I had a nightmare scenario last week: I got one mile into my eight-mile run, only to have the batteries of my wireless headphones die. I then had to suffer an hour (who am I kidding? It was more like 80mins) of nothing but my heavy breathing, traffic, rowdy college students and squeaky right trainer to listen to. You see, I have always found that music increases my performance, blocks out any annoying brain chatter and generally just makes my runs more enjoyable.

The CR8-P1 Sport Wireless Earbuds have been specifically developed to enable you to listen to music whilst you work out without getting tangled up in wires. These earbuds come in an attractive hard case that doubles as a charger, with a 2200 mAh battery that gives you a total of a whopping 72 hours playtime. The charging case can also be used to top up the battery life of your smart devices, whilst its compact 65 x 30 mm size means you can easily fit it into your pocket, backpack or gym gear.

You might be mistaken for thinking that the natural path for technology is to get smaller and smaller,  however the Crossfade 2 from V-Moda bucked the trend with these striking Hi-Res Bluetooth headphones. So, where to begin?

The Evoke H6 Prestige Edition from Pure is a DAB/DAB+ and FM radio with Bluetooth and colour display. Available in either Black or White, it has an attractive appearance with a glossy seven-layer lacquered finish with modern lines, suitable for a variety of living spaces. The Bluetooth connectivity allows you to stream music directly from your device, be it your favourite album or the audio for the film you are watching.

The Vento P55 are SoundMAGIC’s first headphones where every component is manufactured in house. I don’t know why this is important, but you never know what questions might pop up in the pub quiz, so, while we are at it: the name Vento comes from the Italian word for “wind”; we can only hope it refers to the weather rather than butt acoustics.

The Iota Alpha speakers from Neat are a dark horse among the more ‘high-end’ stereos on the market. With their strange looks, almost like a cross between a tumble-drier and a half-finished robot from a 50’s TV show, it’s easy to think that their sonic output will be similarly whacky. However, these little knee-high speakers have got a few surprises inside that shatter these mocking first impressions.

Chances are you have heard of the Jabra brand. If not, then why not? These guys created the world’s first ultra noise-cancelling microphone, the world’s first Bluetooth headset and the world’s first sports headphones with integrated heart rate monitor. I think its safe to say these guys aren’t comfortable coming second to anyone else.

Vifa has been producing what they like to call ‘loudspeakers’ (not to be mistaken with megaphones) since 2012, and in true Nordic style they look sleek, clean and stylish. The Helsinki is absolutely no different!

The Sonoro Stereo 2 is a good, solid, all-in-one sound system that has a beautiful retro look to it and some awesome little features which we will get onto later.

From budget shoppers’ favourite RHA comes the S500 Universal headphones with voice control.