Best Headphones — Ranked by Durability
Over-ear and on-ear headphones worth the investment
37,464
Mentions analyzed
24,780
Threads reviewed
7
Products ranked
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#1
Sennheiser HD 560S
Sennheiser HD 560S Open-Back Over-Ear Wired Headphones – Neutral, Natural Sound for Music, Gaming, and Content Creation, Black
89
Score
What owners are saying
"While I wouldn't call them categorically **better** than the 600/650(I have owned every single modern Sennheiser wired headphone starting at and above the 560S) they are still good"
"I use the X2HR for games and after asking plenty of people, there’s not much of a benefit getting the HD 560s it seems, more of a lateral movement"
"I recently got the HD600s and honestly don't know which of the 600s or the 560s I prefer, but my current favorite is the Edition XS"
84
Score
What owners are saying
"I bought lcd2 prefazors for like 600$ 8 years ago, sold em for 600$ 6 uears ago, bought em for 600$ a year ago"
"I still use mine but my favorite headphones now are the Hifiman He1000 Stealth and Audeze LCD-X 2021 and wow absolutely love them and also huge step up"
"Finally decided to upgrade (or sidegrade) from my trusted HD650’s - I had money saved already and then found Audeze LCD-X from Thomann’s b-stock deal costing 1111 €"
#3
Hifiman HE400se
HIFIMAN HE400SE Stealth Magnets Version Over-Ear Open-Back Full-Size Planar Magnetic Wired Headphones for Audiophiles/Studio, Great-Sounding, Stereo, High Sensitivity, Comfortable, Sliver
84
Score
What owners are saying
"But what I would like to highlight is that my favourite headphone experience was the first time I tried Hifiman Sundaras off a good amp at a shop"
"Count me in for hifiman driver failure - I had it on one of mine on my Sundara, but it was a pretty early one in their production"
"My favorite headphone atm is the hifiman arya, which retails for 1600 but has the same drivers as he1000se, which retail for 3500"
#4
Beyerdynamic DT 770
beyerdynamic DT 770 PRO 80 Ohm Over-Ear Studio Headphones in Gray. Enclosed Design, Wired for Professional Recording and Monitoring
84
Score
What owners are saying
"After 14 years of faithful service, I finally retired my DT 770 Pros and upgraded to the DT 1990 Pros!"
"First of all, the best gear I've owned in the 12+ years I've produced were the Beyerdynamic DT770 Pros I bought like 5-6 years ago"
"I'll probably buy new headphones eventually, but I used the DT770 for over 10 years before getting the DT1770, so I'm probably good for another 10 years"
#5
Audio-Technica ATH-M50x
Audio-Technica ATH-M50X Professional Studio Monitor Headphones, Black, Professional Grade, Critically Acclaimed, with Detachable Cable
81
Score
What owners are saying
"After 6 years, my 2014 m50x headphones are still going strong with the occasional repair and upgrade!"
"I've had my ATH-M50's for at least 5 years now, and they've always held up very well"
"I still have a pair of M50x's going strong after 5 years of regular use"
#6
AKG K712
AKG Pro Audio K712 PRO, Wired, Over-Ear, Open Back, Reference Studio Headphones, Flat Wire Voice Coil, Black
79
Score
What owners are saying
"I owned the K712 like 6-7 years ago, so my memory is fussy, but they we're definitely a great headphone"
"I store my K702 and K712's this way, and the pulley system/threads are still going strong"
"When I got my HD800, it gave me a good appreciation for the K712, as they have a lot of similarities in their musical reproduction"
#7
Sony WH-1000XM5
Sony WH-1000XM5 Premium Noise Canceling Headphones, Auto NC Optimizer, 30-Hour Battery, Alexa Voice Control, Black
77
Score
What owners are saying
"Then, I tried the XM4 4 years ago, when I left my parents‘ house and have enough freedom to do what I want to do"
"But the XM5, so far, has been the only BT headphone in its class & price-range that still impresses me after nearly 3 years of usage"
"Hi, I bought a pair of Sony WH-1000XM4, I had them for two years and thought they were good"
How we rank Headphones
SmartBuysForLife analyzes real Reddit discussions to find products people actually own and recommend. The SmartBuy Score weighs how many people mention the product, the percentage of positive mentions, and how consistently owners recommend it. Only products with multiple independent mentions qualify. No sponsored placements, ever.