What headphones is better to buy

On the Internet you can often see the query “advise good headphones” for music or games. But before you choose a gadget, you need to understand how the headphones differ from each other in general, and which are better for certain tasks.

Headphone design

Gadgets can differ among themselves in design features. There are the following designs of gadgets.

1. Inserts or plug-in - almost out of use, as it is an outdated technology. In addition, they were not suitable for everyone because of the shape and size, and often fell out of the ears.Poor quality of low frequencies (bass) when listening to music, if you make a comparison with other types of gadgets, was also a lack of earbud headphones.
   
2. Intra channel or vacuum (they are also called plugs or plugs) - are the most common design, because the gadget is very compact, does not create discomfort when used. It differs from liners in better sound quality, including low frequency. It also provides complete isolation from external noise. But before choosing vacuum headphones, you should remember: if you use plugs for a long time, and even at high volume, you can significantly damage your hearing. When wearing plugs on the street, be careful, as you can not hear the approaching car.
   

3. Overhead - so called because they are not inserted into the auricles, but adjacent to them. Since there is not a complete overlap of the auditory passages, all third-party sounds will be heard when listening to music in a noisy place. But, if it's quiet around, then in the overhead headphones you can enjoy good sound quality.Buy overhead gadgets if you want to choose headphones for the player.
   

4. Full size - considered the most driving to listen to music or games. Due to the snug fit to the head and full ear girth ear cushions, a high quality sound reproduction is achieved. Therefore, if you hear the request “advise headphones for music or online games”, then you can, without hesitation, advise a full-size headset.

Open or closed

In turn, full-sized gadgets are divided into closed, half-closed and open. Which one is better? AT closed version The bowls of the gadget have a design that does not let sound waves out and external noise inside. Usually they are made of plastic, do not have any holes and look quite massive.

Dimensions open headphone the same as the closed ones. They differ only in the holes on the back of the bowl, through which the sound can go out, which affects the perception, as it becomes more realistic. Open gadget can be recommended for listening to music.

Half open type Headset is an intermediate option.It combines all the positive characteristics of both closed and open gadget. If the question arises, which headphones are better to buy, then you need to decide what they will be used for. For games, the best choice will be closed, as in some online games it is important to hear all the rustling.

We select for games headphones with surround sound. Usually on the packaging written to them that there is support for the 7.1 format. Advise headphones with surround sound to your friends for online battles - they will be grateful to you.

Headphones for music is either an open or half-open type of gadget that does an excellent job.

Headphones with microphone

How to choose headphones with a microphone if they are needed to communicate on the network? It should be noted that all of the above types of gadgets can be with a built-in microphone. There are 4 ways to mount it on a headset.

1. Built - is the worst option that you can think of, because he will catch, except for the voice of the owner of the headset, all the ambient noise. The only thing that might encourage you to buy headphones with such a microphone is that it is invisible.
2. On cable - standard placed in the volume control in the mobile headset. Due to the fact that the wire is shifting all the time, signal distortion is possible, which affects the quality of communication.
3. Fixed mount. The microphone is held on a fixed plastic holder, being at a fixed distance relative to the mouth. It is worthwhile to choose headphones with a fixed mount if frequent communication in the network is meant. They can be buried, open, half-open or patch type.
4. Movable mount. This type of headset is the best option for connecting to a computer. You can easily choose the distance of the microphone relative to the mouth: for this it is enough to turn the holder. If the microphone is not needed, it can be raised up, and in some models - disconnect.

Connection method

Headsets by the connection method are divided into 2 types: wired and wireless.

Wired

This is the most common way to connect a gadget. This connection is the most preferable if you want to get the best sound quality.. We single out the fact that such a connection option is less expensive than a wireless one.

The only drawback is the fact that freedom of movement is limited by the length of the cord, although it can be extended with a connecting cable.

Connection to the device is via a standard connector (mini jack 3.5 mm) or via USB. The connectors should be 2 (one for the microphone, and the second, green for the audio signal), if they are ordinary computer headphones.

