Test winners for small heads

Every manufacturer praises their own sound quality, so our praise weighs nothing. Let's hand this part over to the Germans. F.A.Z. Kaufkompass tested 48 on-ear headphones and named the VMK15 the winner of the entire comparison.

According to reviewer Thomas Johannsen, the VMK15 "sounds excellent, is uncomplicated to use and sits comfortably on the ears even after hours of listening". A German does not say that out of politeness. Kopfbox.de gave it 8.8/10, Basic Tutorials 87/100, and errori.net's Jaakko Nygård summed it up: "It's a forgiving travel companion that makes even a bad recording sound pleasant."

The reason is the tuning. Jasse "Jazmanaut" Kesti also tuned our more expensive models, and the ears were the same. aptX Adaptive and multipoint came along as a bonus, but they didn't win the test. The sound, the easy controls and the comfort did.

One charge, 55 hours of listening. That's two weeks of commutes, an entire book series on audiobook, or one truly terrible week when you don't want to hear anyone.

When you do eventually forget to charge, quick charging covers for you. And if you forget that too, there's a 3.5 mm cable in the box, so the music continues the old-fashioned way, down a wire. Battery anxiety can stay in the same box as the charging case.

This entire headphone exists because customers with smaller heads complained that the VMK20 and VMK25 were too big. We listened and made a smaller one. It's a matter of head circumference, and that, at least, is something you can build smaller headphones for.

The VMK15 weighs about 200 grams and sits on your ears, not around them. Lighter to carry, less sweating, easier to toss in a bag.

There's still enough adjustment range from hobbit to elephant man. Big heads aren't left out, you just pull the headband a bit further.

The VMK15 has physical buttons hidden under the fabric surface. No touch controls that pause your music every time you adjust your beanie. You press a button, something happens. A surprisingly rare feature.

The LED lights are on the inside of the headphones, so you won't blink in a dark bus like a Christmas tree. A fixed fabric finish completes the package, and one of the colour options is officially named depressing long drink grey. We named it ourselves and we are proud of it.

Let's say it straight: an over-ear model usually cancels noise better than an on-ear one, because a closed cup seals around your ear. Our best noise cancelling lives in the VMK25.2. If you're buying headphones primarily for the silence, buy that one.

The VMK15's noise cancelling still helps in everyday life. Office hum, bus drone and the open-plan office's mandatory conversations fade to tolerable. In return you get a lighter, nimbler headphone and the cheapest way into the Valco sound, at 139 euros.

The warranty is two years either way. After that we repair the headphones for a flat 69 euros regardless of the fault, battery replacement and postage included. It's a terrible way to sell you new headphones, and we do it anyway.