My favorite wired headphones have a massive $250 discount in the October Prime Day sales

Sennheiser is the king (or just monarch) of making audiophile headphones, and there are few that cement that legacy like the HD 660 S2. They're a powerhouse of wired headphone brilliance, bringing great sound quality and soundstage to a light, comfortable design.

It's just become a whole lot easier to get hold of a pair as well. Thanks to a massive $250 discount, you can buy the Sennheiser HD 660 S2 for $429 at Amazon. That's a great price for one of my favorite pairs of wired headphones. Best be quick, though — there's only one day of Prime Day left!

Sennheiser HD 660 S2: was $679 now $429 at Amazon

Sennheiser's upgraded audiophile cans take a classic design and make them even better. They're a rich-sounding, open pair of headphones that bring stunning detail and expansive soundstage to the table. They're power hungry, so they won't sound their best directly out of your laptop headphone jack, but they're worth every cent.

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When I test headphones, I have a selection of what are called 'reference' headphones. They are permanently on my testbench, giving me clear sound quality and comfort references to compare with any of the best headphones that arrive. The HD 660 S2 have a place in my venerable reference list for one, very important reason — their immaculate, detailed and dynamic sound.

Thanks to the open-backed nature, they've got one of the widest soundstages around. The Sony WH-1000XM5 are known for their wide soundstage, and yet they can't hold a candle to the spaciousness of the sound from the HD 660 S2.

Their detail is one of the other key reasons they get compared to everything else. They're able to extract even the finest points of any track you throw at them, from the shuffling of feet and papers in an orchestral recording to breathy moments that would be otherwise inaudible in other headphones.

Whenever people ask me what headphones they should buy if they're getting serious about quality, the HD 660 S2 are always close to the top of the list. In addition to their excellent sound, they're light and comfortable and feature a helpful replaceable cable.

They're not cheap, even at this deal price, but they're a stunning pair of headphones and a great way to really dig deep into your listening. Even better? They not only sound better than the AirPods Max, but with this discount, they also cost less.