I hate expensive headphones but after years of testing, I've finally found a pair I can't live without

Date:
Thu, 14 May 2026 21:00:00 +0000

Description:
I've been these AKG headphones for 12 months now, and they still get daily use.

FULL STORY ======================================================================Copy link Facebook X Whatsapp Reddit Pinterest Flipboard Threads Email Share this article 0 Join the conversation Follow us Add us as a preferred source on Google Newsletter Subscribe to our newsletter Many people review tech so they can test fancy and expensive new gadgets, but I love the cheapies; the affordable yet competitive tech that most consumers actually buy, that offers you actually exciting value for money.

Because of that, I've always had an aversion to expensive audio products. Sure, the best headphones may sound amazing, but if they cost more than a month's groceries, then I'm not convinced. No; give me a pair of the best cheap headphones and I'll be a happy chappy (whose wallet will be equally chipper). I don't mind sacrificing on some audio quality and noise cancellation, and I love how affordable tech often has a more hardy build and longer-lasting battery. Latest Videos From You may like OneOdio Focus A1 Pro review: budget headphones that sound much better than you'd expect The
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Nothing Headphone (a) review: fixes the problems of the original, for a cheaper price Recent headphones such as the OneOdio Focus A1 Pro , Soundpeats Cove Pro and Soundcore Space Two have all impressed me more than the next audiophile headset would. Unfortunately, extra groceries are not the only thing I get to consume this week, because I'm now having to eat my words. A year ago I tested the AKG N9 and, without exaggeration, I've used them (almost) every day since. AKGee whizz (Image credit: Future) As smart readers will have gathered from the headlines, the AKG N9 are two things: a) headphones and b) expensive, retailing for $399 / 299 / AU$499 at the time of release, rarely seeing discounts from that retail cost.

The picture above shows you what they look like; they have a premium finish, comfortable pads and fairly reasonable weight for what's within. I know many audiophiles lament AKG's free-wheeling pre-Harman/ Samsung acquisition days, but I'm still pretty fond of what its created since then. Get daily insight, inspiration and deals in your inbox Sign up for breaking news, reviews, opinion, top tech deals, and more. Contact me with news and offers from other Future brands Receive email from us on behalf of our trusted partners or sponsors By submitting your information you agree to the Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy and are aged 16 or over.

One of their best specs is the battery life, which goes to an astounding 100 hours if you've got ANC turned off (55 hours with it turned on, which is
still two straight days of listening and then most of The Lord of the Rings
). It's a fantastic figure which lets forgetful people (two thumbs pointed straight at me) avoid charging them for weeks on end.

Despite my distain for pricey tech (and despite the existence of fancy multi-thousand-dollar headphones, these still are expensive), I gave the AKG N9 four and a half stars out of five in my review , which took a lot for someone as cynical as I. And that's all because of the killer feature which has cemented these as my favorite headphones. Dongle breakin' my heart (Image credit: Future) Nestled inside one of the AKG N9's cups is a little USB-C dongle. If you plug this into a device, it'll override that device's audio output so that sound will come out of the AKG N9 instead. What to read next The best headphones you can buy today, all tested by our experts The best noise cancelling headphones, all TechRadar tested The best wireless earbuds for all budgets, all tested by our reviewers

This has three benefits. Firstly, for the headphones, it lets you quickly connect them to whichever device you want to use, without the arduous Bluetooth pairing game, or for work devices where maybe that's not an option. Secondly, for a device, it lets you easily switch from your current speaker
or earbud to the AKGs.

Lastly, the connection is also higher-quality and lower-latency than Bluetooth, which is always welcome.

It's a novel feature, which the N9 shares with its sibling earbuds the AKG N5 and only a handful of gaming buds, and I waxed lyrical in my review about how cool it was. I talked about how being able to switch between your various gadgets easily, or borrow other people's, could be incredibly convenient.

A year later, and I'm back with actual experience of all that. Not only have the AKG N9 shown themselves for even more handy use cases, but I've used them probably every day since. Flatmate bane (Image credit: Future) I use the Creative Pebble Nova on my PC: I like the way they sound, I like the way they look, and may have conveniently 'forgotten' to give them back to TechRadar after my review was published. However they don't get as much use as they deserve, because of the AKG.

The N9's dongle now takes an almost-permanent place in the USB-C port atop my computer, so I can pull it out if I want to use the speakers or push it in when I want the headphones. And most of the time, I want to use the headphones.

I've got a flatmate and I don't want to annoy him by using the loud and bassy speakers; when I hear him come home, I can slip in the dongle and play games or watch a movie from the headphones instead. Likewise when he leaves, it's only seconds before I'm listening to my videos with the speakers.

It helps that the AKG sound amazing and have hardy noise cancellation, which help me forget that my house borders a train line and is under a flight path. I find it easier to hear videos and get immersed in games when I'm using
them. (Image credit: Future) For various tasks, I've also got my iPad, laptop and phone, so if I need to I can also start using the N9 on these devices
with no re-connection fiddling; likewise my partner can borrow them for her tablet without any fuss. I've taken them on holidays, on coffee-shop work trips, and to friends' houses.

As I use them, more handy use cases for the AKG N9 crop up; only the other
day I used them (with a converter) alongside an audio field recorder to check a mic was working. I could have spent ages trying to find my wired
headphones, or some seconds with the N9.

The only thing I can't use them for is exercise, but thankfully I test plenty of open earbuds for that.

If I calculated the price of individual headphones or earbuds for the various tasks I use the AKG N9 for, it'd certainly be more than the cans themselves cost. I may hate expensive headphones and still consider the vast majority unnecessary, but versatile headphones like these will save the right buyer loads of money. Today's best AKG N9 deals 182.87 View 219 View Low Stock 245 View Show more We check over 250 million products every day for the best prices Follow TechRadar on Google News and add us as a preferred source to
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Link to news story: https://www.techradar.com/audio/wireless-headphones/i-hate-expensive-headphone s-but-after-years-of-testing-ive-finally-found-a-pair-i-cant-live-without


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