Which headphones are right for you?

Headphones are big business right now. We all want them, we all need them and our awareness and desire for high-quality audio has gone through the roof. You want us to justify these bold claims? Sure.

Fact – we all walk around with music-players in our pockets whether we think about our mobile phones like that or not. Fact  – the choice to stream whatever songs we like direct to our ears is just £10 per month away. Fact – since illegal music downloads have drifted out of fashion, file format and quality are the main differentiators on the agenda. So, add the facts together and you get lots of people interested in good sound and probably the most important link in the portable chain is what headphones you’re using. So, which are the right headphones for you?

The answer, naturally, depends on who you are and what you like but, even then, the task in hand choosing a pair might not be all that straightforward. There are all sorts of different types out there with each one promising its own set of advantages. As ever, MSN Tech is here to untangle this unruly mass of jargon and geek speak into something nice and condensed that you don’t need a degree in physics to understand.

In-ear heaphones are the tiniest of them all. Quite literally, they are the ones that go right inside your aural canals. They're the ones that come free with your phone but you can also end up spending upwards of £200 if you want a pair of the very best. A bad set of in-ear headphones probably offers the worst listening experience of all. They can be incredibly tinny and a poor fit can cause them to fall out over and over again.

Pros

You can pick them up for very little and they're portable in the extreme. Wrap them up, stuff them in your pocket and away you go. They're not going to mess up your hair, make your glasses feel uncomfortable or get in the way at all. You don't need a bag to carry them around and they hardly weigh anything at all.

As far as listening goes, technology has come on such that they can offer a very decent audio experience. A good fitting pair will also provide an effective seal between your ears and the outside world and that makes for good isolation of sound and, therefore, fewer disruptions from external noise.

Cons

Sound likes space and there's not an awful lot available inside these tiny little things. So, generally speaking, you'll get better performance out of an on- or over-ear pair at the same price point.

Some people really don't like the feel of in-ear headphones and they're not really something you can let someone else use unless they promise to give them a good wash before you get them back. You'll also find that some doctors don't think it's such a good idea to stick anything smaller than your elbow in your ears because of the risk of infection.

On-ear headphones are the halfway house between the tiny ear buds and giant over-ear cans. They're very much a jump up in size from in-ear and are worn with a headband on top of your head and ear cups that sit, yes, on your ears but not entirely all around them.

Pros

They're not as portable as in-ear headphones but there are plenty of on-ear models that are small enough to bundle up into a jacket pocket. In fact, many on-ear headphones now have folding mechanisms with swivelling cups and multi-jointed headbands to make it all possible.

The jump up in sound compared to in-ear headphones at the same price is considerable. It's possible to pick up a really excellent pair for not much more than £50. Head into the hundreds and beyond and you'll definitely be owning something special.

Cons

A bad pair of on-ear headphones can be the least comfortable of all. They rarely have as much cushioning as their over-ear cousins and they do push your lugs right up against your head. Sound-wise, although the audio they produce can be very good, they don't generally do much for noise-isolation. So, on-ears are not the best for wearing on aeroplanes or if you do most of your listening on a busy commute.

They big daddy of them all are the over-ear headphones. These are the ones where the cups fit right around and over your ears and pretty much grip onto the sides of your head. The idea behind them is comfort and superior sound isolation.

Pros

So, yes, the sound-isolation is generally very good with these things. While they don't shut off your aural canals themselves – like the in-ear headphones – the idea is to block off your whole ears to the outside world like a giant pair of ear muffs. At the same time, you'll also find some include noise-cancellation technology – and that's something you won't find with either on- or in-ear headphones.

The other major bonus is that all this size means that there's lots of space to stuff the drivers. So, you've a better chance of getting a decent bass response out of these things.

Cons

Over-ear headphones are the heaviest by far. You can get issues with discomfort and heat if they're not very well made. Make sure you've tried a pair out for 20-minute-plus listening before you decide if they're for you.

Another issue is that there's nothing portable about them whatsoever. You'll need to keep them in a pouch or a bag. Don't even think about leaving home without a pair unless you are happy to carry around these cans in your hands the whole time.

'Open-back' are words to look out for along with 'designed for home listening'. These generally refer to the same thing. Some headphones – usually on-ear ones – are not designed to keep the sound in. They have a more audio-porous structure on the cups, meaning that your music will leak out all over the place. That's not a problem for you but it might be an issue for those around you.

Pros

The main advantage of open-back headphones is that it's easier to get a high-quality experience. With the sound allowed to escape, you don't get the reverberation issues where your own music can interfere with itself as it bounces around the ear cups. Manufacturers spend an awful lot of time and money dampening that effect in closed-back headphones and you'll end up paying for that yourself in the final price. So, pound-for-pound, open-back headphones make for better listening.

Cons

As we say, open-back means that the sound is not kept in. So, you know that person on the tube or in the library whose music you can hear so clearly that you can practically sing along? Well, that would be you.

