Size does matter. And bigger is mostly better. (Fortunately, so they keep reassuring me, not with everything.) But with iPods and MP3 enabled phones everywhere, our music has become portable. And therefore, headphone-wise, bigger is definitely not better. So they've become smaller and smaller. Until we were left with the earbud.

And earbuds are fine. But there are times when you want the full, rich sound only a pair of true "over the ear" headphones can give you. Denon Electronics has a couple that are worth giving a listen to.

Their new AH-D5000 (pictured) and AH-D2000 are part of a new line of advanced stereo headphones designed around two signature sound-enhancing technologies - the Micro-fiber Diaphragm and the Acoustic Optimizer. Without having to get too technical (and admit that I don't really understand the whole science behind it anyway) they combine to deliver maximum dynamic sound with minimum distortion.

Both models come with gold-plated connectors at the end of high-purity OFC cables, and the "luxury" model, the AH-D5000, has a real wood mahogany housing that gives you a truly rich, natural sound. (Besides being the classiest looking headphones I've seen in a while.)

My first thought was that these cans were going to be heavy and unbearable after an hour or so of listening, but the lightweight, padded magnesium frame and soft ear pads let you rock all night.

Proving sometimes bigger is better. Crap.

$699 AH-D5000
$349 AH-D2000
www.denon.com