unquestionably the man, and while we may not listen to as much of his stuff as we should, we’d like people to think we do – and we can hum these four notes to prove it!
Victrola V50-200 Retro Record Player with Speakers, Radio & CD Player
The fun and surprisingly excellent sounding Victrola V50-200 is an all in one music system, with all kinds of playback options – including digital music files, AM/FM radio, CD and records. It can even digitally record records, allowing a man (or a woman, for that matter) to archive his record collection. It sounds great, is very well built and has that kind of 50s automobile styling that women seem to think we guys like. And you know, they’re kind of right – this is a pretty cool looking piece…
I should probably mention that if you want a cheap record player for the music loving man in your life, but know that he’d really prefer a pure turntable that has audiophile sound quality, you could do much worse than the 1 BY ONE Belt Drive Turntable, which is quite inexpensive, has great sound and can even connect to anything with its wired and wireless connection options – even a Bluetooth speaker.
Asobu Wireless Stainless Steel Water Bottle with Speaker Lid
As unnecessary as any product I can think of, and that’s why this cool travel bottle makes such a great gift – plus it sounds surprisingly good!