Everyone gets confused about what to choose and what not to when it comes to their comfort and convenience. Additionally, it should also have to match our styles and tastes as well.
A variety of headphones are available in the market that provides awesome features to all the customers so it becomes quite tricky to opt for our perfect fit. Brands like Bose, Sony, HyperX, Sennheiser, and others are skilled enough to confuse people out there as to what they want by giving us endless possibilities and models of their products. That’s when this list can come in handy by helping you choose the ideal gadget of your choice and requirements.
Every feature that needs to be kept in mind while deciding to buy headphones has been mentioned here. These features will surely be helpful, so have a read Headphones Buying Guide before choosing your one.
Contents
Types of Headphones – Headphones Buying Guide
Whenever anyone thinks of buying a headphone, the first question that strikes in their mind is which one should I buy? As there are different types of headphones available for different kinds of users. Like some users prefer style, some go for comfort and some just don’t want to get entangled with those wires at all.
To make it easier for the buyers to understand and find their best headphones, we have mentioned various types of headphones that are easily available in the market. This 2021’s buying guide will surely provide you the assistance you want and need.
1- Over-the-Ear Headphones
The biggest headphones which are easily accessible to the users in the market are the Over-the-Ear Headphones. They are large and comfortable enough for the users and are capable of covering the entire ear. However, they can be further subdivided into two categories as the open-back and closed-back headphones.
Open-Back Headphones
These open-back headphones have small-sized openings in the ear cups and because of that, the users experience a natural flow of sound. Air pressure doesn’t get built up or the echoing problem certainly does not appear as these openings permit the passing of air through the ear cups. Most of the headphones that come at a very great price are open back in the market. They offer a clear as well as a natural sound to their users.
Although, noise cancellation is not a perfect suit for these headphones. So, if you are specifically looking for a gadget that can block any form of external noise, then these won’t be a great fit for you.
Closed-Back Headphones
You get sealed earplugs with closed-back headphones for preventing any leakage and muffling of the sound. Additionally, the users get to witness an awesome noise-isolating experience. This can be your perfect fit if you are searching for a device that can give you mental peace and your personal space without any disturbance from the outside world.
2- On-the-Ear Headphones
Well, these are the new trending searches as they don’t cover your entire ear but give a stylish look with sufficient coverage of the surface of the ears and provide an amazing audio quality. These are much lighter in weight hence can be carried more easily than over-the-ear headphones.
Now, they can be furthermore subdivided into the following categories:
- Open-Back Headphones
- Closed-Back Headphones
However, these headphones can be a little bit behind the other headphones as they sometimes allow the sound to escape from them because of the low coverage of the ears.
3- In-Ear Headphones
Everyone can assume with the name only, In-Ear Headphones. It’s clear from the name only, that these headphones will be resting inside your ears but outside the ear canal.
So, it can be classified further as in-ear monitors and earbuds.
These headphones have a lightweight and compact body and are easily portable. In-ear headphones connected with smartphones and portable media players are usually preferred by a wide range of users.
Earbuds
For the new and advanced technical age, these buds can be the perfect fit. They usually get fit easily on the outer ear However unlike the in-ear monitors they cannot be inserted into the ear canal. Although, these can not provide better noise isolation because external noises and sounds can not be blocked through it.
In-Ear Monitors (IEMs)
Users are more comfortable with these in-ear monitors than earbuds. Also, they can completely fit inside your ears as well as can provide better noise isolation.
And the most amazing part is that both these IEMs and earbuds are made of in-ear clips and neckband designs.
4- Wireless Headphones
Bluetooth technology is usually used to connect most wireless headphones to devices like smartphones, laptops, portable media players, and many more.
Although not every wireless headphone is a Bluetooth headphone. They are available in some other categories too i.e. the 2.4 GHz proprietary radio signals which can be used for the flawless wireless gaming experience.
Difference Between Waterproof & Water-Resistant Headphones
Waterproof Headphones
A great feature that is wanted by many users is, the headphones must be waterproof so that they will not get hampered while meeting or getting stuck amidst accidental rain or can be worn while swimming too. These are the ratings for the best waterproof headphones.
- IPX5
- IPX7
- IPX8
Water-Resistant Headphones
One of the essential requirements of the users is that their headphones should be water-resistant too. So these water-resistant headphones have the material that can resist sweat and water, making them exemplary suitable for running and gyming. These are some of the ratings of water-resistant headphones.
- IPX1
- IPX2
- IPX3
- IPX4
Headphones having any of these ratings are the perfect and great water-resistant headphones.
Factors to Keep in Mind while finding the Right Headphones
We have discussed the types of headphones above, now we are going to talk about the most important features and services that should be kept in mind and carefully considered before any purchase of your headphones.
1- Sound Quality
Here we are discussing headphones, so the first and most important factor that needs to be considered is its sound/audio quality. Mostly, it depends on the user’s preference so it can easily differ from user to user. But to do that several features need to be explored first which may affect the overall experience, so it is necessary for a better audio experience.
These are some of those features:
Noise Cancelation
This is the foremost property of a headphone which is essentially required as due to this property the external noises and sounds get easily eliminated and the user gets to have an amazing listening experience.
The noise-canceling headphones are efficient enough to cancel out the external disturbances by producing the sound frequencies that are capable of canceling them out.
Surround Sound
It is again an important feature of headphones. This feature enables the headphones to offer the same audio effects as the surround sound in a theatre.
These headphones assemble an enormous number of speakers in each ear cup then they project the sound from various angles. This effect results in providing a phenomenal listening experience for the users.
