Thanks to the culmination of downloadable music, ubiquitous smartphones, and a major expansion of manufacturers spawned in part by Dr. Dre’s Beats, the headphone industry has undergone something of a renaissance in recent years. As such, we’ve been neck deep in earcups and headbands for a long time here at Digital Trends. But every once and awhile, scattered among the litter of plastic shells and collapsible metal hinges, we come across a pair of ‘phones that are so gorgeously crafted from top to bottom, we simply have to stop and drink them in.
Inspired by those solemn triumphs of man’s will to create works of both aural and visual beauty, we’ve put together this gallery of just some of the most dazzling headphones ever forged. All of our examples offer an aesthetic that would not only look good on the mantel, but would also likely class up the entire room in which said mantel resides. If we could manage it, we’d own them all. But since that’s unlikely in this lifetime, we’re content for now to simply gaze upon their glory. We hope you’ll enjoy staring at them as much as we do.
