AKG’s Y500 on-ear wireless headphones sport an ultra-compact, folding form factor and good wireless features, but their wired performance is where they really shine.

The headphone market is a huge one and as a result of that, people aren’t looking for exactly the same things when choosing a product. The AKG Y500 is not all things to all people. If you want the ultimate in fidelity at the price, you’ll need to go wired and look at Grado or Sennheiser. For £50 more, the Audio Technica M50xBT is still an absurdly good headphone that offers wireless performance more akin to models nearer the £300 point. Then, in absolute noise cancelling terms, it’s not as capable as some more normal offerings.

These on-ear headphones are best suited to people who want to take their music with them anywhere they go, as they can take full advantage of the incredible battery life and embrace the full benefits of the lightweight and compact design.

If you're looking for affordable, attractive and comfortable cans that aren't massive over-ears or uncomfortable in-ears then the AKG Y500 delivers all that in an on-ear format with the bonus of wireless connectivity.

Affordable on-ear headphones gain a zero, lose the bling

The remote control of these foldable Bluetooth headphones has good functionality and the Ambient Aware mode offers a situational option for external perception. In terms of sound, the Y500 turns out to be a powerhouse with energetic sound, but more precision with clearer contours would have made them even better.

There aren’t many on-ear Bluetooth headphones on the market like the AKG Y500 but that’s no excuse for sub-par sound quality

Fantastic design, good audio performance and clever features ensure these Y500s are a crowd-pleasing hit