The Best Audiophile Headphones for Reference Listening
The Best Audiophile Headphones for High-Quality Sound
Here at Moon Audio, we carry an array of audiophile headphones from many well-respected HiFi brands in the industry. Every single headphone that we sell is one that we ourselves would be happy to own. Still, some models rise to the very top, which is why we've curated a list of the BEST of the BEST for reference listening.
Reference headphones are the creme de la creme, so to speak. Whether you're looking to move up from a lower-price tier or you want to dive right in with a flagship, we've got some pretty special headphones on this list, including dynamic and planar magnetic headphones as well as more specialized electrostatic headphones. These audiophile reference headphones are all phenomenal and any one of them could easily be YOUR end-game headphone.
Best Audiophile Headphones for Reference Listening
Dan Clark Audio Expanse Open-Back Headphones
The open-back planar magnetic Expanse from Dan Clark Audio has a wide and airy quality, so your music will sound spacious with plenty of breathing room. Resolution is phenomenal; you’re going to hear so much detail in your music. The sound is snappy, articulate, and transparent, making it a great choice for music with lots of strings and other instrumentation where you really want to hear that definition. Orchestral music will have you feeling like you are seated in front of a large stage, picking out the various sections. Treble on the Expanse is rich and prominent, mids are clear, and the low-end favors punch over rumble. This headphone has a striking black design with pops of bright blue, including the stitching on the underside of the leather headband strap. The grille features a hypnotic computer-generated design. It’s very comfortable, and foldable, too! Now, planar magnetic headphones sound their best with added power, so you’ll want to use a DAC/headphone amp to drive the Expanse.
Standout genres: Classical, bluegrass, orchestral music, jazz
Dragon Cable Recommendation: The Black Dragon Premium headphone cable will balance the more prominent mids and highs with some bottom-end warmth and weight.
Dan Clark Audio Stealth Headphones
The Dan Clark Audio Stealth is a closed-back planar magnetic headphone, but it isn’t simply a closed-back version of the Expanse; it has a different sound, and a design that swaps the blue stitching for red. The ear pads are generously cushy and use a leather-suede combo. The leather head strap is quilted on the underside with pops of red stitching, and the headband is DAC’s signature NiTiNol nickel-titanium that will hold its shape. Plus, the headphone is foldable! The Stealth is designed to disappear and let the listener relax into the music. It’s a smooth and natural, organic sound, but still quite detailed, making it especially good for jazz, blues, and acoustic music. You’re going to get excellent bass extension, clear and present mids, and relaxed highs. And while it’s a closed-back, the soundstage is a bit wider than you’d expect, so the music never sounds congested or cramped. Moreover, the closed-back design keeps sound from leaking out, making this headphone feasible for the office or travel. Just know that planar magnetic headphones sound their best with added power, so you’ll want to use a DAC/headphone amp or appropriately powered digital audio player (DAP).
Standout genres: Jazz, blues, acoustic music
Dragon Cable Recommendation: The Silver Dragon Premium headphone cable will add some sizzle and spice to the smoother top end.
Meze Audio Elite Headphones
The Meze Elite is an open-back planar magnetic headphone. The ear cups are ovoid shaped, which are meant to mimic the shape of the ear. Despite its larger size, this is a really comfortable headphone, weighing about 15 ounces. The Elite has a warm and spacious sound, with tons of clarity and detail. Bass is clean, deep, and tight, but it's not a bassy headphone. Mids are on the forward size, with great vocal texture and nuance. Highs are smooth and pretty. The Elite has a gloriously big and wide soundstage with a good amount of height and depth. The side sound and warmer signature will suit a variety of genres, particularly classical, blues, and jazz. As a bonus, the Elite comes in a really cool high-strength aluminum suitcase with hefty foam inserts that are going to keep your headphones protected during storage and travel.
