We explore a number of the most exceptionally pricey headphones available in the world today
While the headphones we have on our list are certainly expensive, they are aspirational – for us and their makers. Manufacturers often produce these flagship models to test their own limits by engineering and designing truly unique and exceptional products. They serve as a showcase for innovation and showing the rest of the world what’s possible.
In doing so, they win our fascination, our want, and establish true professional credibility amongst peers and giants in the audio world. Enjoy reading about these astonishing creations! Even better, please share your stories with us if you’re one of the few who have experienced them yourself!
| Model | Price | |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Focal Utopia Tournaire | $132,732 USD |
| 2 | Sennheiser Orpheus/HE-1 | $59,000 USD |
| 3 | HIFIMAN Susvara | $5,999 USD |
| 4 | HIFIMAN HE-R10P (Planar Version) | $5,499 USD |
| 5 | Final Audio Design SONOROUS X | $4,999 USD |
| 6 | Abyss AB-1266 Phi TC Headphone | $4,995 USD |
| 7 | STAX SR-009S Open-Back Electrostatic Headphones | $4,325 USD |
| 8 | Final Audio Design D8000 Pro Edition | $4,299 USD |
| 9 | HIFIMAN Shangri-La Jr | $4,000 USD |
| 10 | Abyss DIANA® Phi Premium Audiophile Headphone | $3,995 USD |
| 11 | Audeze LCD-4z | $3,995 USD |
| 12 | Spirit Torino Twin Pulse 1706 | $3,950 USD |
| 13 | Thror Bubinga | $3,870 USD |
| 14 | ULTRASONE Edition 15 | $3,640 USD |
| 15 | HIFIMAN HE1000se | $3,500 USD |
| 16 | RAAL-requisite SR1a Earfield Monitors | $3,500 USD |
Focal Utopia Tournaire
- Retail Price:
- Utopia Tournaire: $120,665 USD
- Utopia Tournaire with their dedicated stand: $132,732 USD
- Utopia (standard model): $3,990 USD
Utopia headphones were designed and manufactured in France by Focal and launched in June 2016. Their exceptionality soon made them a reference on the global audiophile headphones market.
They are the result of 35 years of innovation, development, and manufacturing of high-end speaker drivers and loudspeakers. Equipped with exclusive technology, they offer striking realism, neutrality, dynamics, and clarity, for sound with unrivalled purity.
The design was customized and hand-crafted by jewellers Philippe and Mathieu Tournaire. The result is a unique product with new aesthetics bearing the mark of the Trilogy, the symbol of Tournaire jewellers, which represents the evolution of life. This universal symbol links the past, the present, and the future, represented respectively by the raw square, the triangle, and the circle of abundance. The Trilogy is made of 18-karat gold mounted with a total of 6.5 carats of diamonds.
Technical tidbits
- Type: Circum-aural open-back headphones with carbon fiber yoke, leather headband, and lambskin leather and microfiber fabric ear pads over memory foam
- Driver: 40mm pure Beryllium ‘M’ shape dome
- Frequency Response: 5Hz – 50kHz
- Impedance: 80 Ohms
- Sensitivity: 104dB SPL / 1mW @ 1kHz
- THD: <0,2% @ 1kHz / 100dB SPL
- Weight: 1.08lb (490g)
- Cables Included:
- 1 x 4ft OFC 24 AWG cable with 1/8″ (3.5mm) TRS Jack connector
- 1 x 10ft OFC 24 AWG cable with 4-pin XLR connector
- 1 x Jack adapter, 1/8″ (3.5mm) female – 1/4″ (6.35mm) male
Where to buy
Sennheiser Orpheus/HE-1
- Retail Price: $59,000 USD
The striking design of the Sennheiser HE 1 marries form to function. Their amplifier sits on a housing crafted from glass and a solid block of Carrara marble. This luxurious natural stone – the type made famous by Michelangelo’s Renaissance sculptures – lends beauty and prevents structure-borne noise. To create a visually stunning design, control dials are painstakingly crafted to the highest quality. Each dial is milled from a single piece of brass before being plated with chrome.
This is music turned into an object.
The flagship Sennheiser boasts an audio range from 8 Hz to more than 100 kHz and the lowest distortion ever measured in a sound reproduction system. The HE 1 is the first electrostatic headphone with a Cool Class A MOS-FET high voltage amplifier integrated into the ear cups.
Eliminating the capacitive reactance of the cable, they deliver an ultra-high impulse fidelity 200% more efficient than any other solution currently available. 2.4-micrometer platinum-vaporised diaphragms are employed as their size was shown by Sennheiser’s research to deliver optimal sound reproduction.