Stereo Sound
Stereo sound headphones give out an amazing and promising audio experience to all the users.
Different channels are composed in both the ear cups to provide a dimension to the sound. Like, the users can experience/listen to guitar strings on one side and violin on the other.
Driver Size
For better audio quality, the headphones need to have a great number of drivers in them as the more the driver the better the audio experience. It can be said that this is the most critical feature of any headphone as it is solely responsible for the sound you hear.
Usually, the larger ones are said to be better. However, it is not true in all cases, as sometimes higher frequencies are not supported by them and muffled sound can be experienced too.
That’s why, many companies provide additional drivers with the headphones, as then they will be able to support high-frequency treble sounds.
Categories of sound frequency
Sound frequencies are broadly categorized into three types which are as follows:
- Bass (Lows) – 20Hz to 200Hz: Bass means the blasting sounds you get to witness while listening to music, where you can feel the vibrations of the sound.
- Mids (Medium) – 200 Hz to 5000Hz: These are the sounds that don’t belong to any category means they are neither too shrill nor too deep. Because of this, all the audios are equally balanced and not more bent towards one side.
- Treble (highs) – 5000Hz to 20000 Hz: This is the highest peak to which the frequency range can be audible to human ears. Because of them only we get to experience all the shrill and sharp sounds while listening to music.
Sound Signature
We all possess a trait or characteristic which becomes our ultimate defining feature. Same as that, the sound signature is a unique as well as defining signature of a pair of headphones.
It can be better understood as each headphone emits a particular kind of sound from them. All those headphones that produce low-frequency range are built so that they all possess a heavy bass. Its reverse is true with the higher frequency sounds as they are built in a way that they possess a sharp treble. And these audio patterns or styles are considered to be sound signatures.
Some sound signatures that are often used :
- High Bass
- High Treble
- V-Shaped
- Warm
- Balanced
2-Usage
One of the major and basic requirements that need to be kept in mind before purchasing your perfect model of headphones, it’s usage. There are many types of headphones present in the market which are made for fulfilling different requirements of the users.
3- Battery Life
As for Bluetooth or active-noise cancelling headphones, the first thing you need to consider is their battery life. Because you would not like it if it gets shut down or its battery gets dead while you are watching an interesting match or movie and especially not in the middle of an adventurous battle game.
4- Microphone
These days we mostly need a gadget that is portable, lightweight, and comfortable enough so that when working in remote areas or while playing games on PC there won’t be any difficulties. Therefore, headphones with built-in microphones are really helpful and strongly suggested. Although every device has different microphones installed in them.
For example, some headphones have microphones on their wire while some have built-in microphones which are not visible to naked eyes usually so that the device can provide the function as well as look stylish simultaneously. For a better gaming experience, headphones possessing extended microphones are strongly recommended.
5- Connectivity
Headphones that are available in the market these days have an audio jack of approximately 3.5 mm which can be connected to the device having an input of 3.5 mm. However, if the device does not have the 3.5 mm input, a converter or a USB Type-C can be used to convert it into 3.5 mm.
6- Voice Assistants
Among the various headphones that are available in the market, the ones possessing built-in voice assistants are trending these days like the Amazon Alexa, Google Assistant, or Apple Siri.
With the help of these voice assistants, the user can perform actions conveniently just by giving an audio command such as playing music, asking questions, and a lot of things that you can’t imagine.
7- Durability
Well, it is undoubtedly the highest and the topmost requirement of anyone that the device has to be durable. This is the most important feature that you should keep in mind while buying your headphones. And for the devices durability and withstanding power to wear and tear you need to ensure it possesses the required features.
8- Comfort
Comfort is the ultimate need of an individual, regardless of the device one is going to purchase. So in this case also, the headphones have to be comfortable otherwise the users won’t like them or use them therefore make sure that the headphones you are spending money on are worth it. Especially the users who are fond of gaming, binge-watching, or travelling.
Now the question arises is how do you do it? You can go with the simplest solution that you can check the materials of which the ear pads are made and also if the headband is adjustable or not. One more important feature that can be checked is if the device is water and sweat-resistant or not. Just so it won’t become a hassle to handle them in the summer.
9- In-built Volume and Play Control
Well, it’s a straight fact, that no one wants to use their device for every small operation they need to perform even if it is from playing or pausing a song or changing it. Not just these operations but even for adjusting the volume of their devices they prefer not to go near it.
That’s why the in-line volume control along with the in-line play control buttons has been offered with most of the headphones. These are the buttons that are given so that the user can perform the basic actions conveniently – a Play button, a Pause button, a Next, a Previous, a Volume Up, and a Volume Down buttons. Also, the Play button provides an additional feature i.e the user can attend the calls too with this feature.
In the case of wireless headphones, all these buttons are provided in the ear-cups of the headphones as they are usually spacious and comfortable and can easily hold these controls.
Conclusion
We strongly hope that our guide is capable enough to provide all the basic information regarding customers’ doubts, questions and also explaining the requirements of an amazing product.
So, after reading about all these features, most of your doubts have been cleared by now and it will help you to buy your perfect fit.
Well, the most important step while deciding your options is to never be in a hurry. You need to spend an impeccable number of hours and time as well as effort on their purchase. Several points are must to keep in mind like the sound quality, usage, technical features, and all the above-mentioned features.
A vast range of products is available in the market so that you can choose your best fit after considering all the facts. So, it’s better to be late and slow in electronics cases than fast and a rush.
It is highly expected that this list will come in handy for the customers while buying headphones.