Best Headphones to Buy This Year | Complete Buyer Guide For You

In our day-to-day life, headphones became an indispensable part. We use it when we travel, when we walk when we are on call, and sometimes when we are having dinner. So, choosing the right headphone or earbuds is necessary.

This guide will help you with selecting the right headphone for you as per your usage. This guide will discuss the types of headphones, their pros and cons, features you should look into while buying a headphone, and the best 5 headphones for you. So let’s get started with the types of headphones.

What’s in it for you

1. Types of Headphones
2. Should you buy wired or wireless headphones?
3. Features to consider while buying a headphone
4. Top 5 Best Headphones
5. Conclusion
6. FAQs

Types of Headphones

Headphones come in different sizes, shapes, and audio quality. There are mainly 8 types: 

• Closed-Back
• Open-Back
• On-Ear
• Over-Ear
• In-Ear
• Earbuds
• Bluetooth
• Noise-Cancelling

Let’s discuss them in detail with their pros and cons and see which one is best for you.

Closed-Back

The closed-back headphone is for those, who just want to avoid all the sound which is outside the headphone. It blocks all the outside noise and allows you to completely enjoy your music.

Musicians highly tend to buy this kind of headphone as they just want to get rid of all outside sound and want truly engulf in music and enjoy every minute of it. And apart from musicians, closed-back is also good for people who prefer a private listening experience. It produces excellent sound quality.

It comes in both, over-ear and on-ear style. The over-ear style covers the ear whereas the on-ear style rests on top of the ear. But, the closed-back is bulkier in comparison to other handphones.

Now let’s have a look at the opposite of closed-back which are open-back headphone.

Open-Back

As understandable by name, the open-back headphone is not closed from the back and allows you to listen to the outside sound. But, why one would want to listen to outside noise? 

These are the most preferred headphone for those who are in a studio setting working on mixing the sound. Using open-back headphone allow you to listen to outside noise that makes it easy for audio engineers to work on it accurately without frequency mismatch. The closed-back headphone is great for sound isolation, but they will keep lowering the frequency inside the ear cup after a while.

The headphone creates less pressure while wearing which makes you more comfortable to keep them on your ears for a longer time. But if you want a completely isolated music experience, then this is not the right headphone for you. 

We would like to add one more thing, that is, if you need headphones for mixing sound, then you can use both headphones, its completely depending upon the condition as sometimes you also need to listen in both, closed and open-back headphones.

The third type of headphone is on-ear headphone. Have a look if that’s what you are looking for.

On-Ear

The on-Ear headphone is like an open-back headphone that allows you to listen to the sound from the outside environment. It is made to provide the utmost comfortability and a better sound experience to the user. It doesn’t put much pressure on your ears like a closed-back headphone.

The lightweight headphone is great in quality. There are many models available which come with their features and benefits. But you should go as per your requirements mainly thinking about the sound quality and comfort of using the headphones.

The contrary of on-ear headphone is over-ear headphone. Let’s discuss it in detail.

Over-Ear

Over-Ear Headphones fit in the top of the head and completely cover the ear. It reduces the surrounding noise and makes it a complete sound isolation environment. There is almost no sound leakage in over-ear headphones.

This style comes with closed-back headphones and is usually used for sound isolation and a high-quality sound experience. These headphones are very comfortable and don’t chomp your ears. These headphones are also quite bulky and can cause fatigue and sweating if worn for a longer period.

But one may get confused between On-Ear headphones and Over-Ear headphones. Worry not! We got your back. Here is how you can differentiate. On-Ear headphones are smaller(as the size of your ears) whereas over-ear headphones are large and bulkier and the cups cover your whole ear with their surrounding.

Now, let’s check the most popular and widely used headphones, i.e., in-ear headphones.

In-Ear

In-Ear Headphones or simply earphones are the most portable, popular, and most used headphones in the market. You can use it anywhere easily without weighing your head.

The earphones provide the comfort of wearing it, its sound quality, and isolation. It has a little sound leakage. It comes with a silicone ear tip for comfort and ear protection. This ear tip directly allows the sound to travel from the earphones to your ear.

This is the perfect choice if you like listening to music while traveling, walking, or maybe in the gym. It comes in different quality and gives different music experiences according to its sound quality. 

Another kind of similar headphones is earbuds. Let’s see how they are different from In-ear Headphones.

