Headphones: a Guide to Choose Between What We Want and What We Can Buy

Everyone with their fetish, everyone with their own taste: there is always an object that arouses desire. It happens to ironmongers with a certain car and to sneaker fans with a hype-laden model. It also happens with cyclists and folding bicycles, with smokers and vaporizers, and even with plant pots and the already famous export steel thermos at a dollar price.

But who also has his aspiration is that vast majority who consume music, at home or on the street, and who in search of headphones that fit their needs wonders how impossible it is to have a Bluetooth, those that the Apple Taliban display with such pride. The interesting thing is that there are many other options, even with better features and at a better price. And having some concepts clear helps make the decision easier.

1. What use will the headphones be given?

The first thing is to define what use is going to be given to them. “A headset for sports, with a stronger grip on the ear and that, can perspire, is not the same as a headset for use in an office,” says Sony’s Camila Poggi. “A headset for sports is not the same as for the office or taking a plane,” agrees JBL, which has just presented its huge portfolio of products in the country. In this sense, it is good to know that there are wireless headphones prices in Pakistan that are designed to fit in the ear while running and jumping, that support perspiration, and can even be submersible.

There are also lines for children (in which the fundamentals go through the design) and Google Assistant, for those who want to listen to their notifications without looking at the phone, for example. If the user is an audiophile, the Hi-End options (which are the most expensive) will be correct.

2. With or without cable; In-Ear, On-Ear, Over-Ear

A few years ago a large size was synonymous with a great sound, but today technological developments allow excellent sound processors to be combined with small products. Motorola’s VerveBuds400, JBL Free, or Sony’s WF-1000XM3 are excellent examples. Totally wireless -true wireless, without cables to the device or cables to each other- allow absolute freedom of movement and completely ignore the bundles of cables.

There are three options of the in-ear type that is frequently called handsfree in Pakistan, that is, they fit the auditory pavilion of the ear and direct the sound towards the inner ear. If they are uncomfortable or you prefer the “headband” type, there are on-ear and over-ear. These are characterized by being placed over the ear or by covering it completely, which serves to determine how isolated we are going to be from external sounds. They are ideal to use on public transport or on the street, on a plane, or to go to the gym and not have to endure the Zumba class next door.

3. How important is a good sound to us?

This is where technology is a determining factor in the quality of the audio and also in the price. There’s no chance that $150 headphones bought off the street will be good, or last, or be good and last. But there are more than worthy options on corded models starting at just over $600.(the Sony MDR-E9LP, for example). And from then on, a whole universe. The truth is that good sound is influenced by several factors: the playback source (vinyl is not the same as a CD, or the radio or Spotify audio); what one looks for and can hear and appreciate (song details, audio fidelity, bass quality, treble definition, and dynamic range are subjective sensory experiences) and the environment in which they will be used.

Although headphones are used to solve the acoustic problems that any environment can have (our houses are not like the Teatro Colón, unfortunately), they do not always work in all situations. Technologies such as Noise Canceling (which we will expand on in the next point) or the quality of the cables and connectors are part of the fine-tuning that makes a good product extraordinary. Also its size (VerveBuds 400 are as small as earplugs) and its features (compatibility with Siri, Alexa, or Google Assistant and battery life).

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4. To take care of the ears

Facts, Not Opinions: Hearing Loss, Hearing Not Regained. When the auditory system is injured there is no way to go back in time, so it is essential to take care of the volume of our headphones. In general, the high volume responds to the need to isolate oneself from external sounds. “The engineering solution is Noise-canceling”, says Poggi, “a technology that allows external noise to be reduced to a minimum, and allows music to be heard more clearly, without the need to turn the volume all the way up”.

This technology works in a simple way: the headphones are not just simple passive instruments, but they act by emitting frequencies that cancel all those external noises that can interfere with the sound. It was born as an applied technology for airplane and helicopter pilots, and little by little it moved to domestic environments. The Sony WH-1000XM3 are kings in this area: when you put them on you can be sure that he will only hear what he has to hear and that nothing will interfere with the experience. A quick test is enough to discover new sounds in songs that have already been listened to thousands of times. A sound from another dimension.

5. Budget

The determining factor is the one that separates the headphones we want from the ones we can buy. But do not despair that there are values ​​for almost all pockets. Motorola’s tiny and highly recommended VerveBuds400 cost $5,849, which is considerably less than the $159 you’d pay (in the US, of course) for Apple AirPods. Motorola also has the sportier but still compact VerveBuds200 for $4,399. JBL offers a wide variety of models, all with the recognized quality of the brand. The Jr300 kids are $1,999 and the Free (true wireless, compact, and sports-friendly) are $12,999.

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