Are you one of those music lovers who are always searching for ways to get better quality music out of their headphones? If so, you’ve come to the right place! Here are 8 tips guaranteed to help you get the best possible sound out of your headphones.
Music is said to be the fuel of the soul. When listening to it you want to make sure that it is done without any hindrance or distortion. Just consider yourself listening to your favourite track from Metallica and getting beeps every now and then. It can spoil the entire mood and takes away the pleasure
As is rightly said by Hunter S. Thompson, “Music has always been a matter of Energy to me, a question of Fuel. Sentimental people call it Inspiration, but what they really mean is Fuel. I have always needed Fuel. I am a serious consumer. On some nights I still believe that a car with the gas needle on empty can run about fifty more miles if you have the right music very loud on the radio.”
Sound Quality Can Be An Issue
Have you ever considered why you are not able to listen to your favorite song in the manner you want to? This is because of your headphones’ quality. The headphones that accompany any MP3 player or music device for that matter are not of a very good quality.
If you are a music freak and want to listen to ‘Sad But True’ without any disruptions and the in optimum sound quality, switching your headphones to a better quality one will surely help your cause. Investing a bit on a quality pair of headphones can take your listening experience to an entirely different level.
There are tips through which you can ensure the better quality of sound, through selecting the right pair of headphones for yourself and these tips are discussed below.
- Which type of headphone will be perfect for you?
Choose the best type of headphones that you think will be perfect for you, whether the in-ear earbuds or the headphones. Considering the earlier, they are best for the people who do not have that much of space and still want to listen to their favorite tracks.
- These headphones can be ported anywhere easily and you can enjoy listening to music while doing anything else with the help of the in-ear earbuds. The brands like Ultimate Ears and Sennheiser offer top quality ear buds. They have a very high quality sound and come in cases so that even if you put them at the bottom of your handbag, they will still be safe. If you have a cheap ear bud it will keep on falling out from the ear and also might damage it because of the quality of plastic.
The options that you can consider in this regard are CX 500 ($130) from Sennheiser, HF5 ($150) from EtyMotic Research, XBA-H1 ($150) from Sony etc. can enhance the quality of the sound.
- For anyone who enjoys putting something around the neck headphones are the right choice, or if you like travelling with a pair of headphones wrapped around your neck. The only drawback of the headphones is that they come in with a pretty high price tag.
There are a lot of funky options to choose from when it comes to headphones, like the wireless or the Bluetooth headphones or headphones with quite beefy cords. Another disadvantage of having these headphones is that they consume a lot of space, therefore are not potable that easily.
- There are DJ-style headphones available in the market that are huge in size but when it comes to the quality of sound there is no match to them. The way that they block the exterior sound no other headphones can. The music lovers tend to have an eye over this headphone because of the quality of sound that it delivers and also it can be used for longer intervals because it exerts minimum pressure on the ear drum.
- The behind the neck headphones are just a revelation for the people who do not like wearing a headphone on their heads, the performance of these headphones is similar to that of a DJ-style headphone, they just give you free space on the head.
For people who like to wear specs or if their ears are pierced, this pair of headphone is the right choice for them, also with people having long hair these headphones might come in handy.
- All good things come at a greater price
It is commonly said that with good quality comes greater price or you can also put it this way that everything that has quality has a higher price. The same could be said about headphones as well. When you go for a top quality headphone brand you will be rest assured that the sound quality that it will give you will be a lot better than most of the other cheap brands available in the market. Another thing that adds to the value of the headphones is the durability, for how long it is going to last.
All the top quality brands make headphones that last for a longer period of time when compared to the cheap brands. There are earbuds available in the market at a price of around $10, the maximum that these buds will last is going to be a year and also the sound quality will not be good at all. There are ranges that you can choose these in-ear headphones that vary from $30 to $60. If you go for an in-ear headphone ranging between $80 to $90 you may experience the sound at a completely different level.
A guideline relating to this matter is to spend around $50 for the in-ear or the portable headphones and $250 for better headphone music when attached to a home stereo.
