I haven’t found a pair of headphones with a better sound than these, but there is a catch.

$1.250 at AmazonAdd our website as a preferred resourcein Google.

Since the 1980s, I’ve been a fan of headphones. I was a student back then and could not afford the best headphones. I still searched for headphones that I could afford and delivered a sound that was worthy of my discerning palate.

I would ask “Can I try those?” whenever I saw someone wearing headphones in the hope of finding just the right pair.

Fast forward to today, and I get a lot headphones for review. I always think “Please, blow me away.” Some have reached such heights (such as anything from Beyerdynamic), yet even those I would not place in the audiophile class.

The viral wireless audio device for in-flight entertainment has just received a major upgrade, and it is legit.

I recently received an offer to test a pair headphones from a brand I had never heard of before called Dali. The headphones in question are? TheIO-8 over-ear headphones.

The IO-8s are priced at $1,250 on Amazon. The IO-8s are a niche product, but they do a great job. Why do I say this? The IO-8 headphones I have on my ears are the best headphones I’ve ever used.

My Experience

I have a favorite song that I use to test the sound quality of headphones. This song is “Tricycle” from Flim & the BBs. In the mid-nineties I worked for a company that installed sound system that cost six and seven figures.

The owner would come to the job site with some advanced technology and “noise” his system by introducing pink and white noise through the speakers. After they dialed everything in, the owner would then play “Tricycle” and see how it sounded. If the system was able to play the song according to his insane standards, then he would consider the job complete.

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Although I don’t play the piece “Tricycle” in every headphone review, (because most headphones cannot do it justice), I knew that when I saw the price for the IO-8 headsets, I would be able to tell how well they performed.

This song is a splendid piece of music that really highlights a speaker’s soundstage and how well it can handle lows and highs. I’m here to tell you the IO-8s handled it to perfection. These are, without a doubt, the best-sounding wireless headphones I’ve ever experienced.

Ever. Period.

And this is without having to install an app and adjust the EQ curve to meet my discerning taste. I simply turned them on, paired them with my Pixel 9 Pro, and tapped play on Spotify. These babies are magic.

The IO-8 headphones have two modes: bass and hi-fi. By default, they are set on hi-fi, which was stunning. The bass mode was a bit much for “Tricycle,” so I switched it up and tapped play on Devin Townsend’s “PowerNerd.” The bass mode on this song bumped up until it felt like a giant was dancing on my head.

It was head-banging glory. I’m not going to go through a set list of songs I played for testing because I can just say one thing about them all: Brilliant!

Also: These Beyerdynamic headphones deliver premium and rich sound while undercutting the competition

That’s right. The IO-8 headphones played every song and genre like they were built specifically for that particular song. The only downside of this experience is that every other pair I test from this point on out will probably not measure up.

This is not hyperbole, as these headphones are the real deal.

ZDNET’s buying advice

The Dali IO-8 headphones are expensive, no doubt. But when you’re looking at headphones on this level, you should expect prices to soar into the four and five figures. And to be clear, the Dali’s midrange headphones are the IO-8 .

If you can’t afford to spend more than $1,250 for headphones, then look away. If you have a taste for audio that is above average and are willing to spend this much money, you will be hard-pressed not to find a pair of headphones better at this price.

To summarize, if you have the money, buy the IO-8s. Two warnings are all I have for you:

1. You will never be able to listen to other headphones again.
2. You might find that the IO-8s will make you smile all day long. You’ve been warned. You’ve been warned.

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