Wired Audio Gear as Gifts: A TechRadar Guide to Matching Headphones to Your Setup

A gift guide built around cables, not codecs

Wired audio gear has resurfaced as a gift idea, and TechRadar audio editor Becky Scarrott has assembled a roundup of earbuds, in-ear monitors, portable players and hi-fi components aimed at listeners leaning into physical media and retro habits. The framing is practical rather than nostalgic: the deciding question, she argues, is what the headphones will be plugged into.

Match the plug to the device first

For buyers whose recipient will connect straight to a phone or tablet, Scarrott points toward USB-C-terminated options. Her picks include the Bose Noise Cancelling Wired Earbuds, the Sennheiser CX 80U and the Sony MDR-3R, the last noted for a retro look the writer likens to 1979.

If instead the listener intends to use a portable DAC to improve phone audio, a 3.5mm termination makes sense. Scarrott recommends the iFi GO Link 2 as an inexpensive DAC that connects over USB-C and offers a 3.5mm jack on the other end. Her headphone suggestions for that route are the Sennheiser IE 200, which she describes as Sennheiser's most affordable modern classic IEMs, and the 1More Triple Driver earbuds, which she notes ship with a USB-C adapter.

Physical players want 3.5mm

The guide includes three devices that play physical media: the Maxell Wireless Cassette Player, the Gadhouse Miko portable cassette player and the Km5 Cp1 CD spinner. All three accept 3.5mm wired headphones or earbuds, so any 3.5mm pick from the list above would pair with them.

The bigger-ticket tier

For larger budgets, Scarrott highlights the Astell & Kern PD5 digital audio player, noting it handles hi-res files only and supports both 3.5mm and balanced 4.4mm connections. For listeners who already own a capable player, she names the HEDD Heddphone D1 as the best headphones she has heard this year, describing them as open-backed, very large and expensive. Rounding out the hi-fi tier, she lists the Ruark Audio Talisman-R passive stereo speakers as a strong traditional option for newer audiophiles, adding that they should suit smaller apartments as well.

What this guide does and doesn't tell you

This is a curated gift list, not a comparative test, and the supplied material contains no measured performance data, prices beyond general characterizations like "inexpensive" and "not at all cheap," or direct comparisons between the featured models. The recommendations rest on the editor's stated experience rather than published benchmarks. Readers weighing an upgrade should treat the list as a starting point for matching connection type and use case, then seek fuller reviews before buying.

The underlying point holds regardless of budget: in wired audio, the cable standard you choose constrains everything downstream. Deciding between USB-C and 3.5mm before shopping is the single most useful step in this guide.