21 best audio gifts for the music lover in your life

CMF Buds2
These cheap little earbuds are a great stuffing filler for your audio obsessed loved ones. They have great sound quality, a cool design, and they even block loads of noise with their ANC. 55 hours of battery life rounds a great pair of inexepensive earbuds.

Apple AirPods 4
If someone in your life needs a new pair of buds to go with their iPhone, make sure you pick them up a pair of Airpods 4 with ANC. They're a comfortable pair of buds that do a surprisingly good job of blocking out noise — and they're a cost-effective way to get some AirPods in your pockets.

Bose QuietComfort Ultra Earbuds
You won’t find noise canceling like this anywhere else. From the moment I first put them in my ears, I was immediately impressed with the way they sealed me into my own world, away from the environment that surrounded me. They are super comfortable too, and thanks to their small size they fit into any pocket. A great gift for a student going to college, and great for bus and train journeys — or a busy university library.

Sony WH-1000XM5
These are some of the best headphones money can buy, and they’re the perfect gift for someone looking for some epic headphones. They are extremely comfortable so you can enjoy your music for the entire 30 hours of battery life. The noise canceling is brilliant too, so your music lover can listen to their favorite tunes without being disturbed in a noisy environment.

Sennheiser HD560 S
The best headphones for the beginner audiophile, the HD560 S are a well-priced, great-sounding wired pair of audiophile headphones. They’re super comfortable as well thanks to their massive earpads. The open-backed design is well-suited to what we call ‘critical listening’, and it helps make them sound more open and airy. They’re not too expensive either, so they’re a great holiday gift.

Bowers & Wilkins PX7 S3
These are my favorite headphones, especially in this fetching blue colorway. This is the perfect present for the wireless-toting audio fan in your life, thanks to their excellent sound, and solid ANC. They're also very comfortable indeed, and the protective case is amongst the very best around.

Dali IO-8
These headphones are made by Danish speaker maker Dali, and they sound phenomenal. They're comfortable too — although you might be wondering about that price. They're a luxury headphone, smothered in leather and fabric to go with their metallic accents. While expensive, these are the perfect gift for the wireless audiophile in your life.

Bose QuietComfort Ultra Headphones Gen 2
These are the best headphones around if you're looking for something to block out every single ounce of noise. They're very comfortable, sound excellent, and feature some extra Spatial Audio features to make your music more immersive. Perfect for your friend or family member who's always on the go.

Ultimate Ears Miniroll
The Miniroll is the ultimate musical companion for the outdoors person in your life. It’s a super small Bluetooth speaker, so it’ll fit into a backpack without a problem. It’s sturdy too, which will let it survive even the most traumatic of outdoor mishaps. I also love the way that it sounds, with plenty of bass despite its tiny size. At only $79 it's a Bluetooth bargain.

Bose SoundLink Flex
The Bose SoundLink Flex is a lovely-looking little Bluetooth speaker, perfect for the casual listener who wants some background music. They're not super expensive, and it would be a great, colorful surprise to find under the tree over the holidays.

Marshall Emberton III
This stylish Bluetooth speaker is small and powerful. It has the signature Marshall warmth, and it looks like a little version of one of the firm's traditional guitar amps. There’s 30 hours of battery life so you won’t need to charge it that much, and it’s IP67 dust and water-resistance so it go anywhere without risk of damage. Perfect for the rock fan in your life who wants to take their tunes on the go.

Sonos Arc Ultra
The Sonos Arc Ultra is a truly magnificent piece of audio hardware that anyone would be amazed to add to their home entertainment system. It sounds big, has loads of bass, and adds an extra layer of movie immersion thanks to its Dolby Atmos certification. It's not cheap, but it's the perfect big gift for the movie buff in your life.

PreSonus Eris 3.5 Studio Monitors
If a Bluetooth speaker isn’t enough sound for you, but you don’t want to buy a massive pair of speakers that take up too much space, then some small powered speakers are a great option. These ones happen to sound really good as well, and they’ve got a whole bunch of inputs in the back so that you can plug loads of different stuff in. There’s a Bluetooth model, but that will cost extra.

Wiim Sound
The Wiim Sound is the new smart speaker on the block, but my initial testing says that it could really shape things up. It's a handsome thing with a fun touch screen on the front, along with a very useful remote control. Of course, it also happens to sound excellent — and you can connect two together for even better sound!

Kanto Ora4
If you're looking to buy a gift for someone who likes to make music as much as they like to listen to it, then the Kanto ORA4 are a great pair of studio monitors. They're great for listening to your favorite tunes, but thanks to their USB-C connector they also hook up to a music-making PC. They sound excellent as well.

Ticketmaster Voucher
I’m not just about listening to great music at home — as my many, many ticket stubs and mosh pit-induced bruises would attest to, I’m a massive fan of live music and everything it has to offer. Ticketmaster is perhaps the most popular ticket platform, and a gift voucher here would allow the person you’re buying for to choose what band they want to see and when.

Record Album Frame
One of the best things about Vinyl (apart from its wonderful sound and tactility) are those massive, colorful artwork covers. Some of them are nice enough to mount on the wall, so that everyone can see just how much you like Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band. This display case is just one of many that you can find, although it’s cool because it lets you display the disc with the cover. Perfect for picture discs.

iFi Hip-Dac 3
Got an audiophile that you’re trying to buy for? A DAC is the ultimate audio upgrade, and the hip-dac is a very well-priced portable option. It looks like a kind of audio hipflask, although instead of filled with moonshine, it’s loaded with sonic black magic. There are two headphone inputs for different kinds of headphones, and it's powerful enough to drive even some of the more demanding audiophile cans. I adore mine, and I think your audiophile friends or family members will too.

Wiim Amp Pro
The Wiim Amp Pro is the perfect start to a small Hi-Fi separates system. It is plenty powerful so it’ll run most passive speakers without issue, and it’s got built-in Wi-Fi music streaming so you don’t need a separate device. There out inputs for other devices in the back so you can add a turntable or CD player as well. It all works with the excellent Wiim Amp. It’s a great gift for a music lover who wants to get started with a more serious audio setup.

Pro-ject Automat A1 Phono
The A1 Phono is a great entry-level vinyl player. Pro-Ject makes some excellent turntables, and the A1 is their best value option. It sounds amazing despite its lower price, and there’s a built-in phono preamp so that you don’t need a separate one. It’s automatic as well, so you don’t have to worry about lifting the arm when the record is over. A great first turntable that only needs a pair of powered speakers to get going.

Fiio M11S
Your iPhone or Android smartphone are only so good at playing music — for the best quality, you want a dedicated music-playing device. This one from FiiO is an excellent option, with plenty of power to drive demanding headphones and some great format support on board. If you've got an Audiophile on the go in your family, this is a great gift for the holidays.