Technical tidbits
- Type: Circum-aural open-back headphones with ear cups precision-machined from solid aluminum, featuring handmade ear pads of the finest leather and a soft, allergen-free velour/microfiber construction
- Driver: Electrostatic, 2.4-micrometer platinum-vaporised diaphragms
- Frequency Response: 8Hz – 80kHz (-3db), 4Hz – 100kHz (-10db)
- Sensitivity: 104dB SPL / 1mW @ 1kHz
- THD: <0,01% @ 1kHz / 100dB SPL
- Maximum Sound Pressure Level: 114dB SPL
- Weight: 550g (19.4oz)
- Cable: 3m silver-plated, oxygen-free copper cable (OFC), balanced, shielded, PTFE insulated
Where to buy
HIFIMAN Susvara
- Retail Price: $5,999 USD
HIFIMAN’s top-of-the-line Susvara uses advanced magnet design that aims to be acoustically transparent, dramatically reducing wave diffraction turbulence which degrades the integrity of the sound waves. The result is reduced distortion, yielding a purer, more harmonious sound that is audibly so.
The driver’s incredible thinness, less than a millionth of a meter and extremely low mass, means it can produce tremendously low distortion levels yet offer a highly dynamic response. By combining this diaphragm and “Acoustically Invisible Stealth Magnet” technology, each working in harmony, the audio produced is of a remarkable tonal quality and clarity.
The “Window Shade” on the SUSVARA has been painstakingly optimised to avoid any resonant frequencies. This leads to superior aural purity, tonally clean and unadulterated yet provides practical protection for the ultrafine diaphragm and additionally offers an appealing visual aesthetic.
Technical tidbits
- Type: Circum-aural open-back headphones
- Driver: Planar magnetic driver, less than a millionth of a meter thick
- Frequency Response: 6Hz – 75kHz
- Impedance: 60Ω (ohms)
- Sensitivity: 83dB
- Maximum Sound Pressure Level: 114dB SPL
- Cables: Three are included – 1x 3m cable with ¼” (6.35mm) connector, 1x 1.5m cable with 3.5mm connector, and 1x 3m balanced cable with 4-pin XLR connector
- Weight: 450g (15.9oz)
Where to buy
HIFIMAN HE-R10P (Planar Version)
- Retail Price: $5,499 USD
HIFIMAN first developed their closed-back headphones in 2012, then decided that the only way to go was to develop open-back planar headphones. In 2018, HIFIMAN returned to the development of closed-back models, leading to a design breakthrough the following year. The HE-R10P employ their signature nano-thickness diaphragm and features CNC-carved wood and aviation aluminum parts. The wooden ear cup’s large internal space brings sufficient volume and “breathing room” to the powerful driver.
Technical tidbits
- Type: Circum-aural closed-back headphones
- Driver: Planar magnetic driver, less than a millionth of a meter thick
- Frequency Response: 6Hz – 75kHz
- Impedance: 30Ω (ohms)
- Sensitivity: 100dB
- Cables: Three are included – 1x 3m cable with ¼” (6.35mm) connector, 1x 1.5m cable with 3.5mm connector, and 1x 3m balanced cable with 4-pin XLR connector
- Weight: 460g (16.2oz)
Where to buy
Final Audio Design SONOROUS X
- Retail Price: $4,999 USD
“The X is a resolute prestige model, the zenith of the SONOROUS series.” – Final Audio Design
The 50 mm diameter driver unit with titanium diaphragm is integrated with the front plate, machined from pure aluminum. In combination with the machined aluminum housing is the machined stainless steel housing that reduces unnecessary vibrations. It was necessary to create the housing from a rigid metal so as to achieve the sense of realism that the X produces.
A proprietary BAM (Balancing Air Movement) mechanism that delivers bass tones and deep, three-dimensional spatial reproduction developed for balanced armature drivers has been employed with a dynamic driver.
With BAM, the idea is to optimize the pressure balance between the front and back of the diaphragm. To thoroughly follow through with this idea, SONOROUS X is sealed so that no air leaks from inside the housing.
Technical tidbits
- Type: Circum-aural closed-back headphones
- Driver: 50mm dynamic driver unit with titanium diaphragm
- Impedance: 16Ω (ohms)
- Sensitivity: 105dB
- Cable: Detachable cable with locking mechanism (3m / 1.5m)
- Weight: 630g (22.2oz)
Where to buy
Abyss AB-1266 Phi TC (Total Consciousness) Headphones
- Retail Price: $4,995 USD
This model features many unique elements, including formed aluminum sides that are acoustically tuned to the patented planar magnetic transducer planer speaker drivers for completely open sound. Also unique are high-tech, durable two-tone polymer ceramic coating on the all-aluminum frame along with newly designed lambskin ear pads for greater comfort and finely tuned acoustics.