Standout genres: Classical, jazz, folk
Dragon Cable Recommendation: The Silver Dragon Premium headphone cable will really pull out middle and high frequencies and add some top-end sizzle.
Audeze CRBN Electrostatic Headphones
The CRBN is the first electrostatic offering from Audeze, known for planar magnetic headphones. This is a beautiful headphone with an all-black design save for the stainless steel rods. The large oval ear cups feature a cool etching on the grilles, and the ear pads are incredibly comfortable. This headphone does weigh a little over a pound, but somehow it doesn’t feel very heavy. The CRBN driver features a patent-pending polymer film with suspended ultra-thin carbon nanotubes. Originally developed for MRI medical applications, Audeze adapted those innovations for the CRBN. It’s got a beautifully clear and transparent sound, with sparkly highs that aren’t bright or fatiguing, prominent mids, and impactful, punchy bass. The sound is big and natural, not analytical, and the overall tonality is pleasant and inviting. The CRBN is compatible with all 580 volt pro bias amps, and as with other electrostatic headphones, you must use the included cable.
Standout genres: Jazz, blues, folk, country/Strings
Cable note: No Dragon Cable option. You must use the specialized stock cable.
Audeze LCD-5 Headphones
The Audeze LCD-5 may be a lower weight than its predecessor siblings, but it's made serious gains in resolution and clarity. If you enjoy the clean, tight bass and distortion-free sound of a planar magnetic headphone, AND you want great soundstage and imaging plus lots of detail and nuance, the LCD-5 is a gem. Instrument separation is top-notch, making this headphone great for listening to more complex music where you really want to hear all of the individual sounds that comprise the whole, such as classical and jazz. The top end on the LCD-5 has some sizzle; upper mids are on the forward side; and bass is tight, punchy, and well extended. This headphone is a looker, too, with a sleek black carbon fiber headband, black perforated head strap, and tortoiseshell finish on the rings.
Standout genres: Jazz, blues
Dragon Cable Recommendation: The Black Dragon Premium headphone cable will smooth the prominent top end without sacrificing detail.
Focal Utopia 2022 Headphones
The Utopia 2022, a second-generation open-back dynamic driver headphone from Focal retains the excellent detail retrieval of the original, but with a sound that leans more smoky jazz club than surgical suite. In other words, it’s warmer than the more analytical original. While the driver design did not change, Focal made some structural changes that affect the sound. Most notable is the grille design, which lends itself to a more open sound, as well as the shape of the speaker grilles, which improves the linearity of the treble. Some people found treble on the OG Utopia to be a bit peaky, and the new Utopia has smoother treble. The sound is fuller and rounder. There’s also a greater depth of field, so the music is going to feel like it’s farther out in front of you. The Utopia 2022 has a versatile sound signature that’s going to complement a variety of genres, from blues and folk to rock. If you like a warmer sound for classical music, the warmth coupled with the wide sound is going to be great. It’s also a very comfortable headphone, with cushy ear pads and a carbon fiber headband that helps keep the weight of the headphone evenly distributed on the head.
Standout genres: Blues, folk, Americana
DCable Recommendation: The Silver Dragon Premium headphone cable is going to support detail retrieval in the mids and highs.
Warwick Acoustics Aperio Headphone System
The Aperio isn't just a headphone, it's a fully balanced, complete sound reproduction system from Warwick Acoustics. Designed as a reference studio monitoring headphone system for high-resolution audio production (recording, mixing, and mastering), it's also a high-end playback device for consumer use. Like the VOCE, the Aperio is an electrostatic headphone, and it comes with its own discrete amplifier. Actually, it's a full-featured headphone amplifier, preamp with line output, DAC, energizer, and network player via Roon for streaming. It's so transparent, so pure, so deliciously enjoyable, that you really won't feel like you're listening through headphones. Instead, you'll be transported to the concert hall or recording studio, with no barrier between you and the performers. The headphones have a large, generously padded headband. And check out the interesting grille design that shows off the copper-colored mesh behind the drivers. The ear pads are covered in Cabretta leather, and the inner perimeter uses acoustically absorbent foam. Whatever you listen to — particularly jazz, choral, and orchestral music — you're going to experience it in a whole new way, with more clarity, more detail, and more realism than you thought possible.
