TIME isn't the publication we usually go to for music news, but a recent study piqued our interest: What headphone lines are the best and what brands can't live up to the hype? You may be surprised...unless you're a hardcore audiophile...in which case you won't be surprised at all.

The methodology was simple enough, giving 75 percent of the ranking to reviews from experts (such as Wired or CNET), essentially working as a Metacritic for headphones. The other 25 percent of the rankings was assigned to the actual technical specifications of the product...does it have noise cancellation? How sensitive is it?

We'll state the obvious and note that a problem with TIME's rankings is that it doesn't seem as if anyone from the publication actually tried the products themselves. That's understandable to a degree, as more than 3,000 different products were included in the consideration and no editor is going to give you that kind of budget. But still...surely someone could have considered Kind of Blue through a few pairs of the big names?

Regardless, we feel a large percentage of trendy headphone buyers are about to be disappointed: Beats by Dre, the most affirmed brand on the market right now, came in at a lowly 17 (out of 18). "Yes, each brand has a handful of decent products," they wrote about the last three placers. "But the average, mid-range product from either company likely isn't worth your money."

Another big name that placed disappointingly was Bose, which came in at no. 12...behind Apple. Wait, seriously? The bane of dedicated listeners everywhere? We're not sure if we buy TIME's arguments for the iPod bonus gift, unless the issue of price is a major factor for consideration.

So who won? The Top 3 placers were Shure, Grado and Klipsch, respectively-brands that spend far less on television campaigns. The magazine notes that these are also fairly pricey options but "are the most reliable buys on this list, with outstanding performance and consistently glowing reviews from experts."

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