In this world, we hear a lot of sounds and music daily, and headphones have become indispensable in our lives. There was a time when headphones were bulky with long wires, but now everything has changed. We have wireless and lightweight headphones and sleek small-sized portable earbuds, yet sometimes we have to check whether we are wearing them or not.
Many people ask a similar question, WHAT HEADPHONES SHOULD I BUY? It is challenging to select the best wireless earbuds or headsets for you because we have many choices, and every brand is launching their new headphones with new technology every month. We made this headphones-buying guide for beginners, and in the next 5 minutes, you will get your best headphones or earphones.
Not all Wireless headphones are best performing and lightweight, and few are bulky and uncomfortable. So it’s become necessary to choose a good headphone for you. In this article, you will go through the ultimate wireless headphones buying guide for beginners so you can select the best wireless headphones for you.
Importance of choosing the right Wireless headphones:
When we listen through headphones, we can connect that sound with our heart and get boosted and motivated. If the best wireless headphones you purchase aren’t working, such as only on the right side is working, or are not audible in noisy environments, your whole experience will be ruined.
In today’s world, selecting the right headphones does not mean audio quality. It also refers to premium features, durability, portability, and immersive listening experience. The best headphones will enhance your gaming and late-night study sessions. Headphones can affect your daily life, and faulty headphones can cause comfort issues, worse sound quality, and spoil your mood. It is necessary to choose good headphones or earbuds according to your needs and preferences.
Headphone Buying Guide for Beginners: How to Choose a Headphone
Before we check out other points, this is the second important point to understand our listening style. Wireless headphones come in different styles, designs, and features for different habits and lifestyles. So, let’s check which headphone style is suitable for your use.
1. Listening Environment: How do you use headphones, and are they for home use, office, during workouts in the gym, or in noisy areas?
Features: If you use headphones in noisy areas, you can look for Bluetooth noise-cancelling headphones that are best for loud areas. If you are looking for headphones for home use, you can go with open-back headphones. If you are a traveler, you can go with foldable headphones.
2. Audio: What type of sound quality do you want? Is it for Gaming, Music, or watching movies?
Features: Now, if you are a gamer, you can look for spatial audio in closed-back headphones, and if you are a music lover, you can go with audiophile headphones.
3. Duration of use: Are you using your headphones for quick running or long study sessions or all the time for watching movies? So, in this situation, look out for headphones with longer battery life on a single charge. Comfort and battery life are necessary points for long hours of use.
Budget:
When choosing the best wireless headphones, the budget becomes a significant factor, and it will narrow down choices. So here are some points you can look for.
Regular or Premium: Find out if you are looking for budget-friendly headphones that are value for money or premium headphones with premium features and the best sound quality.
Branded: Some brands offer excellent quality and performance for budget-friendly headphones, so you can also consider the big brands in the marketplace.
Long-term Investment: If you are looking for regular headphones for the short term, then you can slightly increase your budget and go for premium headphones as they are durable and best for the future, and they are a long-term investment.
Types of Wireless Headphones:
1. Over-ear Headphones
These are the best for long hours as they provide the best battery life and comfort, and the same as wired. It will cover your ear with large cups as they have no vents or holes for sound isolation, so the person sitting next to you won’t hear anything. These are specially for gamers and crowded areas. If you use these for gym and running, they will make your ear sweaty as they have no vents for air.
| Pros | Cons |
|---|---|
| Comfortable | Bulky |
| Best Sound Quality | Expensive |
| Excellent ANC | Less Discreet |
| Stable and Durable | Less Portable |
| Longer battery life | Isolation from surroundings |
2. On-ear headphones
These are lightweight with the best sound quality, but they are not for long hours or gaming as they are short and create pressure on your ear after some time. If you want them for short workouts or running, you should go with them. Otherwise they’re uncomfortable after 2-3 hours.
| Pros | Cons |
|---|---|
| Best Sound quality | Noise leakage |
| Sleek and Stylish | Less effective ANC |
| Portable | Less Bass |
| Less Heat buildup | Limited battery life |
| Ideal for travel | Not ideal for long sessions |
3. In-ear earbuds
These are generally known as earbuds that easily fit in the ear canal and are portable. You can use them for running, workouts, or watching movies. Today’s people prefer these as one of the best options as they’re lightweight, fit into the ear, and are not bulky. However, if you use them daily for long hours, then you can lose hearing.
| Pros | Cons |
|---|---|
| Portable & Lightweight | Tricky Fit |
| Best Noise Isolation | Less Bass |
| Minimal Sound leakage | Isolation from Surroundings |
| Affordable | Less Immersive |
| Good for sports | High Risk of Misplace |
Wired Headphones or Wireless Headphones:
Both come with different benefits and use cases.
Wired: It offers superior sound quality for less money. These are compatible with most devices with a headphone jack, and you should not worry about battery life or charging issues.
| Wired | Wireless |
|---|---|
| 5 to 10 ms latency | 15 to 300 ms latency |
| 10-11 feet range | Easy 33 feet range |
| Limited cable length | More Freedom without restrictions |
| Less portable | More Portable |
| No features | Premium Features |
Wireless: These headphones offer many premium features that wired doesn’t provide and are very useful during workouts or running as the wire doesn’t bother. However, you have to deal with battery charging issues.
Sound Quality:
We discussed everything you should consider while purchasing the best wireless headphones. Now, the necessary point to consider is sound quality and bass. Everyone has different tastes in music, and people can measure sound quality. Many headphone and earbuds offer louder bass with an equalizer setting to adjust the sound and bass according to your needs. You should purchase headphones offline to check for defects or sound quality issues.
How is Adaptive Noise-Cancelling different from Active Noise-Cancelling?