The chassis consists of left/right side frames and an adjustable two-piece headband. There are no plastic parts to break with the frame, and all components are CNC machined from solid aluminum for exceptional strength. Matched driver pairs are a standout.
The padded leather headband with head movement isolation properly distributes weight for hours of comfortable wear. Looks are deceiving – these headphones are designed to float atop and loosely touch your ears (no problem with eyeglasses) rather than clamp your head.
Technical tidbits
- Type: Circum-aural open-back headphones
- Driver: 66 mm planar magnetic
- Frequency Response: 5Hz – 30kHz
- Impedance: 47Ω (ohms)
- Sensitivity: 88dB
- Distortion: Less than 1%; Less than 0.2% through ears most sensitive range
- Cable: detachable Balanced 8 FT (2.5 meter) 4 pin XLR cable, with flexible 1/4″ (6.3 mm) adaptor. All cables are high-performance custom made by JPS Labs for Abyss.
- Weight: 640g (22.6oz)
Where to buy
STAX SR-009S Open-Back Electrostatic Headphones
- Retail Price: $4,325 USD
This is the STAX flagship. The multilayer fixed electrode MLER (Multi-Layer-Elect-Rords) established with SR-009 has evolved to MLER 2. The finish and etching process that smoothes the edge of the electrode opening reduces air resistance and further improves sound permeability. Also, the electrodes themselves are gold plated with high specific gravity to minimize the resonance of the ultra-thin electrode.
Aluminum is abundantly used at the frame to realize high-quality sound, rigidity, and lower weight. Almost every part of the SR-009 is manufactured through precise machine processing.
The earpads are made by hand and feature both leather and cushion material with moderate elasticity, enabling hours of comfortable listening. The headband is equipped with a position adjustment mechanism of 10-step slider and corresponds to the wide range of cranial forms with individual differences.
Technical tidbits
- Type: Push-pull open-back circular electrostatic headphones
- Driver: Electrostatic – multilayer fixed electrode MLER (Multi-Layer-Elect-Rords)
- Frequency Response: 5Hz – 42kHz
- Electrostatic Capacitance: 110pF (including cable)
- Impedance: 145Ω (ohms)
- Sensitivity: 101dB
- Maximum Sound Pressure: 118dB / 400Hz
- Bias Voltage: 580V DC
- Cable: Detachable silver-coated 6N (99.9999%) OFC parallel 6-strand, low-capacity special wide cable, 2.5m full length
- Weight: 454g (16oz)
Where to buy
Final Audio Design D8000 Pro Edition
- Retail Price D8000 Pro Edition: $4,299 USD
- Retail Price D8000: $3,799 USD
Made in Japan, the D8000 Pro Edition leaves the delicate sound quality of the D8000 intact and has undergone retuning of driver units in accordance with actual use for professional sound recordings upon the request of recording engineers who wish to listen at louder sound volumes than ordinary consumers.
To establish AFDS, an extremely high level of precision compared to typical driver units is necessary. Because of this, the machined aluminum magnesium alloy housing is machined with great precision. The black option has a ‘leathercoat’ finish similar to those used for expensive cameras. The silver option has been imparted with an Alumite anodized aluminum finish.
Technical tidbits
- Type: Circum-aural closed-back headphones
- Housing: Aluminum magnesium alloy
- Driver: AFDS planar magnetic
- Impedance: 60Ω (ohms)
- Sensitivity: 98dB
- Cable: One (1) detachable OFC black cable 1.5m, 3.5mm plug and one (1) OFC silver coated cable 3m, 6.3mm plug
- Weight: 523g (18.4oz)
Where to buy
HIFIMAN Shangri-La Jr
- Retail Price: $4,000 USD
HIFIMAN believes that this electrostatic model literally has an unheard of performance-to-value ratio. The nanotech drivers are less than 0.001mm thick and couple fast transient response with near-zero distortion. The nano-particle coated diaphragm provides an extreme high-frequency response. In addition, the metal mesh stators working close to the ultra-fine diaphragm offer superior openness and minimizes distortion.
HIFIMAN also asserts that this model is ergonomic and lightweight for superior extended listening comfort.
