Astell&Kern better hope these Layla Aion headphones sound better than they look

If you like your in-ear headphones to make you look like a roadie for a second-rate metal band, Astell&Kern have got just the pair for you. Adorned with a chrome A&K logo on one side, and the Jerry Hardy Audio one on the other, the Layla Aion’s black-and-red pearloid colour scheme is certainly an acquired taste. But with the carbon fibre shells housing a whopping 12 drivers per bud, plus A&K’s freqphase technology ensuring all frequencies maintain the correct phase and time alignment, we’re pretty sure they sound better than they look. There’s also a highly durable cable and 3.5mm jack, so they should be able to withstand even the most enthusiastic head-banging. There’s no pricing info yet but A&K’s previous Layla buds cost US$2500, so don’t expect them to come cheap.

Tom Wiggins Contributor

About

Stuff's second Tom has been writing for the magazine and website since 2006, when smartphones were only for massive nerds and you could say “Alexa” out loud without a robot answering. Over the years he’s written about everything from MP3s to NFTs, played FIFA with Trent Alexander-Arnold, and amassed a really quite impressive collection of USB sticks.

Areas of expertise

A bit of everything but definitely not cameras.