iBeats by Dr Dre

Great design
Keep their cool at high volumes
Decent sound quality

The headphones themselves look pretty attractive. Each 'bud puts us in mind of a very tiny turbine engine. Ours came in a tasteful black finish, but chrome, black and black-aluminium versions are also available. Whatever colour you opt for, there's a strip of red that surrounds the back of each bud, forming the Beats 'b' logo.

One bud has a blue strip around the front, while the other has a red strip, which looks cool, and might help you remember which is left and which is right (though little 'L' and 'R' symbols are also stamped on). Ultimately, this detail will be obscured by the side of your face. All things considered, though, these are well-designed, distinctive-looking headphones.