So, you just bought a new MP3 player and are ready to download some songs. But what do you do about the cheap headset that came with your purchase? Nothing is worse than a pair of headphones that don't work. You want to make sure that the gear you buy is worth the money you spend and gives you the best sound possible. Headphones come at many different styles and prices for music fans who want the best sound quality. Don't waste your time thinking about what you might be missing. And don't be scared to try new things. Don't forget that it's fine to mix brands. When you're ready to buy headphones, make sure to think about the following.
Fit: This may seem obvious, but fit can have a bigger effect on sound quality than you think. Ear buds fit in the ear canal, but they don't cover the whole ear, so other sounds can get in the way of what you're listening to. So, people who use earbuds often turn up the volume, which can hurt their ears. Earbuds are also usually pretty uncomfortable. The very popular iPod comes with this type of headphones.
As an alternative to earbuds, you could try a closed-back, padded headphone model. This type of headphone sounds better because it usually has something called a "dynamic transducer" to get the most out of the sound. Besides earbuds, there are also headphones that fit tightly on the head or wrap around the head DJ-style.
Another choice is a canal phone. These are made to fit comfortably in your ear canal and give you better sound with less outside noise and more bass. People think that canal phones are better and safer than other types of headphones because they block out a lot of outside noise. This means that you don't have to turn the music up very loudly to hear it, which makes it less likely that you'll lose your hearing. In short, try to find headphones that block out outside noise so you don't have to turn up the volume.
Most headphones that cover your ears have a noise-canceling feature. You can use this feature if you hear hissing or other sounds from the outside that make it hard to hear. All you have to do to use this feature is to flip a switch. This will lessen the noise in the background, so you can only hear what you want to hear.
Wireless headphones are great for people who are always on the go and don't want to carry around a lot of extra stuff. Keep in mind that the range of wireless headphones is often not very far. Look for a model with a good range so that you can make the most of the fact that it is wireless.
