Shure SRH144 Pro-Studio

Shure's latest lineup of headphones takes some clear inspiration from the popular Beats lineup, as so many headphones today do—with one marked difference: the price. At $39, the Shure SRH144 has the look and performance of a far more expensive model. With a focus on crisp high-mids and bright highs, the SRH144 still has plenty of bass, and doesn't distort, even at top volumes—though, the SRH145, also just released, focuses more on bigger bass, if that's your thing. There's no remote control or microphone for mobile devices, but that's the only real downside here. At $40, the SRH144 sounds better than some headphones twice the price, earning it our Editors' Choice award.

Design
Available only in black, the SRH144   is takes a few visual cues from the Beats lineup, with a plastic headband that has a brushed, realistic metal-looking finish. The supra-aural (on-ear) earpads feature well-cushioned, perforated leather with bright green cloth peeking through from beneath the holes.

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The earpads are exceptionally comfortable, and the headband can fold down for more compact storage. Unlike with most headbands, the earpads slide up and down stationary adjusters on the inside of the band, rather than the band itself expanding and contracting.

The earpads more or less adjust themselves when you put them on, and it's possible for one earpad to be as far down on its adjuster as it can be while the other is only mid-way. You wouldn't notice it from the feel of the headphones or the sound performance, but it's possible for them to look uneven. This is nitpicking, however, as it's also easy to slowly adjust either side so that the earpads both fit comfortably and sit in the same spot on their respective adjusters.