Buying Guide to Headphones

Nowadays, everyone’s snatching up those little white headphones. And yeah, while they might look stylish, they’re hardly a sound for sore ears. It’s tough to explain to someone who’s never looked beyond the included headphones, but buying a better set of than those that came in the box can make all the difference to those who want the best listening experience possible. Even if the player has incredible output, the headphones are where the sound comes to you. Take it this way: if the greatest storyteller in the world is speaking on one end of a microphone, it doesn’t matter how good their story is if there’s loud hiss, feedback, and pops on the other end.

The point is simple: go spend a little dough on your phones, and it’ll sound like you have a brand new music player. But before you go rushing out to buy that shiny new set of miniature speakers, here are a few things to consider about your purchase.

Type of Headphone.  This question used to be more important than it’s becoming. Traditionally, just about any studio technician would tell you flat out that a pair of over-the-ear headphones with padding to block out background noise was the only way to go. And while those types of headphones (we’ll call them “cans”…you know, like soup cans) are still hands down the best way to go, more stylish and competitive options are coming to fruition, including earbuds. Earbuds, or in-ear headphones, have been made popular with Nintendo and - more recently - the white iPod ‘buds. Companies once involved in making on-stage in-ear monitors for musicians are now making high-end consumer models for personal use, and they sound phenomenal. Again, while a good set of cans will generally be the way to go, a pair of stylish earbuds can keep you on the cutting edge while your music sounds stellar.