Most Wireless headphones have active noise cancellation, and only a few premium wireless headphones offer adaptive noise cancellation. In both noise cancellation technologies, the headphone mic generates negative noise to cancel positive surrounding noises. However, adaptive noise cancellation uses both mic and speaker, and advanced algorithms automatically adjust the sound according to your surroundings and provide perfect noise cancellation. However, active noise cancellation can’t adapt to surroundings.
Best Wireless Headphones and Earbuds:
1. JBL TRUE ONE M2
It has adaptive noise-cancelling technology. So, it can automatically use 4 noise-sensing mics to adjust to the surroundings in real time. It is very comfortable and has 30-40 hours of battery backup on one charge. This device supports dual connectivity with a built-in microphone that removes background noise effectively. If you want a wireless headphone for TV, check out this article for more information.
Specifications:
- Type – Over-Ear
- Adaptive noise cancellation
- Bluetooth version – 5.3
- Battery backup – 50 hours
- 4-mic superior calls with voice control
- Frequency – 2400 MHz – 2483.5 MHz
- It offers 40mm drivers
Pros:
- Lightweight and Comfortable
- Smart Ambient technology
- Smart talk and aware mode
- Best audio quality
- Better phone calls in windy environments or noisy areas
- Connectivity – Wireless
- Rating – 5/5
2. EKSA Starengine Pro PC Gaming
It’s necessary to hear enemy movements during gaming, so this headphone comes with 7.1 surround sound support, which is best for action-packed online games where you need to hear footsteps. Compatibility with a wide range of products like PC, PS5, PS4, Xbox One, laptop and phones. It reduces 99% of background noise with its EKSA clear max technology that identifies different ambient noises and human voices with its dual mic intelligent system. This is one of the best gaming headphones in 2024 and you can also consider wireless earbuds for PC gaming.
Specifications:
- Type – Over-ear
- 7.1 surround sound for gaming
- Dual mic intelligent noise cancellation
- Dual chamber driver
- Connectivity – Wired and Wireless
- EKSA dual-mic system
Pros:
- Comfortable earcups
- Wide Compatibility
- Detachable Type C to USB/Type C/ 3.5mm Cable
- Detachable Microphone with Protective Cotton
- RGB Light
- Comfortable and elegant
- Rating – 4.2/5
3. Bose QuietComfort Ultra
Bose launched these new wireless headphones that are an upgraded version of Bose QC45 with some changes that deliver solid sound and have a similar sound as the Bose QC45 but a lot of improvement in sound. It offers one of the best noise-cancellation features like quiet, aware, and immersion mode. This headphone has 24 hours of battery life and 18 hours with immersive audio, and its 15 minutes of charging is enough for 2.5 hours of playtime.
Specifications:
- Type – Over-ear
- Connectivity – Wired and Wireless
- Spatial Audio
- Best noise cancellation
- Battery life – 24 hours
Pros:
- Lightweight and Comfortable
- Crystal clear calls
- Soft ear cups
- Touch control on each earcup
- Bluetooth – 5.3
- Rating – 4.6/5
4. Bose Ultra Open Earbuds
There has been no new innovation in earbuds for a long time, so Bose has done just that by releasing their newly designed Ultra Open Earbuds, which are innovative and comfortable for long hours. These wireless earbuds are equipped with 12mm drivers and reproduce well-balanced sound profile with clear vocals and instruments.
These earbuds don’t go inside the ear canal, so you can wear them at the outer ear, like earrings. With improved Bluetooth 5.3 they provide low latency and have 30 feet of range. However, they don’t offer multipoint connectivity so far. But, Bose said they will provide multipoint connectivity through software updates in the future. Their call quality is decent because of open-ear design, so consider closed-back design earbuds for clear phone calls.
Specifications:
- Type: Open-ear
- Design: Ear-cuff
- Connectivity: Wireless
- Battery life: 7.5 hours
- 2 Built-in Mics
- Touch Buttons
Pros:
- Best sound quality
- Lightweight and Comfortable
- Immersive mode
- Open-ear technology
- Motion modes
- IPX4 water-resistant
- Longer battery life
5. Beats Fit Pro:
These earbuds are best for both Android and iOS users because they offer easy connectivity with all devices and have an Apple H1 chip. These earbuds are all-rounder because they have wingtips designed for sports and fitness. They provide ANC with the best audio quality and other modes. Their battery lasts around 6 hours and supports rapid charging, so 5 minutes of fast charging is enough for 60 minutes of non-stop playtime. The Beats Fit Pro is IPX4 water and sweat-resistant for outdoor physical activities. If you don’t want in-ear headsets for sports and fitness, you can consider bone-conduction headphones as they are designed for better running and jogging.
Specifications:
- Type: In-ear
- Design: Closed-back
- Connectivity: Wireless
- ANC and Immersive audio
- Longer battery life
- Integrated Apple H1 chip
Pros:
- Best audio quality
- Spatial audio and modes
- Flexible silicone wingtips
- Compatible with Android and iOS
Frequently Asked Questions ( FAQs ) :
Are wireless headphones good?
Yes, wireless headphones are good as they free you from tangled cords and provide freedom to move around freely. They also offer impressive sound quality with noise-cancellation feature and longer battery life.
Can JBL wireless headphones be used as a headset?
Yes, you can consider JBL headphones as headsets because this brand offers wired and wireless headphones with built-in microphones and detachable microphones, so you can easily use them for video conferences, watching movies, and receiving phone calls.
What headphones should I buy?
If you play games for long hours and want over-ear headphones, you can undoubtedly go with an EKSA Star Engine Pro PC gaming headset. If you want a headphone for the long run for workouts, music, or movies, you can go with JBL TRUE ONE M2.
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