How To Pick The Right Headphones!
Hi-Fi Choice|September 2019

With the choice of designs greater than ever, we explain the different headphone types to help you select a model that’s right for your needs

How To Pick The Right Headphones!

Headphones have been around in one form or another for more than a century and were a regular part of hi-fi for at least 40 years before taking off and becoming the popular category that they are today. With events like CanJam held in major cities around the world and dedicated headphone zones at hi-fi showcases such as Headphone Haven at The UK Hi-Fi Show Live 2019 (26-27 October – see p13) becoming increasingly popular, how has the once humble headphone morphed into one of the biggest sectors of the hi-fi market?

Once considered a fall back if you couldn’t afford a fine pair of loudspeakers or – even if you could – a way to enjoy music at decent volume levels without annoying the neighbours or room-sharing relatives, headphones have become both an essential lifestyle accessory and, for a certain kind of audio fan, a delicious shortcut to hi-fi nirvana: true high-end sonics at more or less earthbound prices. A selfish pursuit to be sure, but one with great rewards. Where once upon a time the choice of headphones was limited to just a few specialist brands, it now seems that everyone is getting in on the action and the choice of cans you stick on your bonce says as much about you as the clothes you wear or the car you drive.

The number of devices using headphones has exploded in recent years and they have become a vital accessory. Where you might once have thought about upgrading the ones that came supplied with a Walkman, for example, you now have the possibility of using them with tablets, smartphones, laptops and gaming devices to say nothing of your hi-fi or portable audio player. Hi-res portable players and DACs are really taking off now and deserve a carefully matched set of headphones to unleash the full potential of the better-than-CD formats found on these quality audio playback devices – as you’ll see in our pick of top designs overleaf.

This story is from the September 2019 edition of Hi-Fi Choice.

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This story is from the September 2019 edition of Hi-Fi Choice.

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