Aesthetic Headphones for Men Who Care About Stylish Tech

There’s a lot of black and white in the headphone world, but those are far from the only colours that should be on your mind when picking your next pair. That’s one reason why we love these sleek Bang & Olufsen cans – in the “Timber”, “Gold Tone” and “Sand” colourways they’re some of the most elegant over-ears out there.

They’re comfortable, cool and built for journeys with massive battery life, active noise-cancellation and custom-made 40mm drivers for beautiful sound. They’re energetic and detailed and work just as well for Dire Straits and Fleetwood Mac on our streaming service throwback playlists as they do for catching up on podcast queue. Want a more adaptably minimalist mono look? These also come in a smart “Black Anthracite” variant.

First shown off at Chet Lo's SS23 London Fashion Week runway show, these buds aren’t shy about their fashion-focused aspirations. The pocketable charging case looks a lot like an oversized lipstick, with a transparent outer ring that swivels around to reveal the earphones nestling in place to charge.

The futuristic buds themselves are yet another semi-transparent design from Nothing, although these are open earbuds that don’t have silicone ear tips to jam into your earholes. An ideal alternative to AirPods – and they sound excellent too.

Anodized aluminium controls, tempered glass ear cups, and a lambskin leather headband and cushioning. Yes, it’s as high-end as it sounds. And you’ll struggle to find more plush materials than what’s on offer with the MW75 from Master & Dynamic (although a few others here give them a run for their money). They’re priced accordingly, but it’s worth it for a major headphone upgrade over the sea of plasticky competitors.

The fit is a little on the small side, so better for those with smaller ears, but the active noise-cancelling and long 28 hours of life make them a great pick to add to your weekend bag. You won’t find you’re lacking for anything here, with all the extra cables and a hard carry case included, plus they come in styles ranging from understated (the gunmetal and black leather, or silver and grey leather) to the attention-seeking (silver with brown leather, or silver with stunning navy leather).

If you’re anything like us, you probably thought it was a bit of a shame when Sennheiser changed its design language for the refresh of its Momentum over-ear cans last year. The newer Momentum 4 doesn’t look all that distinctive, but there’s nothing stopping you from buying the slightly older Momentum 3 model from the German audio geniuses. They sound excellent and have both active noise-cancelling and transparency modes, along with a companion app and wear detection to pause audio when they’re not in use.

Where these stand out is with a unique sheepskin leather look, and retro-inspired headband design. That stainless steel band is sleek and specific, and you won’t miss the shiny Sennheiser logo. However, when it comes to downsides, the 17-hour battery life is quite a bit behind today’s standards. Be prepared to keep a power bank on you for your travels.

In audiophile circles, Devialet is a brand that’s as well-regarded as they come. The French hi-fi manufacturer’s Gemini II earbuds both look and sound gorgeous and are crafted with top materials for remarkable comfort.

The titanium drivers deliver powerful and clean audio quality, along with great app support and a distinctive look. Rivals do beat them when it comes to battery life and noise-cancelling, and it's a shame the shiny materials pick up fingerprints so easily. But these will be minor downsides for those who adore the sonic capabilities and style of the pair.

By packing in these capabilities and materials, it makes sense that they match their Bowers & Wilkins and Bang & Olufsen rivals on price. And, for the height of luxury and exclusivity, you’ll want to take a hard look at the Opéra de Paris edition (£549), as it takes the already stunning finish a step further with a resplendent 24-carat gold plating. Now that’s something special.

Look, sometimes you just need to brood over things while wearing expensive headphones like Kendall Roy. And we say, why not just pick the very tech the character wears on the show? We checked and they’re the Amiron wireless headphones from the high-end audio masters over at Beyerdynamic.

These closed-back monsters will deliver detail and impact to absolutely all your audio, including whatever was getting Kendall through the events of Succession. They’re excellent German headphones that offer tremendous audio reproduction, and their oversized appearance makes it absolutely clear you’re in no mood at all to chat with your coworkers.

Briefly spotted in the fourth season of Succession, these earbuds are at the height of premium portable audio. They're crafted from stainless steel and the same ultra-durable ceramic material found in high-end wristwear. Perhaps more importantly, they bring serious clarity to your music.

They offer a massive battery life, capable noise-cancelling and, thankfully, actual physical buttons on the buds for control. That means no fussing with imprecise touch inputs.

Want something special? Master & Dynamic also sells collaborative editions made with Bugatti and Mercedes-AMG.

