Headphones for heavy metal? These might just rock your world

(Image credit: Heavys)

A Kickstarter campaign has been launched to help bring a set of headphones to the market which are being created specifically to make the most of heavy metal.

Titled Heavys, they’re the brainchild of former Sennheiser audio guru Axel Grell, who spent 27 years at the company and was responsible for their HD series of headphones.

A statement about the headphones reads: “We’re Heavys and we’re self-proclaimed metalheads who want to do justice to the complexities within the genre.

“We’re veterans of the sound world. We’ve been creating great speakers for big companies for more than 25 years. And for just as long, we’ve been getting sick and tired of listening to our favourite music on headphones that simply don’t do it justice.

“Heavy metal is sophisticated, and if you’re missing out on all the details, it’s impossible to enjoy it. So because we know exactly what’s missing, and because we know exactly what it takes to create a quality pair of over-ear, metal-centric headphones… we’ve done that. We created Heavys with the heavy metal community in mind. Because we all know metal deserves better.

“After a few prototypes and trial runs, we’re excited to finally be able to introduce you to Heavys – a badass pair of headphones for a superior heavy-metal listening experience.”

Heavys will boast four drivers per ear to bring the most out of metal – and that means less distortion and a clarity of sound which the company say “isn’t possible” with headphones containing just one driver per side.

The headphones will also have the tweeters positioned in front of the ear rather than the standard parallel placement which will sound as if “your favourite artist is playing right in front of you.”

And, despite an increase in loudness, the Heavys will feature what’s being called “psycho acoustic” technology which has been designed to let you listen to your music at higher volumes without causing high pressure levels in your ears.

At the time of writing, Heavys have smashed their target of £14,621, with the total currently sitting at just below £160,000. There are several pledge tiers available on the Heavys' Kickstarter page.

If you’re looking for other headphone options, then take a look at our guides to the best headphones for music, the best budget noise-cancelling headphones, in-ear best in-ear headphones and loudest headphones.

And if you’re looking for more information on protecting your hearing, check out our best earplugs for concerts and our interview with Emily Broomhead, the Campaigns Manager at the British Tinnitus Association.

Scott has spent 37 years in newspapers, magazines and online as an editor, production editor, sub-editor, designer, writer and reviewer. Scott joined our news desk in 2014 before moving into e-commerce in 2020. Scott maintains Louder’s buyer’s guides, highlights deals, and reviews headphones, speakers, earplugs and more. Over the last 12 years, Scott has written more than 11,500 articles across Louder, Classic Rock, Metal Hammer and Prog. He's previously written for publications including IGN, Sunday Mirror, Daily Record and The Herald, covering everything from news and features, to tech reviews, video games, travel and whisky. Scott's favourite bands are Fields Of The Nephilim, The Cure, New Model Army, All About Eve, The Mission, Cocteau Twins, Drab Majesty, Marillion and Rush.