Yamaha just launched two new enormous high-end headphones and I need them

• Open-back headphones with orthodynamic planar drivers
• Closed-back headphones with new armodynamic drivers
• Expected to cost $2,499 / $1,699; global pricing tbc

Yamaha has announced two new models of hand-assembled high-end headphones, the open-back YH-4000 and the closed-back YH-C3000. Both pairs are exceptionally desirable and according to Yamaha, made by craftsmen and women who also make high-end musical instruments.

The YH-4000 are effectively a more affordable version of the incredible and incredibly expensive YH-5000SE headphones launched in 2022. And the YH-C3000 are a really interesting alternative.

Yamaha YH-4000 and YH-3000 headphones: key features and pricing

The open-back YH-4000 headphones sport the latest version of Yamaha's "orthodynamic" drivers, which are planar magnetic drivers that the firm has been refining every since they first launched in the 1970s. For these headphones the sound-absorbing material of the YH-5000SE has been removed and the headphones have been tuned for what Yamaha ways is a "a uniquely responsive, natural and precise sound."

The YH-4000 have an ultra-light magnesium body and a new mesh filter in their housings to regulate internal sound pressure; this, Yamaha says, boosts the bass and improves mid-range performance while delivering a "spacious" soundstage.

The YH-C3000 take a different approach: the backs are closed rather than open, and the drivers here are three-layer diaphragms made from the same Zylon material that Yamaha uses in the drivers of its flagship speakers. The drivers are ventilated at the back and feature a patented Y-shaped reinforced mesh damper, and the housings are made from a similar beech wood to that used in Yamaha's grand pianos. Beech is both lightweight and rigid, and Yamaha says the result is a more natural, precise sound.

The YH-C3000 will be available from October 2025, and the YH-4000 are currently scheduled for January 2026. Global pricing hasn't been announced just yet but the US price is $1,699 (about £1,256 / AU$2,574 before taxes) for the YH-C3000 and $2,499 (about £1,849 / AU$3,785) for the YH-4000.

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