Technical tidbits
- Type: Circum-aural open-back headphones
- Driver: Electrostatic
- Frequency Response: 7Hz – 120kHz
- Bias Voltage: 550v – 650v
- Cables: Three are included – 1x 3m cable with ¼” (6.35mm) connector, 1x 1.5m cable with 3.5mm connector, and 1x 3m balanced cable with 4-pin XLR connector
- Weight: 374g (13.2oz)
Where to buy
Abyss DIANA® Phi Premium Audiophile Headphones
- Retail Price: $3,995 USD
The DIANA headphones were launched in 2018, touted as the world’s thinnest boutique headphones. They feature a high-tech ceramic finish and are sculpted from aircraft-grade aluminum for incredible strength.
The large 63 mm patented Phi planar drivers with ultra-low mass diaphragm for extremely fast bass impact and subtle lifelike details to music. In addition, a Fibonacci side hole pattern properly tunes the sound.
High-quality leather and soft Alcantara are used for the hand-carved extra-wide low profile ear pads that offer minimal clamping force. Abyss employs an EMotion headband that magnetically adjusts and contours your head for a comfortable fit.
Technical tidbits
- Type: Circum-aural open-back headphones
- Driver: 63 mm planar magnetic
- Frequency Response: 6Hz – 26kHz
- Impedance: 32Ω (ohms)
- Sensitivity: 91dB
- Cable: Detachable 1.5 meter/5 FT, with choice of 3.5 mm, 2.5 mm balanced, 4 pin XLR or 4.4 mm balanced plug. All cables are high-performance custom-made by JPS Labs for Abyss.
- Weight: 350g (12.3oz)
Where to buy
Audeze LCD-4z
- Retail Price: $3,995 USD
The LCD-4z are acoustically engineered for accuracy with a special 15 ohm voice-coil that is significantly easier to drive than the original LCD4.
The LCD-4z feature Audeze’s most advanced diaphragm design – their exclusive nano-scale film actually weighs less than the air it displaces!
The diaphragm’s light weight results in faster response times for better imaging, and the flattest, deepest, most accurate bass response of any headphones available.
Double Fluxor Magnet Arrays focus the magnetic flux to a previously unheard of 1.5 Tesla, nearly 2x the power driving the diaphragm for improved transient response and far greater resolution. In addition, the patented Fluxor Magnet Arrays focus the magnetic flux nearly doubling the power driving the diaphragm for near-zero distortion and greater accuracy.
Technical tidbits
- Type: Circum-aural open-back headphones
- Driver: 106mm planar magnetic, Double Fluxor™ magnet array
- Magnet Type: Neodymium N50
- Frequency Response: 5Hz – 50kHz
- Impedance: 15Ω (ohms)
- Sensitivity: 98dB
- Maximum SPL: >130dB
- THD: <0.1% @ 100dB
- Maximum Power Handling: 5W RMS
- Minimum Power Requirement: >100mW
- Recommended Power Level: >250mW
- Cable: Detachable 1.9m 1/4” to dual 4-pin mini-XLR Premium LCD cable
- Weight: 600g (21.2oz)
Where to buy
Spirit Torino Twin Pulse 1706
- Retail Price: $3,950 USD
The Spirit’s inertial chassis features a combination of an anticorodal aluminum frame made from billet with an anti-resonant and anti-reflective treatment for the internal chamber, making it completely inert to the stresses of the driver.
This design approach optimizes the focusing of the soundstage and eliminates the coloring added to the reproduced sound due to interactions between materials.
Spirit Pads are made with a combination of fine leather and Alcantara to offer superior breathability and comfort. Each pad also includes a careful study of the pressure relief flow channeling to make the driver workload symmetrical in compression and decompression of the chambers.
The Twin Pulse offer playback linearity calibrated on isophonic Fletcher-Munson curves (of equal sensitivity to the human ear) and can therefore be used as a reference tool to verify the timbre reliability of a recording.
Technical tidbits
- Type: Circum-aural open-back headphones
- Driver: Dynamic, Twin Pulse Isobaric System
- Impedance: 64Ω (ohms)
- Frequency Response: 24Hz – 28kHz calibrated on isophonic curves
- Maximum Power Handling: 4000mW
- Cable: 2.2 m fixed welded to silver, 4-strand braid of coaxial cable of quadruple cross-section
- Weight: 540g (19oz)
Where to buy
Kennerton Thror Bubinga
- Retail Price: $3,870 USD
Kennerton has designed 80 mm planar magnetic carbon-fiber speaker drivers housed in aerospace-grade aluminum and steel to deliver absolute acoustic purity and offer unprecedented levels of clarity and resolution to sound. The ear cups are made of Bubinga, an African hardwood, and the ear pads are crafted from lambskin leather. As a result, each pair is unique.