Earbuds

You must be confused by seeing the same type of headphones with a different name. But wait, in-ear headphones and earbuds are different. Yes, the major difference between the in-ear headphone and earbuds is that earbuds don’t penetrate your ear canal whereas in-ear headphones are directly inserted in the ear canal. In-ear headphones do not allow external sound whereas earbuds allow sound from the external environment. 

As in-ear headphones, earbuds are also portable but they cannot provide true isolation. As the model you choose, some earbuds provide high quality and accuracy. Well, we just can’t tell you that whether you should buy in-ear headphones or an earbud, as it completely depends on the person, and its requirements. 

If you are looking for high-quality sound and accuracy in music, then earbuds are not the right choice, but if you just need something which you can use while traveling and you are interested in knowing what’s going around you, then grab this on.

The revolutionary which changed the headphone technology, are wireless headphones. Let’s see how they work and what are their benefits.

Bluetooth

Bluetooth Headphones changed the complete headphone technology. It comes with a small chip that allows you to pair your device with your headphone wirelessly. There is hardly any quality loss until you are within the radius of the Bluetooth connectivity. You can enjoy the same music with the same sound quality without any cords, isn’t it amazing?

You can use this anytime, whether in the gym, traveling, walking, or doing anything, you can use it anywhere.

There are some disadvantages of their headphones like lag or delay in transmission, but that’s not the big day, it’s just some milliseconds and it won’t affect you until you are in audio mixing or an audio engineer. These headphones are more expensive in comparison to other headphones.

Cordless electronics need to be charged as they run out of battery. The battery life may differ as per their price. Generally, you should buy headphones whose battery life is at least 4-5 hours.

The next and last type of headphones is noise-canceling headphones. Let’s discuss it in detail.

Noise-Cancelling

The noise-canceling headphones reduce the surrounding sound with their built-in technology. The inside technology measures the lower frequency around you and creates an opposite frequency that cancels the outside sound.

These headphones are generally used in air travel as it blocks the noise from other travelers and plane’s engine and it can also be used in any outside traveling.

You are now well aware of all the types of headphones, but it must be confusing which one you should go for and especially would you choose wired headphones or wireless headphones. Here is the answer.

Should I buy wired or wireless headphones?

When it comes to wired or wireless headphones, there is no good or bad. It just depends on your requirement, budget, and uses. However, Bluetooth headphones usually have many advantages and if your mobile does not have the headphone jack, then the wireless headphone is the only option for you.

Features to consider while buying a headphone

Well, knowing the type of headphone you should choose is not the only thing you need to know while going to buy a new headphone. We have discussed few features which you should look into while buying a new headphone:

1. Type

Type is the first thing that we already discussed. If you didn’t read that, please have a look at the above section. Majorly, there are 8 types:

1. Closed-Back
2. Open-Back
3. On-Ear
4. Over-Ear
5. In-Ear
6. Earbuds
7. Bluetooth
8. Noise-Cancelling

2. Drivers

Drivers are an important part of a headphone as it is responsible for generating sound. It converts the electrical signal from the device into sound. There are different types of drivers in headphones. The most commonly used dynamic (moving coil) driver, balanced armature driver, electrostatic driver, etc.

They use different technology and each technology provides a different sound experience. The dynamic driver is used in all kinds of headphones whereas every driver is as per the model.

3. Impedance

Impedance is the power required by headphones to keep working. Low-impedance headphones require less power to drive, and can easily be used with mobiles or any source device. Whereas high-impedance headphones require a dedicated amplifier to drive. 

So, when buying a headphone, it’s important to check its impedance and buy according to the source device you use. Impedance under 15 Ohms is low and easy to drive, whereas impedance above 50 Ohms may require some amplification.

4. Frequency Response

Frequency response is the range of frequency that a headphone can produce. The human ear can hear the frequencies ranging from 20-20,000Hz, so most of the headphones try to be in this range.

If you like songs with more bass, then go for headphone which supports wider the usual frequency response range.

Top 5 headphones

Now, as you know which type of headphone you should go with, and what features to check while buying a new headphone, have a look at the top 5 shortlisted best headphones:

1. Infinity JBL Glide 500 Wireless Headphone

JBL is renowned for its high audio quality electronics. Infinity JBL Glide is launched in September 2019 but it is still in no. 1 position because of its advanced features.