Standout genres: Classical, jazz, anything with strings
Cable note: No Dragon Cable option. You must use the specialized stock cable.
Dragon Cables
Generally, stock audio cables are manufactured with subpar materials, metals with impurities, poor geometries, and an overabundance of layers to make them look and feel like a fire hose. Inconsistency and lack of quality control in stock cables can lead to poor sound quality and a veiled sound vs what the musician intended for you to hear and feel from the music. Dragon cables are handcrafted to the highest standards made to order according to your specific needs.
Why Dragon Cables?
At Moon Audio, we create a custom cable for you using the highest quality UP-OCC silver or copper conductors that can be manufactured. UP-OCC metals are void of impurities and are optimized for signal transfer and sound quality. We have one of the largest collections of audio and headphone connection options available online and we create limitless audio cable options depending on your specific gear and needs. Dragon Premium Cables feature the same quality construction as standard cables, but with upgraded solder and premium Furutech connectors.
Silver Dragon Sound Signature: The Silver Dragon is the original cable. Silver strands clarify instrument separation, increase the soundstage, and find previously lost high and mid-frequency sounds. Transients appear more cohesive and the bass is tighter for a more controlled sound. The detail and clarity of the Silver Dragon make it a perfect match for classical music and other genres with many nuanced instruments.
Black Dragon Sound Signature: The Black Dragon is warm and smooth with a musical presentation. Copper strands enhance the body, shape, and immediacy of the music. The detail and expansiveness of the Black Dragon make it a flexible fit where a broad range of musical genres are played. It can also improve bass frequencies on bass-light headphones. The smooth, musical quality makes it a perfect fit for headphones that tend to sound a bit edgy or bright. Despite its warmth, the Black Dragon does not have a laid-back, lush sound. It is much closer to neutral, making it a very natural-sounding cable.
How to Pick the Perfect Headphone for You
What are the best headphones? The answer may surprise you that there is no universal consensus on the "best headphone" in the world. There is, however, the best headphone for YOU.
When the options are endless finding the best headphones can feel like looking for a needle in a haystack. Do you want a wireless headphone? What about a closed or open-back headphone? Luckily, there are some steps you can take to narrow down your search and find that perfect pair of audiophile headphones.
Step One: What type of music do you like to listen to? This is the first question Drew Baird, P.E., Owner and Founder of Moon Audio likes to ask our customers on the phone. The genres you listen to go a long way in helping us figure out what products (headphones, amps, DACs, etc.) will sound good to you. Your music says a lot about you, and some headphones sound better with certain genres than others.
Step Two: Do you like to get lost in your music or listen for every detail? If you like to get lost in the music, we call this the "Warm and Musical" listener. If you like to pick up on every single detail in a song, we call this the "Analytical" listener. Every headphone has a sound signature and pairs well with specific genres of music based on how they sound. A warmer headphone might bring out more emotion and intimacy in a jazz performance, or the feeling of a rumble on an intense EDM track. Analytical headphones are great for classical if you like listening for individual instruments in a large ensemble, the details in a live performance like fret buzz on the guitar, or nuances in a singer's voice.
Step Three: What is your budget? How much are you willing to spend on a pair of headphones? Everyone has to start somewhere, and a reminder to those just starting out on their audiophile journey: You don't have to spend thousands of dollars to get great sound.
The bottom line is that everyone hears differently, so there is no right or wrong answer when it comes to the best audiophile headphones out there. The better question to be asked is "what is the best headphone for you?" Hopefully these steps and headphones guide can help you figure out the answer to that question. Happy headphone hunting!
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