Was 2025 the Best Year EVER for Headphones?

We recently discussed why 2025 may have been the best year for headphone releases ever, comparing it to past years as well as indicating what they hope for in years to come.

2025 has been one of the best years for headphone releases. The trend in the headphone industry has shifted towards "normal" or reasonably tuned headphones, rather than overly specialized or esoteric tunings, which means a wider range of consumers now have access to products we would say are, simply put, better overall.

While some consumers will still want the "vividness" and "firework show" of more specialized tunings, more normal things coming out is a very good thing, and does not diminish the vast majority of "vivid" products out there. If you want a fireworks show, you have plenty of options—but now, so do the people who want something more normal sounding.

We think its great that products like the Hifiman Edition XV and HEDDphone D1 have come out, become instant contenders for many peoples "daily drivers," and, importantly, have sold well to begin with. This indicates not only that people want these more "normal" products, but that when people get them, they use them a lot.

Companies can still iterate on "normal" tunings to create listening experiences that are special and enjoyable, like we've seen with the progress of wireless headphone technology utilizing DSP in the consumer and gaming spaces, or with IEMs like the Prisma Lumen or the CrinEar Daybreak.

We want to encourage manufacturers to continue exploring different variations of "normal" tunings, rather than settling for a single definition of what "normal" should sound like.

Everybody is winning in the current headphone landscape, with no clear downsides to the releases of 2025 in any category whether it be headphones, IEMs, wireless, or gaming headsets. And we think that's great. Onward to 2026!