The headphone is lightweight and comes with a mic. It provides 72-hour standby battery life. It comes with advanced Bluetooth 5.0 and cushions inside to make you comfortable. 

Features: 

• Dual Equaliser Modes for Normal & Deep Bass Output
• Wireless Bluetooth Streaming
• 20 hours Music Playtime Under Optimum Audio Settings
• Frequency Range: 20Hz~20kHz
• Driver Size: 32mm
• Driver Sensitivity (1KHz / 1mW): 102±3dB
• Impedance (ohms): 32 ohms
• Battery Capacity: 200mAh
• Charging Time: 2hrs
• Speed charging time: 10min
• Charging Type: 5V 1A wire charging
• Lightweight and Flat Foldable Design
• Handsfree Calling
• Earcups lined with Soft Cushion Cups
• Voice Assistant Integration
• 1-year manufacturer’s warranty

2. boAt Rockerz 510 Wireless Headphone

The boAt is another company that gives a tough competition in audio accessories to JBL. The boAt Rockerz 510 Bluetooth headphone has an amazing design and comes in red and black colors which make it more stylish.

It is lightweight and comfortable. It is available in 3 sizes to provide you with a comfortable listening experience. The most impressive feature of this headphone is the sonic definition sound. It comes with Bluetooth 4.1, and 9-10 hours of playback time.

Features:

• Thumping Bass with balanced treble performance
• Custom-designed 50mm drivers
• Thumping playback time of up to 20 hours
• Standby time- 250 hours.
• Soft ear pads and the adjustable band
• Comes with the master control board
• Material: Faux leather, Aluminum
• Dual connectivity- wireless via Bluetooth and wired with its aux port.

3. boAt Rockerz 400 Wireless Headphone

Another great product by boAt. boAt Rockerz 400 comes with extra bass and 8 hours of playback time and 100 hours of standby battery life.

It is available in 4 colors with Bluetooth version 5.0 in the range of 13 meters. It also has a master control board with three easy access buttons.

Features:

• Playback time of up to 8 hours
• Charging to 100% in 2 hours
• Super extra bass
• Dual connectivity modes
• Impedance (ohms): 32 ohms
• Bluetooth- v5.0
• Bluetooth range- 10m
• Compatible with both, Android & iOS
• Lightweight and Attractive Design
• Easy Controls
• Instant Voice Assistant

4. Sennheiser HD 206 Wired Headphone

Sennheiser HD 206 is one of the affordable and high-quality headphones out there in the market. You will get the best sound quality as these headphones come with closed dynamic drivers. The bass is balanced.

The headphone is comfortable and lightweight and comes with dynamic audio. It is a wired headphone and the length of the cable is 3 meters. It is budget-friendly too.

Features:

• Crisp & Balanced Bass response
• Lightweight
• Good attenuation of ambient noise
• 6.3 mm audio jack adaptor
• Frequency response- 21 – 18000 Hz
• Sound pressure level (SPL) 108 dB (SPL)
• Cable length:3 meter
• HD stereo sound
• Impedance- 24 ohms
• Mic- No

5. Leaf Bass Wireless Headphone

The leaf is one of the well-known audio accessories manufacturers in the world and it does not need any introduction. Leaf Bass Wireless Headphone comes with a good design and premium sound quality.

The headphone comes with 40mm drivers for HD stereo sound. The battery life is 10 hours long to ensure that you have an amazing listening experience. There is also an option to connect it using an AUX cable.

Features:

• 40mm Drivers For HD Sound
• Impedance- 32 Ohm
• Sensitivity Range Of 109(+/- 2)Db 
• 10 Hours Battery Life
• Super Comfortable- Cushion Ear Cups 
• Wireless And Wired
• HD Stereo Sound
• Frequency: 20Hz – 20kHz
• Cable Length: 1.2 Meters
• Led Indicator

Conclusion

Finally, we covered everything which you need to know while buying a new headphone. To conclude, let’s just take a quick look into it:

• There are 8 types of headphones: Closed-Back, Open-Back, On-Ear, Over-Ear, In-Ear, Earbuds, Bluetooth, and Noise-Cancelling Headphones.
• Features you should check while buying a new headphone: type, drivers, impedance, and frequency response.
• And lastly, we shortlisted the top 5 best headphones you can buy.

If this guide helped you share it with someone who is looking to buy a new headphone.

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