5 questions to help you beat a path to the best headphones

An oft asked question is how to choose the best pair of headphones.

Whether you are a budding audiophile with a treasured collection of vinyl LPs or need a replacement pair of cans to listen to the latest beats in the gym, a quick search pulls up endless lists of brands, terminology and buzzwords. So how do you decide between Grado, Sennheiser, Bose or Shure, and should you go for earphones, earbuds, closed-back or open-back and what about the cutting edge wireless or electrostatics some sites are recommending....

I will try to guide you through some of the important questions you need to ask before helping you choosing the best headphones for you that will let you beat a path to listening nirvana!

You definitely get what you pay for in terms of sound quality, materials and workmanship and the package of extras that comes with your headphones. OEM or budget replacements can start as low as $20/£12 with decent quality brand name options coming in at $60/£40 and heading north of $800+/£500+ for the premium manufacturers range toppers. Only the yacht set should apply for the Stax Omega SR-007 Mk2s!

Where you want to be on this scale depends on your usage requirements, personal circumstances, listening source material and most importantly - your own ears!

There is a pair on the market for every conceivable use; be it getting fit at the gym, late night listening, air travel or gaming.

There are three main styles with the smallest and lightest being the in-ear. These slot directly into the ear canal usually with a foam or rubber seal and can provide great quality whilst blocking much external, unwanted noise. Some manufacturers can even create custom pairs moulded to you individual ears....at a price of course! Some people report these in-ear headphones to be uncomfortable (myself included) so try to test first.

More common are the standard earbuds, the design usually supplied free with you portable player or cellphone. These sit in the earlobe potentially with over the ear clips or headbands for use during sporting activities. Earbuds are a jack-of-all-trades offering convenience at the price of isolation and quality.

Finally, over the ear phones are usually large and padded and either sit on top of the ear lobe for the smaller ones or covering the ears completely. Both types come with an adjustable headband for comfort. These can provide decent isolation if closed back or excellent freedom and fidelity if open backed at the expense of letting the outside in and vice-versa. Check for weight and comfort levels prior to buying with an extended listening test and remember that cheap leather can lead to hot and sweaty ears!

All styles have trade offs in terms of cost, portability, weight and sound quality so the first step is to identify your needs and home in on your ideal cans. It may be that you need multiple pairs with a cheaper over the ear lightweight pair for running and an immersive open-backed paid of electrostatics for your late night jazz habit! Make those choices early on - you will be happier with the end result and most likely avoid wasting money on unsuitable cans.

Tssk - tssk - tssk - bfff - bfff - tssk! I am sure we have all sat next to someone with their headphones leaking out their owners particular brand of noise whilst on the bus or train. Stopping sound from getting in and out can be important in a number of other scenarios as well as this one. Open backed headphones are the worst offenders with closed back and in-ear being the quietest for your fellow travellers.

If you are a regular plane or train traveller a good set of isolating or noise cancelling headphones can make the journey significantly more pleasant. Many in-ear type headphones provide excellent isolation from external noise and also have minimal or low sound leakage to avoid irritating your fellow passengers. Noise cancelling headphones tend to be fairly ineffective until you get towards the pricier end of the spectrum so I would recommend ignoring them unless you are straying into the several hundred dollar range.

For home or late night listening where others are around, closed back or in-ear are the best but if you're on your own the world is your oyster so splash out and get what sounds best.

There is no benefit in spending a few hundred dollars or more on some decent cans if you are going to listen to low quality streaming radio over the net or to tracks recorded at the lowest settings in iTunes so you can maximise the number you can fit on your iPod nano. If this is you, save yourself some cash and get a cheap replacement/OEM pair - you won't notice the difference.

If you are listening to a better quality of source, be it a decent hi-fi, output from a DVD/BlueRay player or high quality streamed or recorded audio then making an investment in good quality phones can make the listening experience one you look forward to all day!

There are many theories here on how much to spend including source first (spend as much as possible on the source so you don't lose fidelity too early in the chain) but a good rule of thumb is to look at no more than a quarter of your budget if it is an entire system at home or half for portable audio.

You say tomato, I say tomato....doesn't really work online but you get the point!

There are many headphones for many target markets. If you think first and plan your purchase, ask the right questions and audition the candidates you should end up with a set of cans that take your enjoyment to new heights regardless of your budget.

Happy listening!