Heard about the S$80,000 headphones?

WHEN it comes to audio playback, most music lovers would probably opt for traditional systems that include a source which nowadays might be a network player or turntable, amplifier and speakers. If sound quality is essential, then the bill for such equipment (including the cost of cables, interconnects and audio racks) could easily run into five, maybe even six, figures.

Enter HiFiMAN's ultimate, cost-no-object Shangri-La electrostatic headphones, which cost an eye-watering S$80,000 and promise "virtually no distortion and lightning fast response''.

Dyed-in-the-wool audiophiles might be sceptical but there's no denying the convenience and absence of clutter that headphones offer. In the case of the Shangri-La, China's HiFiMAN uses nanotechnology to make a driver that is less than 0.001mm in thickness (or thinness, if you prefer).