Shure's recent flagships, the closed-back SRH1540 and the open-back SRH1840 have teamed up to bring the price of great quality headphones under the £500 mark - but not at the expense of quality or an extremely enjoyable listen.

Close to perfect. For those who want just a little more detail without spilling over into strident territory the Shure SRH1840 is certainly worth considering.

As I come to appreciate slightly brighter headphones and presentations, the Shure SRH1540 is one of the guiding lights along the way.

Dunu's in-ear offerings are as numerous as they are interesting, but the current cherry on the top, the Dunu DN-2000, takes the cake.

The Audeze LCD-XC is definitely one of the top-tier headphones available now, and is a worthy stablemate to the similarly closed-back but smoother Fostex TH900.

This inevitable creep towards better and better sound from a budget IEM is no surprise, but the quality which the Xiaomi Pistons exude is nothing short of stunning.

We are impressed with the sound quality and power which the Fiio E18 provides; together with the mobile DAC functinality and everything else, nothing gives better value for money.

With their solid but light aluminium construction, yielding earpads and flawless sound, the Beyerdynamic T51i allows you to take true Hi-Fi sound wherever you go.

For this showdown we decided to look for the best portable on ear headphone in the £200 to £300 price range.

A great newcomer to the Portable Headphone range – The Aedle VK-1 has real punch with weighty bass and cracking midrange. Not only do they sound exciting, they look it too!

For a portable headphone the KEF M500 is gives you everything – stylish, compact, well built, iPhone compatible, comfortable and it sounds great.

The Full-size Sennheiser Momentum is the big brother to the smaller on-ear Momentum; the last word in luxurious, portable listening with sumptuous earpads made from real leather.

The Hidizs AP100 is certainly worth considering - the name might take some getting used to, but it's plain to see that this player is getting some covetous glances!

Quality cabling is an alien concept to be fair; the signal passes from A to B anyway, why spend money on interconnects which will achieve the same end?

At this price point, you'll find it very difficult to find an earphone with mic as good as the Fidue A31s.