Look, we’re not going to pretend these aren’t our favourite earbuds at the moment. They’ve surpassed all others as our daily carry and they’re just effortlessly cool. The design is what we’ve come to expect from the transparency-obsessed London-based startup, and their charging housing feels like a proper display case.

You can’t beat that satisfying metal hinge and the see-through exterior is an engineering marvel. We also appreciate how the case has got a little thumb indent so they double up as a fidget spinner. It’s the little things that count. Oh, and we should mention that they sound incredible, have noise-cancelling, and offer loads of customisation within the companion app. Right now, these tick all our boxes.

Oh, and they now come in black.

It's hip to be square, right? If you know your turntables, you know the name Audio-Technica, so you can rest assured that these squircle-shaped buds sound terrific. What we love about them is how unique they look, with a petite yet distinctive cubist design focusing on standing out.

We like the two-tone approach, with the protrusions lighting up the “L” and “R” to let you know which bud is which. And they come in a delightful range of shades including Caramel, Popsicle, Cupcake and Popcorn.

Who said eye-catching earbuds had to cost a fortune? Depending on the colour combo you pick, you should be able to grab these for under £80, and sometimes for under £60. They prove that great sound doesn’t cost loads, but it’s worth knowing that they don’t fuss about with a lot of extra features, so you won’t find a companion app or any noise-cancelling with these. One thing we’d note, though, is that the deep in-ear fit is great for passive isolation but we found it a little bit of a mixed bag for comfort.

In 2022, Bowers & Wilkins first levelled up its PX7 cans to the PX7 S2, which upgraded the sound, design and feature set to make them a clear standout among noise-cancelling headphone rivals. Not content with creating some of the best over-ears around, the British brand then went and further optimised them for the opulent and glorious PX8. A powerhouse pair that delivers in every possible way, this is where luxury materials and tech excellence collide.

They boast soft Nappa leather on the ear cups and headband, vibration-reducing cast aluminium arms, and custom “Carbon Cone” drivers. They’re comfortable to wear all day long and offer stunning audio reproduction in an elegant and graceful package. We love the companion app, the compact carrying case and the 30-hour battery life. There’s high-end quality all over these, and there are special 007 and McLaren editions for those looking for something more individual.

Look at your earbuds like a luxury accessory and you’ll soon start to see the appeal of the Beoplay EX. They’re beautiful earphones available in a lovely range of colours – we’re particularly drawn to the Anthracite Oxygen.

Danish designer Thomas Bentzen has kept these refined, with a smart charging case, responsive glass touch panels and intricate aluminium detailing. Sound-wise, these deliver nuance, excitement and power on every tune we tested, with capable noise-cancelling tossed in too.

Want to look truly unique? Keep an eye on Bang & Olufsen’s site for the limited edition colour drops, so far we’ve seen Lime Green and Lunar Red designs, with a new Peach Pink coming up soon.

So you’re after a pair of discrete in-ear headphones that pair well with any outfit? Bowers & Wilkins makes its latest Pi7 S2 buds in Satin Black, Canvas White and Midnight Blue with each colour looking sleek and understated. These are earphones to blend into your look with a premium finish. And, yes, they look and feel expensive.

That’s true even if you go for what B&W would call its more “affordable” Pi5 S2 lineup, although we think those are just as cool and come in a few extra shades – if you’re after a pop of colour, we like the Sage Green approach.

As earbuds, they’re excellent no matter which model you pick. We love the performance of the Pi7 S2, as they offer audio retransmission via their clever charging case (ideal for beaming the audio from the in-flight movie over to your buds) and deliver high-resolution playback, excellent noise-cancelling, and responsive touch controls.

Originally unveiled when the luxury Danish audio brand celebrated its 95th birthday in 2020, these are just about the pinnacle of noise-cancelling over-ear headphones. We’ve got to be honest, these feel so precious that we felt like they’d prefer to stay home instead of venturing into the pollution-ridden city. It’s rare to find many more expensive headphones than these, but they don’t feel like wasted money, delivering premium performance and materials for £779.

The heavy aluminium carrying case makes them a little less portable, but you’d still have no problem wearing these around and about if you chose to. The memory foam and lambskin ear cushions are supremely comfortable, and we reckon they make for just about the most head-turning headwear on the market. You won’t be let down by the sound too, it’s clear and warm, with capable adaptive noise-cancelling.