Momentary Reflection (And Opinion): Headphones

Different people like different types of headphones.  Some people prefer the ear-buds and the inner-ear headphones over the traditional kind. Personally, I like the traditional kind the best.  The standard ipod headphones let out too much outside sound.  If you’ve ever taken a long bus ride sitting next to someone wearing these, you know exactly what I’m talking about.  What you want is a set of headphones you can blast without bothering the people around you.  At the same time, you want keep outside noise to a minimum (yet safe) level.  Personally, I still haven’t been won over by so-called “noise-canceling” technology.

I understand completely why some people prefer the headbandless variety of headphones.  Maybe they think they look dorky or they don’t want to mess up their hair.  The truth is, vanity should not get in the way of excellent sound performance.  But, there is one phenomenon I’ve found very odd.  From my experience, monetary value and performance are not necessarily linked.  I’ve had $20.00  Sony headphones that I felt gave me as good or better performance than fancy $200 headphones.  High-end brands like Bose, deliver an excellent sound, but after a certain point, it feels like you are paying more for the brand-name itself rather than the performance.  Truth be told, of all the headphones I’ve ever had, the ones I was most satisfied with were a $17.00 pair made by a company called EarHugger.  They kept outside noise out while delivering a tight, high quality level of sound.    Of course, tightness was also sort of a drawback, for they were a little too tight to wear at first. Perhaps other brands beat them on comfort, but sound-wise, they hit it out of the park.  That being said, EarHugger headphones are harder to find these days. 

Of course sound and quality can be really subjective.  Different people hear things differently and desire different kinds of sounds.  Some might find Bose actually to be the best out there. Given personal differences, that might be hard to argue.   

What do you look for in a set of headphones?  Have you found the process of shopping for a new pair to be a crapshoot?  I have.  You might find a brand you like but may not like every model.  If you like a certain model and are particularly hard on your headphones, like I am, you may end up buying multiple sets of the same model each time one wears out.  These days I have found a Sony pair that suits my purposes.  With headphones, you have to hunt around and experiment sometimes to discover what works for you as an individual.  Nothing is cut and dry.  Shopping for headphones is a very personal process!