In case your headset has one plug with contacts for the right and left channels, as well as for the microphone, then it is quite suitable for a phone or laptop with a special socket, near which there is a certain marking.

To connect to a PC you will need to take an adapter.

Wireless

Advise a wireless headset to those who have the need for free movement within the housing or office. This headset is completed base stationconnected to a PC. It is equipped with a radio signal receiver and transmitter. The headset itself also has a transmitter and receiver that are powered by batteries.. If infrared radiation serves as a transmitting signal, then free movement will be limited to the visibility limits of the emitter and receiver.

The main disadvantage of a wireless headset is the fact that it is necessary to periodically charge the batteries, and it weighs significantly more. Also, the sound quality in such gadgets is worse than wired.

Sony Sony MDR-RF855RK Wireless Headphones

Headphone specifications

To know how to choose the right headphones, you must take into account not only the type of design, but also the technical characteristics of the gadget.

Resistance

Standard resistance is 32 ohms. The higher the resistance, the better the sound. But at the same time have to sacrifice the volume. With professional headphones, resistance can be as high as several hundred ohms. If you select a headset to use with a tablet, phone or PC, then 32 Ohms will be quite enough, since these devices do not have enough power.

Power

When choosing a stereo headset, it is advisable to pay attention to such a parameter as the headphone power indicator (not to be confused with the sensitivity of the headphones). Chasing large values ​​of the indicator is not worth it, since such a device will quick battery phone, tablet or laptop.The power rating must be within 100 mW.

Harmonic distortion level

Headphone specifications also include this parameter, which is measured in percent. High-quality headphones have a minimum distortion value in the range of 0.5%.

Before you choose a good headset, be aware that devices with a factor above 1% are considered mediocre.

There are cases when the percentage of harmonic distortion is not indicated on the packaging of the gadget, which should be noted, since the manufacturer can thus hide the poor quality of its products. Acquire such a gadget is not recommended.

frequency range

The sound quality depends on how wide the boundaries of this parameter are. The human ear is able to pick up sound within the range of frequencies from 16 to 20,000 Hz. Therefore, the frequency range of the headphones should be in this framework. The optimal frequency for normal headphones - 20-20000 Hz. Gadgets selected in this way will reproduce deep bass and normal high frequencies. Advise headphones with such frequency characteristics to your friends, and they will not be disappointed with the sound quality.

If the package shows the indicators of frequency below 16 Hz and above 20,000 Hz, then this can be called an advertising move by the manufacturer. It can be assumed that the gadget is capable of producing such frequencies, but you will not receive benefits from this, since you will still hear sound in a given nature range.

Sensitivity

Thinking which headphones to choose, you can get confused in the names of the parameters. About the sensitivity of the headphones in question, when a person in the store calls the seller to "advise the headphones so that they have high volume". The higher the headphone sensitivity setting, the louder the music in the device will be. The normal value is the sensitivity in the range from 90 dB to 100 dB (for budget gadgets) and higher (for expensive models) at a constant power level.

Microphone specifications

Before you choose a good headset with a microphone, you should pay attention to its technical characteristics. Microphones in the headset are capacitor and dynamic. If you choose the parameters, the transmission quality is better for capacitor ones. Also, the microphone can be unidirectional (catches less external noise) and circular.The frequency range of a normal microphone is in the range from 100 Hz to 16 kHz. Well, if the microphone is implemented noise reduction function.

Summarizing

In conclusion, we can say that the choice of headphones should be approached individually, since there are no universal recommendations on this issue. First, decide what type of headset you need, mobile or stationary, and only then select it from the technical specifications. Do not forget about ergonomicsby trying on the selected headphones on yourself. They should not cause excessive pressure on the ears and be light enough. Otherwise, after prolonged use of the gadget, pain in the neck and in the auricle area may appear. In any case, before buying, you need to weigh the pros and cons, and then choose the best option to suit the price and quality of the headset.