Technical tidbits
- Type: Circum-aural open-back headphones
- Driver: 80 mm planar magnetic
- Frequency Response: 10Hz – 55kHz
- Impedance: 42Ω (ohms)
- Sensitivity: 100dB
- Cable: Detachable 2m copper cable (6.3mm)
- Weight: 390g (13.8oz)
Where to buy
ULTRASONE Edition 15
- Retail Price: $3,640 USD
Made in Germany, the Edition 15 are a truly special set of headphones, featuring an innovative driver technology: gold titanium compound (GTC). The driver combines a gold foil membrane and a titanium dome to deliver outstanding sound performance. The Edition 15 reproduce the entire sound spectrum in outstanding detail and with extreme transparency.
In addition, they are the first set of open headphones to feature patented S-LogicEX® technology. Due to the way the drivers are arranged in the ear cups, the listening experience is incredibly natural and feels more like listening to music on high-quality speakers.
The Edition 15 headphones achieve the same perceived volume with significantly lower sound pressure, allowing for longer periods of listening without fatigue.
Their exclusivity is reflected in the materials used. The ear cups are made from American cherry wood, a material also used in instrument making. High-quality microvelour ear cushions with Merino leather are magnetically attached.
Technical tidbits
- Type: Circum-aural open back headphones
- Driver: Dynamic 40mm gold-plated with titanium compound
- Magnet Type: Neodymium
- Frequency Response: 5Hz – 48kHz
- Impedance: 40Ω (ohms)
- Sensitivity: 94dB
- Cable: Detachable four-core cable with LEMO connectors
- Weight: 320g (11.3oz)
Where to buy
HIFIMAN HE1000se
- Retail Price: $3,500 USD
HIFIMAN’s HE10000se share much of their technology with the top-of-the-line Susvara, using an advanced magnet design that aims to be acoustically transparent, dramatically reducing wave diffraction turbulence which degrades the integrity of the sound waves. The result is reduced distortion, yielding a purer, more harmonious sound that is audibly so.
The metal structure is created via CNC milling and hand polishing. To meet the critical standard set out by HIFIMAN, the surface finish is meticulously applied by skilled HIFIMAN craftsmen. With their bold design, exceptional audio quality, and exquisite craftsmanship, the HE1000se are prestige headphones that redefine the audio landscape.
Technical tidbits
- Type: Circum-aural open-back headphones with asymmetrical ear cups
- Driver: Planar magnetic driver, less than a millionth of a meter thick
- Frequency Response: 8Hz – 65kHz
- Impedance: 35Ω (ohms)
- Sensitivity: 96dB
- Cables: Three are included – 1x 3m cable with ¼” (6.35mm) connector, 1x 1.5m cable with 3.5mm connector, and 1x 3m balanced cable with 4-pin XLR connector
- Weight: 440g (15.5oz)
Where to buy
RAAL-requisite SR1a Earfield Monitors
- Retail Price: $3,500 USD (includes Ribbon/Amplifier Interface)
Every SR1a is expertly handmade in Serbia. The SR1a by RAAL-requisite are the world’s first Earfield™ headphone monitor. Earfield™ technology delivers unheard of program accuracy and a speaker-like soundfield experience.
This design eliminates heat buildup on the ears providing a cool, natural airflow. The complete absence of sound pressure against the eardrums caused by traditional sealed can designs means that the SR1a headphones can be worn comfortably for hours at any listening level.
The SR1a features carbon fiber baffles, a stainless spring steel headband, plush memory foam bars, and lambskin leather.
Technical tidbits
- Type: Earfield™ open baffle (floating near the ears, do not enclose ears)
- Driver: True-Ribbon™ aluminum ribbon drivers
- Impedance: 0.2 Ohms with cabling, used in series Ribbon/Amplifier Interface
- Amplifier Interface: Ribbon/Amplifier Interface, 6 Ohms
- Amplifier Power Rating: 100W
- Sensitivity: 91dB/1W
- Max SPL: 111 dB
- Frequency Response: 30Hz – 30kHz
- Cable: 7’ proprietary cable with 4’ extension cable
- Weight: 425g (15oz)
Where to buy
Conclusion
We hope you enjoyed this journey into the exotic. All are state-of-the-art and represent the finest of engineering and craftsmanship. Each of these headphones endeavor to recreate the realism of live music and sound. If this is your personal ambition – seek these out, experience them for yourself, and invest in these exclusive pieces of art and technology.
Remember to please share your stories with us if you’re one of the few who have experienced them or fortunate enough to be an owner!
You might want to check out the Spirit Torino Valkyria, at $12k. It’s made of titanium, only 99 units worldwide. https://www.head-fi.org/threads/spirit-torino-valkyria.951421/