We've mentioned it in passing already but noise-isolation is something to look out for. If your headphones can block out the ambient sound of your environment, then they'll be better at delivering your audio exactly as it should be. Not only are you less likely to be disturbed by what's going on around you but you also don't have to crank up the volume knob in order to block everything else out. When you do that, you're more likely to distort your music but there's also a good chance of doing your ears some damage with all that extra noise.

The best noise-isolation is usually from a very snug-fitting set of in-ear headphones but some over-headphones can be very good at the job as well.

Pros

They save your ears, they keep the amplifier from distorting your music and they block out all the nonsense in the background; all very good things.

Cons

Not many really. The only disadvantage is that sometimes it's quite useful to hear what's going on around you, particularly if someone's trying to get your attention or there's a bus on collision course.

Noise cancellation takes a slightly different approach to the same problem of environmental disturbance. Instead of trying to block out all of the ambient sound, they have a system that actively plays a background noise of its own of an equal but opposite waveform – or thereabouts. So, as the name suggests, the idea is to cancel out whatever noise is going on around you.

Pros

They can often provide the most personal listening experience of all, no matter where you are. Many noise-cancelling headphones will have a good deal of noise isolation built in too. Together, they can be incredibly effective at eliminating ambient sounds in environments such as aeroplanes.

Cons

Noise cancelling requires power and that'll mean either batteries or a rechargeable version built into your headphones. Not only will this make them more expensive but when you run out of charge, you could end up with problems. Some noise-cancelling headphones won't play at all if there's no battery power. Finally, of course, noise cancellation systems cost money. So, you won't necessarily be getting the best bang for your buck in terms of audio quality.

Whether on, over or around, some headphones will not require a wire between you and your music source at all, and that might be handy for you for all sorts of reasons. At the same time, wireless headphones are not without their problems or their critics.

Largely, you'll find they use one of three different wireless technologies. The first, and by far the most common, is Bluetooth. Over the kinds of distances between smartphone/portable music player and your headphones, it's an incredibly effective method. Some older headphones use infrared (IR) technology instead and that's not quite so good. Further reaching than both, however, are probably radio frequency (RF) versions. They are harder to find and pairing isn't always as easy.

Pros

Look Ma, no wires! No more getting tangled up in your bag, no more accidentally pulling your headphones out of your ears and nothing to get in the way while you're exercising; there's a lot to like about going wireless.

Cons

Just as with noise-cancelling headphones, there are problems and expenses with having to use batteries or remembering to charge them up. What's more, some pairs don't have a wired option as back-up for when disaster strikes.

Lastly, you're never going to get that same great audio quality as with a wired solution. Wireless transmission of the music involves compressing the wave form and that means losing out on some of the detail in the sound at the higher and lower ends of the music. Wireless headphones are a massive no-no for purists.

Headphones don't have to be wireless to make compromises on sound. Some headphones, quite simply, are designed primarily to look good. That's not to say that they sound bad. All headphones manufacturers will tell you that sound comes first, but, for some, you are paying great deal more for the look instead.

The Harman Kardon Soho, Urbanears Humlan and some of the House of Marley kit would be good examples along with most headphones that Skullcandy has ever made. There's absolutely nothing wrong with buying headphones to boost your style as well as your beats. Just remember that you'll be paying for that as much as you will be the sound.

Not all headphones are meant to sound the same. Some try to create the best balance between the top, bottom and midrange notes; some want the high notes to sing for orchestral strings, vocals and rock guitar; and others are all about the big bass beats. Have a think about what music you mostly listen to and which headphones are going to suit that best.

The Philips Fidelio range and Denon products, for example, are excellent at producing a very, very neutral balance, whereas Beats headphones are incredibly bottom heavy. If you buy a pair of headphones that look as though they should be worn by a rapper, then it's probably rap music that they're going to be best for.

Generally, it's your headphones that will make the biggest difference in the audio chain from your player to your ears. It's also worth considering the source material you're using. In other words, are you listening to a CD or a digital file and, if the latter, what kind of file is it?

Poor-quality source material is going to sound rubbish no matter what kind of headphones you buy. In fact, the better your headphones, the more it shows it up. CD listening is ideal and, if you really want to do it properly, a dedicated headphones amp is the way to go.

Of course, that's not necessarily either practical or possible when listening on a smartphone on the go. You can get mobile headphones amps – such as the Chord Hugo – but not many people own a Discman.

With streaming services such as Spotify, it's important to make sure you're listening to the highest bitrates possible – usually 192kbits/s. If it's your own locally stored music, then lossless files are preferable. Unlike MP3s, lossless files are not compressed and so keep all the details of the original track. Look out for Apple's lossless AAC+ or FLACs. The downside is that they're not always easy to find and they also take up more storage space.

No need to get too caught up in the details of files. Just make sure you're not listening to rubbish and certainly don't blame it on your headphones if you are.

Article by MacDuff for msn TECH