The Shure SRH1440 is ideal for all manner of applications where sound quality is of paramount importance. It can compete with the top models on the market when it comes to sound, but it’s bulkier frame and weight means it’s not all that suitable for listening on the go when you’re out and about.

Revealing, comfortable and versatile – as long as you keep them indoors – they perform at the level of the top dogs in their class. Some may prefer a relaxed listen, but these are among the best sub-£250 headphones around.

By the third measure of “Movement and Location” by the Punch Brothers during my initial listening session, I was in seriously deep like with the Shure SRH1440 headphones. They deliver music with clarity and neutrality yet they’re easy on and around your ears. The SRH1440’s headphones offer a particularly well-balanced set of sonic virtues that should set them near the top of the short list for anyone with a hankering to own a great pair of open-back, super-comfortable headphones for under $400.

If you want the best all-rounder, opt for Shure. If you listen to old sub-par recordings or prefer a more relaxed sound at the expense of detail, go with the DT880. If you’re a recovering basshead and feel the urge to fall off the wagon again, give the HiFiMan HE400s a listen. As for Grado, well, we’d say save up another two hundred shekels and think about picking up the RS2e.

The SRH1440 headphones are comfortable and ruggedly built with highly detailed sound that will surely thrill audiophiles