Buying Guide: Find The Best Headphones

Most of us hear more music from your computer or mobile than the home stereo speakers (if you even have such few). The Digital Concert Hall has become the world’s largest and you have the right to demand the best possible sound without disturbing your surroundings. So you must have a headphone of best quality.

Headphones are certainly nothing second-rate compared to traditional home speakers or a concert experience, where it is often speakers that create sound. On the contrary, a good headphones give you a musical experience that surpasses everything else you’ve heard.

The uniqueness of a headphone is that the music is almost occurs inside the head. To get a fantastic stereo effect with precise placement of the various musicians and voices. It can be both intoxicating and very intimate atmosphere that is hard to beat with even the best speakers.

But what is a good headphone, and point one: What does it cost?

Quality you will find that range around 1,000 and upwards. You can also find acceptable models for less money, but you should offer yourself at the top – and you should if you listen much to music – so do not buy too cheap. It could result in regret.

Open or closed

Basically, there are two types of headphones: In-ear (“ear plugs”) and ordinary. The small in-ear that you put into your ear, can provide good sound quality. But the good in-ear models are expensive and regardless of price, they are not always so nice to wear for long periods. Therefore, the headphone type that encloses the ear, is preferable. It is more comfortable to wear and you get better sound for less money. The ordinary headphones have large speaker drivers, which can more easily deliver natural and powerful sound, so they are simply a better price-performance ratio than in-ear types.

Also the regular headphones can be divided into two basic types: open and closed. In open headphones are the must, facing your ear open, enclosed headphones is reversed.

These are two very different philosophies, and there are as many opinions about the two types which are hi-fi interested people.

The closed type has the indisputable advantage that no one can hear the music you’re listening to. The open type also plays into the surrounding space. Not so high, but high enough to constitute a nuisance to the surrounding area.

Comfort value highly

Sound quality is obviously important when choosing headphones, but equally important is the comfort. A headphone to any size sit comfortably on the head. It may not seem heavy and must sit firmly without pressing against the head. It must aboslut not really hot on the ears.

Many cheaper models using plastic, which may feel nice at first, but after 10-15 minutes you are completely clammy around the ears because the skin evaporation is not getting away.

Now the main forms of the different, so you should try the headphones before you buy. The headphone which a person seems a perfect fit, might be a nuisance to another person who has a wider head.

Generally, open headphones more comfortable to wear because they release air from the outside, and they reproduce at the same time – because of this venting – the music more natural and balanced. But this is only a rough rule of thumb. There is a big difference between the individual models.

The open headphones also has the disadvantage that they are not quite as good shielding against outside sound, and they exempt lesser extent surroundings from listening.

Good wireless are expensive

Headphones are also available without cable. And it is wonderful to be free to move around while listening to their favorite hits. Unfortunately, the sound quality is not top notch when the headphones are wireless. The music is usually transmitted by the so-called Bluetooth technology and has some sonic limitations.

There are wireless speakers that reproduce music nice and natural, but you should expect to pay about double that to achieve the same sound quality as from a pair of headphones with cable.

Which steaks are the best?

We have tested 6 different headphones at prices from just under a thousand to just over two thousand.

Creative Aurvana X-Fi

Denon AH-D1100

Fanny Wang 2001 DJ

Grado SR80i

B & W P5

AKG K451