- Buying the right headphones can be a hard decision to make.
- Listeners and audiophiles need to understand the basics to make the buying decision.
Today, the market offers a wide range of headphones to choose from, confusing buyers, here’s a comprehensive guide to choosing the best headphones. For many, headphones are a gateway to the world of immersive audio and personalized music experience. With so many options in each category and price point, it’s hard to pick one that suits your needs and pocket.
Estimates suggest that the global market for wireless headphones is around $34 Billion, for Open-ear headphones, it’s around $1.97 Billion, and the global headphone market combining both wired and wireless headphones is around $50 Billion. The overall market experienced steady growth, with a Compound Annual Growth Rate (CAGR) of around 5-8%.
The statistics mentioned above provide estimations of the market size and boost the popularity of the headphone market. Manufacturers are coming up with newer models or are busy upgrading older versions. On the other hand, buyers need clarification of all the offerings in the market. Considering these 10 points can help buyers guide them into buying the best headphones.
How to Choose the Best Headphone?
Choosing the best headphones is crucial for every buyer, especially if buying the first headphones or upgrading to the next best. Considering these ten points, as discussed below, can provide you with proper guidelines for choosing the perfect headphones.
What do You need the Headphones for?
Before deciding which headphones to buy, you must have a clear understanding of why you need them in the first place. Buyers generally buy headphones for entertainment, convenience, communication, gaming, sports and exercise, travel, monitoring, accessibility, etc.
Entertainment is the most popular use case for headphones, audiophiles, and the general audience, who use headphones to listen to music, podcasts, audiobooks, and even movies on their devices without disturbing them. Listeners also want to focus on what they are listening to, and noise-canceling headphones help.
Headsets with microphones are a great way to allow hands-free calling, video, and online gaming communication. So, if you are into this territory, you can opt for this type of headphones. People also use headphones during sports and exercise, as some models are specifically designed for workouts and come with features like sweat resistance and secure fits that stay in place during rigorous activities.
Noise-canceling headphones are also great for traveling, as they help you mitigate the ambient noise and enjoy the journey. Musicians, sound engineers, and related professionals use special monitor headphones to hear clear, uncoloured audio during recording and mixing sessions.
Headphones can also be a boon for people with hearing impairments, and specially designed ones allow them to listen to audio at higher comfort levels without bothering others. There are multiple use cases for headphones, and buyers must consider either and understand its intricacies before buying them. ALPSS AUDIO provides a wide range of headphones suitable for every use case.
Solving the Wired vs. Wireless Puzzle
When buying a pair of headphones, choosing between wired and wireless options depends on how much you move around while listening to the audio. Here’s a brief discussion about the pros and cons of each type.
Pros of Wired Headphones
Wired headphones provide more prosperous and detailed audio, using analogue signal transmitting technology to transfer sound directly from the device. This helps in giving audiophiles pure and unprocessed audio. Moreover, these do not require any battery, so there is no need to worry about battery life during long listening sessions.
These types of headphones have simpler designs, which provide greater durability compared to wireless models, which have delicate internal components. Their simpler engineering and technology also make them affordable compared to wireless models offering similar features.
Cons of Wired Headphones
Wired headphones are notorious for tangled and knotted cords, which frustrate users. As listeners use tethered cables, wired headphones restrict their range of movement while listening to audio from devices. Nowadays, nearly every device is ditching the headphone jack, and as wired headphones depend on this, compatibility might be a great issue. Users would have to use other connectors if they want to use them.
Pros of Wireless Headphones
Wireless headphones provide great freedom of movement without the hassle of a cable. It makes them perfect for individuals with an active lifestyle or lounging around the house. Most wireless headphones provide Bluetooth connectivity, which is compatible with nearly every device.
Wireless headphones have multiple options: active noise canceling, ambient sound mode, and voice assistant integration. All these features are designed and integrated to enhance the overall learning experience of buyers.
Cons of Wireless Headphones
Wireless headphones depend on Bluetooth connectivity, which compresses the audio signal for transmission. This could lead to a slight loss of details compared to wired headphones. However, the advancement in Bluetooth technology is minimizing this gap. Plus, these headphones use batteries and require charging; the battery life depends on usage and features.
Wireless headphones cost relatively more than their wired counterparts, and there’s always an issue with connection, which might be susceptible to inference, dropouts, latency, and related issues. Users need to take special care of these headphones, as ill-fitted ones might fall, and you’ll have to buy a new pair.
In conclusion, buyers should go for wired headphones if their priority is sound quality, they hate dealing with dead batteries, and they are on a tighter budget. If the priority is convenience and freedom of movement and they value features, wireless headphones can be great options. ALPSS Audio provides a wide range of both wired and wireless headphones.
Fit and Finish of Headphones Plays a Major Role
Another major aspect that influences buying decisions is the Fit and Finish of the headphones. Sometimes, users need to wear headphones for hours, and in such cases, comfort is of prime importance. Poorly fitted headphones can lead to fatigue, earaches, and even headaches. A well-designed headphone must be lightweight, have soft, comfortable ear cups, and provide a pleasant listening experience. For many people, buying headphones is an investment, and they want them to last. If so, they must look for models with high-quality materials, like metal hinges, reinforced or braided cables, soft and durable ear cushions, etc. Buying flimsy or cheap headphones might be a bad investment.
Headphones have become a fashion statement, and people are looking for materials and design elements that resonate with their personalities. Many brands specifically design their models to cater to such crowds. Similarly, ALPSS Audio has specifically designed its products to provide best-in-class fit and finish for audiophiles.
Device Compatibility: A Major Issue to ConsiderBefore buying a particular pair of headphones, buyers must understand the issue of device compatibility. The most basic point to consider is whether the headphones will work with your device. Wired headphones come with a 3.5mm jack, and if your device does not have that, buying them would be useless.
Remember that not all headphones’ features translate seamlessly across all devices. Even if your wireless headphones model promises active noise cancellation, ambient sound mode, or voice assistant integration, all these features might not work seamlessly and require certain apps to be installed.
As already discussed, buying headphones is an investment. If you plan to use them in the future, go for models with broader compatibility of features that work independently. So, before buying, make a list of all devices you plan to use your headphones with and find out if the particular model is compatible. At ALPSS Audio, we try to provide ease of compatibility across all devices.
Value for Money
Finding the best value-for-money product is crucial when buying headphones, It’s more about finding the perfect balance between features, performance and price that best suits your needs. Headphones come in a vast range of prices; there are different budgets and high-end products for audiophiles.
Users have to find a balance between features and performance levels to make the final decision. Buyers should list features they want and use cases in which they would use the headphones, compare them with price barriers, and then decide on buying the perfect headphones.
When struggling with price points, buyers might have to struggle to find the best build and sound quality, while expensive ones might sometimes be too costly. So, finding the right balance between features and price is tedious and requires excellent analytical skills. However, ALPSS Audio understands this dilemma and can help you get the best value for money.
In conclusion, buying headphones in today’s competitive market with thousands of possibilities is daunting. However, if buyers follow the guidelines mentioned above, they can make a decision and buy the best available headphones. At ALPSS Audio, we are trying to solve this issue by providing different categories and types of headphones suitable for every user segment.