A Guide to headphones

Headphones have almost become a necessity in modern life. Whether you are a commuter listening to podcasts, need pumping music to help your running routine or like to be able to answer calls whilst keeping your hands free, headphones are a requirement.  The good news is headphone technology has come a long way in the last couple of years and there are lots of options available for you to find the ones that suit your lifestyle. Here is a brief guide to the different styles you will come across when shopping for headphones.

Headsets

These are great for domestic or office-based use. As well as delivering great sound, thanks to lots of products having an inbuilt microphone they also pack a lot of handy features for business use such as voice-to-text dictation and a perfect for Skype calls.

In-ear

Popular with regular headphone users and possibly the style seen out and about the most, in-ear headphones are discrete and can be packed away easily while still providing great sound. They are available at a range of prices from budget brands to high end marques such as Ferrari and Bose available at online retailer Hispek. In-ear style headphones are great for people on the go.

Around-ear Clip

Often preferred by physically active music listeners, around-ear clip headphones include a support clip which goes around the back of the ear to hold the headphones in place. Joggers and gym-goers tend to choose these as well as people who do not like the feel of in-ear headphones.

On-ear

Increasingly popular since Beats by Dr Dre became the headphones of choice for many a music listener, on-ear headphones sit over the ears while a band over the head holds them in place. This style has the potential to deliver awesome sound quality while not completely shutting out the outside world. Again, the selection of models in this style is extensive with plenty of designs, colours and sound preferences to choose from.

Noise Cancelling

These can be particularly expensive but worth the extra money if you are looking for a fully immersive sound experience. Noise cancellation technology (or active noise control) cleverly produces signals to reverse the effects of outside noise. These are great for commutes where the drone of engine noise can hamper the music listening experience but can cause problems in the office as telephone rings and requests of colleagues will also be fully shut out!

Sound-isolating

For those who are thinking of people sitting nearby on the bus who don’t want to share their experience of the latest Kanye album these headphones ensure that noises are only going into the listener’s ears. Either malleable rubber sphere tips or cupped design which rest over the ears both sealing in sounds from the outside world.

Wireless

Saving you from the annoyance of wires, wireless headphones are connected to your sound system via Bluetooth, radio signals or infra-red. Unfortunately, the sound can sometimes be compromised by the processing of the connection but the technology is improving all the time.