Anyone can find it a chore when it comes to choosing suitable headphones for themselves. Being so critical when it comes to the music quality, choosing suitable headphones amongst the huge spread of choices makes it look like rocket science.

The reason for having so many different types of headphones is because there are different types of music, classical to hard rock & techno. Or perhaps you need ear phones that will allow you to hear speech clearly rather then lots of heavy bass.  In this article, I will list some of the best headphones that will provide the “best bang for your buck”, as they say.

There are a few different categories of headphones, so first we need to decide on what type of headphones we require..?

 

Supra-aural

These types of headphones are also commonly known as the cup variants of headphones that will end up cupping the whole ear. But such headphones will usually have better sound than the top end earphones. These headphones come in the slim portable types and the more bulky choices that produce better quality audio.

 

Open back version

The open back headphones are not entirely sealed on the ear cups. They allow sound to escape via the back of the vents to create a more open and natural sound ambiance. Open back headphones will give better sound quality as well. The cons of using such open back headphones is that it will allow sound to enter as well and thus is not so suitable when you are commuting or traveling in a bus. But similarly, there are pros to this type of headphone is where it is safer to use since you can hear the sounds around you. A traveling vehicle can sound the horn to alert you if you fail to see it coming.

 

Closed back version

Such versions of headphones are designed so that sound will never escape from the headphones. There are versions that come with circum-aural ear cups that will fully encompass the ear to isolate any external sound. Such headphones are most loved by DJs and artists when they need to do a song recording without being distracted by their own voice as they listen to the demo.

 

For the average Joe, we do not need to go in depth into the details and specifications. Here are some suggestions on how to select your headphone.

 

1. Do a test drive

 

Experience is everything. Simply bring your device to the shop and request to try the headphones individually. But of course, you may not be able to do this in every single shop in the market out there. But there are some shops that are dedicated to selling audio devices that range from earphones to amplifiers. Those high-end shops allow you to try the headphones before decide on which one to buy. Some of these shops even have trained staff to recommend the most suitable one for you.

 

2. Cost of the product

 

As the saying goes, “Worth every penny”. Don’t expect headphones that are priced $100 cheaper to sound as good as those that cost more. There will always be a huge difference. Decide on your budget and it is okay to get a feel of how good those expensive headphones are. But choose the one that is within your budget and to your best preference.

 

3. Portability

 

If you often use your headphones on the move,, then you need to choose those that can be folded and stashed neatly in your bag. Some models allow the ear cups to be rotated inwards so that the whole package can be compacted till it is flat for easy storage.

 

4. Comfort aspect

 

You must not feel strained or uncomfortable in any way when you don the headphones because everybody is different, there is never a one size fits all solution and thus what feels good and suitable for your friend may not be the perfect one for you. You must try the headphones on to see if it feels too tight or too loose that it may start to slip lower and lower after some time. Also if you are someone who wears your headphones out to do running, you will need to look for those that are suitable to use for exercise.

 

5. Caring for the headphones

 

We are all guilty of this at some point in time. We coil the wire of the headphones aroundthe headphones set and stash it into our bags. This is very bad and will damage theproduct itself in the long run. Coiling the wires around the product will result in strainand pull in the connecting areas and it also forces the headphone to close too tightly. It isa good practice to coil the cable neatly so that it ends up short and snug hanging by theends of the headphone. It is a tedious job to release it and coil it back all the time. Youcan opt for those simple cable managers that are shaped like a fish bone so that you cancoil wires around it. The last option will not cost you much and will be less hassle to finda small cotton bag or pouch. Those that allow you to pull two ends of a rope and the bagwill compress and seal the opening. Simply stuff your headphone cable into that pouchand leave it dangling.

 

6. Burn in the headphones

 

This term does not mean that you need to toss your headphones into fire or something. In layman’s terms, it simply means that you need to play a variety of music at a certain loud volume if necessary to put the headphones into top performance condition. Just like cars, the mechanics will take a newly manufactured vehicle for a full drag and fast and furious driving just to prepare the vehicle before it gets sold to the consumers. While most consumers may look at me in disbelief, it is true that a brand new car goes for a hell ride at top speeds even before it gets sold to you. This is because they need to know if the car will give way when driving under stress. If they do not do so, it is going to be disastrous if a customer drives a new car out and it just explodes because there is a problem with the car.

 

For a headphones, you will need to use them frequently, at times, jack up the volume and let it play at slightly higher volume levels.  For extreme tech geeks, you can opt to buy those audio CDs that are created with special tracks for you to burn in your headphones.