- Sound Isolation is an Important Factor
The sound isolation in any headphone is of immense value, since it keeps the music in the headphones and does not allow it to leak to others and also blocks all the external sound. Just consider yourself being at a crowded place, with traffic running all around you while you are listening to your lovely melodies. All the external noise coming into your headphone will spoil the moment for you.
Another noticeable factor when determining the sound isolation is that it should not leak sound if played loudly. You would not want be the center of discussion for everyone around you. A better sound isolation will also help you in saving batteries.
The in-ear headphones are the ear buds are said to be the best when it comes to the sound isolation, since these headphones are in your ear and very close to the ear drum therefore they are able to block the external sound in a better way. The same could be said about the DJ-styled headphones, since they are huge and seal the entire ear therefore they are good at blocking the external sound and leaking of the internal sound.
If you are looking to buy the over the ear headphones and you want to make sure that they offer a good sound isolation the best pick for you is the closed back one because they block external noise better. On the other hand if you have an open back pair it will not be as good in the sound isolation but will offer a sound that is more natural than distorted. When using these over the ear open back headphones you should expect all the external sound to be audible within the headphone.
- The Perfect Frequency Range
The wider the frequency range the better will be the quality of the sound. The frequency ranging from 10H to 25,000H are said to give you a quality sound.
Frequency response or sound signature is of great value. This determines whether the bass will be more or not, when the low wend is on the line graph the bass will be more. One thing that should be kept in mind here is more bass has nothing to do with the quality of bass.
Most of the headphones that comes in the range of under $100 will have their mid range cut out and a U-curve indicates that. They might sound fun in the beginning but there is no way that you can differentiate between the different layers of music using these headphones. The sound offered by these headphones can sometimes be pale.
- Noise Cancellation is not always required
The noise cancellation headphones are the headphones that takes the external noise and then reproduce it back into the headphones, hence cancelling all the external noise. These type of headphones are pretty handy for the people who do a lot of air travelling.
If you have a cheap headphone, do not go for this noise cancellation feature because it will not be supported with that. Even if you have a lot of air travelling to do you can get the over ear protectors from any hardware store and put them over ear buds to cancel out all the external noise. Another way of being cost effective in this regard is to get a cheap noise cancelling ear bud and thankfully Panasonic makes one of around $50.
- Testing is Necessary
The best way to make sure that you have the best headphones is to just test them out. You can compare the sound quality that your headphone offers with a similar one that your fried has. There are also electronic stores available out there which can help you in doing so. They do not mind you trying different headphones unless you come across the best available pair for you. Just do not forget to clean your ears before trying different headphones; you will never want to upset your friend or even the storekeeper.
- Impedance should be Accurate
To get the best quality of sound from your headphones it is important that you should match the impedance of the audio player with the headphones. If you do not keep this in mind you may not be able to get the best quality of sound that you were looking for.
- The Ears will let you know
It is you who is going to use the headphones for a period of time. It depends upon your personal preferences whether you want to go for a headphone that has the price of $30 or $900. If you think that there is no difference between the sound qualities of both the headphones there is no point in going for the expensive one.
Another thing that should be kept in mind, other than the quality of sound that the headphone has on offer is its durability. This factor should be given proper consideration because it is quite irritating, when you have to change your headphones every now and then.
Common Observation
Any kind of headphone can be perfect for you depending upon your personal preference.
- Some people may be metal lovers and bass is the only thing that they are focusing on, so for these people one of the best brands of headphones is Beats.
- Some people may want to have a more realistic sound from their headphones and for these people the best available option would be to have an over the ear open back headphone.
- While others may want to listen to the music without any external noise and without the sound leaking to the person sitting beside them and for these people the best option to go for is the in-ear ear buds.
Finally
It can be concluded that selecting the right pair of headphones is just a matter of personal choice or preference. Although there are different factors that can be of value, if you have a specific style of listening. The most important factor that you expect from your headphone is the quality of sound that it delivers. Regardless of the price if the quality of sound is matching your own personal requirement there is absolutely no need of going for the headphone that has the higher price.
There are a lot of options to choose from when it comes to the selection of a good pair of headphones. All the factors stated above can help you find the best available headphone for you, which suits your personal needs and requirements.