Six of the best: Earphones

Ideal for the gym, as the adjustable rubber arms fit painlessly around your ears to prevent slippage on the treadmill.

Sony MDR-AS40EX, £29
Sony Style
sonystyle.co.uk
020 7365 2947 Photograph: PR

Waterproof to a depth of 12ft, so they won’t malfunction when you’re out jogging in the rain.

H2O Audio Surge, £49.95
Simply Swim
simplyswim.com
0844 567 7070 Photograph: PR

Excellent value for money from German audio pioneer Sennheiser. Plenty of well-rounded bass.

Sennheiser CX300W, £16.49
From Dixons
dixons.co.uk Photograph: PR

The smallest in-ear headphones in the world, they come with a plethora of extras, from varying sizes of silicon earpieces to an airplane adaptor and carry case.

Jays q-JAYS, £115
Amazon
amazon.co.uk Photograph: PR

Shrinking 100 years of hi-fi heritage into these compact aluminium cones can’t have been easy, but the result is astounding.

Denon AH-C551, £69.95
Apple Store
apple.com/ukstore
0800 048 0408 Photograph: PR

Sounding as good as they look, these colourful earphones are leagues apart from Apple’s monochrome freebies, and come in four shades.

Griffin TuneBuds, £12.99
Headphone World
headphoneworld.com
020 8408 1259 Photograph: PR