Which Type of Headphones Should I Buy?

Headphones come in all different shapes, sizes, and flavors—just like people :D But let’s get right into it—no dilly-dallying. Which refurbished headphones should you get?

So the first choice to get out of the way is whether you want bluetooth or wired headphones—and this is going to largely depend on how you use your headphones. If you’re a heavy user that uses headphones at your desk with a computer, you’re probably going to prefer a pair of wired headphones. Because they don’t need a battery, you don’t need to worry about recharging them. They’re easy to plug in and you don’t need to worry about bluetooth pairing.

It is important to note, however, that nowadays many bluetooth headphones have special ports that allow them to be used as standard wired headphones. So there’s a good chance that a pair of bluetooth headphones can give you the benefits of both.

But anyways, let’s jump into the benefits of bluetooth headphones—and let me just tell you now—there are many. What’s the coolest thing about bluetooth headphones? The fact that you’re not limited by a wire. In the early days, bluetooth headphones had pretty crumby batteries that died after just a few hours, but if you get a pair of over-ear or on-ear headphones, don’t be surprised if you squeeze out over 10 or even 20 hours of play time. 

Bluetooth headphones are perfect for any kind of sports, commuting, and just chilling. They’re taking the world by storm because they really are super convenient.

Another note, many smartphone manufacturers have stopped including a headphone jack in their newest handsets (unfortunately) so if you plan to use your headphones on the move you may be forced to buy bluetooth ones.

After you’ve decided if you’re going the bluetooth or wired route, you have to decide on the type of headphones you’re going to get.

On-ear headphones are the type that sit on your ear, take for example the Beats Solo 3. They’re more compact than their over-ear siblings, yet still offer good sound quality.

Here are their advantages:

• Compact compared to over-ear headphones.
• Because they don’t fully entomb your ears, you have better peripheral hearing using these headphones when compared to in-ear or over-ear models.
• The bluetooth versions of these generally have a longer battery life than their in-ear siblings.

And now disadvantages:

• Because they offer good peripheral hearing, they’re not really the best at noise cancelling :/ If you often find yourself in a loud environment that you’re trying to block out, these aren’t for you. Get over-ear.
• Many people complain that they feel pressure on their ears wearing on-ear headphones since they sit directly on the cartilage of the ear. But don’t let this discourage you, it really is all about preference.

Pssst! Did you know that you can get a really cheap pair of refurbished AirPods or AirPods 2 from Back Market?

Over-ear headphones are great for audiophiles. They offer the best overall sound quality and fully enclose the ear when they are worn. Thanks to this, they are also best for noise-cancelling. If you buy a high-end pair of noise-cancelling over-ear headphones, I guarantee that you will be amazed. Noise-cancelling wasn’t all that great when it was at its infancy a few years ago, but the technology has taken significant leaps in recent years.

Most will also agree that these are overall the most comfortable type of headphones, but it really is a matter of personal preference.

Last but not least, let’s not forget about earbuds. Earbuds are awesome because they provide great sound quality and noise-cancelling in a compact form. I’m not going to compare them to over-ear and on-ear headphones because these are really all about preference. Some people will love them, others will prefer the look and feel of more traditional headphones. But don’t be fooled, just because these are small doesn’t mean they skimp on sound quality. If you get a decent pair from a good brand, prepare to be blown away.

Warning! One serious fault of blueooth in-ear headphones is that they have a relatively short battery life when compared to on-ear and over-ear headphones. Don't expect to get more than 3-6 hours of usage out of them before you need to juice them back up. Most bluetooth over-ear and on-ear headphones can hold a charge for 10-20 hours.