Choosing the right Headphones

For a product that has been around for more than 130 years, most of the technological changes have occurred in the last 10 years. In this guide, we will discuss the latest technologies and help you in choosing the right headphones.

Why might headphones improve my life?

We live in a world of on-demand and customization. The days of sharing entertainment or even a work conversation you're not involved in are over. We all have our own personal screens and often view content whilst in the presence of others, and many of us constantly work from home; the result of this is that we do not want to disturb others around us or be disturbed.

We introduce headphones today to our children at an early age. Our children may like the Wiggles, but as an adult, listening to Big Red Car on repeat may lead us to singing inappropriately in public. Instead, we set our kids up with a movie or kid-appropriate games, tv shows or music to entertain themselves without disturbing others.

As adults, we like to exercise with our favorite music or podcasts. Chill out with a quick TV binge at lunchtime or hunt and destroy on the latest game. All these pastimes are enhanced for us and those around us by having a set of headphones.

What are the different types of headphones?

Lithium technology has meant smaller, lighter batteries enabling headphones to be wireless. For most, the cord has been ditched especially considering some smartphones no longer support a headphone socket.

Wired headphones still have their place, requiring no charged batteries or wireless technologies to work.

The way your headphones sit on your head and in/on your ear is your first consideration. The types include:

• Over-Ear: A larger style where a padded earcup sits over your entire ear held with a headband
• On-Ear: Similar but smaller than over-ear where the pad sits against your ear
• Earbuds: In-ear buds that hang from your ear canal
• Gaming: Designed especially for gaming needs with 2-way communication, these over-ear headphones have a boom microphone to enable in-game communication with other players.
• Headsets: Conferences-designed headphones with a better-quality microphone enabling collaboration on video and voice calls. These will have a microphone and can take many forms, including a mono single headphone solution. They are designed for day-long comfort with features to minimize background noise.
• Sports: Built to survive sweat and most often have an extra fitting device to ensure the earbud-style headphone stays in place during exercise

Beyond the style of headphones, there are modern headphone technologies that might be a consideration in your purchase decision including:

• TWS – True Wireless Headphones refers to earbuds that can offer stereo sound with no wire joining the left and right headphone
• ANC – Active Noise Control or noise cancellation allows background noise like traffic, talking, or jet engines to be subdued so you can hear your audio content more clearly.
• ENC – Environmental Noise Cancellation is a form of noise cancellation for the microphone on headphones. It helps to cut out background noise, so it is not transmitted to the other party.
• Low latency – Low latency earphones are a great fit for gaming and movies. It reduces the audio delay from the media content to the earbuds to help the audio keep up with the on-screen video action.
• BT5 – Bluetooth 5 refers to the latest standard of the Bluetooth wireless transmission standard. Bluetooth 5 bring better wireless range, higher speeds, bigger broadcasting capacity and more efficient Low Energy audio.
• Volume limited – Allows headphone volume to be limited to 85db, which protects hearing, especially in kids.
• Built-in mic – With a microphone built into the headphones, you can use them for mobile calls and PC video and audio collaboration.
• Tap control via the phone – This allows you to control functions on your smartphones from your headphones, like tap to pause, skip, mute, volume up and down etc.
• Voice control / Voice assistant via the phone – Allows you to communicate with your smart assistant (Siri or Google Assistant) via your headphones.

How do I choose the right headphones?

Buying a set of headphones for some can be as much about fashion as the performance of the headphones. Many will consider the current trends and styles or whether they match their gym gear.

Audio quality is important, but there are no options to compare headphones in-store in this COVID world. Another thing to consider is what your point of comparison is. Is it listening to music from your smartphone speaker in mono? If you have no comparison, the key criterion is whether you are happy with the sound.

Comfort is a key factor for headphones. Look for good padding and an adjustable headband for over/on-ear headphones. Also, consider the build quality and weight as part of your purchase process.

How you use your headphones will be determined by what you buy and how long they last. If the headphones are used all day, every day or in a sports environment, their life may be limited due to the harsher conditions. Buying for kids, you know they will not be looked after whilst you want to ensure you protect their hearing with features like volume limited.

If you intend to use the headphones for collaboration calls, consider the environment where you will use them and if features like ANC and ENC will help improve the quality of those calls. A boom microphone may also help in this circumstance.

If you choose wireless headphones, look for the more recent Bluetooth version support and consider the battery life between recharges. If you are on a 10-hour long flight, wireless headphones are not much use if they run out of power 5 hours in.

Earbud headphones should come with multiple-size tips, foam or silicone tips that go in your ear. The different size tips will fit people's different-sized ears. Earbuds should come in a charging case that may support wireless charging. Consider the case size and how many charges the case can provide to the earbuds before the case needs recharging. Ideally, a case should be able to recharge 4 times.

HINTS

When buying headphones, you do not need to buy a famous brand to get a wonderful experience. Laser offers a range of quality headphones that will meet your needs without an expensive price tag.

Headphones can be easily lost, so consider replacement costs when purchasing.

SUMMARY – Choosing the right headphones

Choosing the right headphones is very personal, from the type of headphones, the cosmetics to the different technologies incorporated into the headphones.

Current features allow wireless operation and control over your smartphone or tablet.

A key advancement is the incorporation of a microphone which allows two-way communication allowing you to make calls or gaming with your friends.