Getting Started for Audiophiles: How to Choose the Best Headphones for You? (original) (raw)

If you are a HiFi newbie, do you have doubts about how to select the best earphones for yourself?

If so, you can follow the tips below to choose your earphones.

**Clear Sound Quality Needs

Sound Quality Style: Understand what kind of sound quality style you like, such as whether you like bass, mid-range or treble to be more prominent, and whether you prefer specific music types (such as pop music, classical music, rock, etc.) This will help you select headphones that suit your personal preferences, because different headphones will focus on sound quality performance.

**Clear your front-end thrust

Understand whether the impedance of the headphones is suitable for your sound source device. The lower the impedance, the easier it is to drive the headphones, and the more delicate the sound performance will be.

The sensitivity reflects the responsiveness of the headphones to sound. The higher the sensitivity, the clearer and louder the headphones can provide at the same volume.

High-impedance headphones may require higher output power devices to drive and more powerful sound sources to fully exert their performance.

Therefore, when choosing headphones, if you mainly use devices such as smartphones or tablets to listen to music, then low-impedance headphones will be a more suitable choice. If you have professional audio equipment or power amplifiers, high-impedance headphones will better meet your needs.

**Clarify the usage scenarios and wearing conditions

In-ear headphones (IEMs): small and light, with good sound insulation, suitable for use in noisy environments. (For example: F1 PRO, NX7MK4, DB2, etc.)

Flat-head earbuds (Earbuds): comfortable to wear, suitable for long-term use, but the sound insulation is not as good as that of in-ear headphones. (For example: EB2S PRO, B70, etc.)

Closed headband (Over-ear or On-ear): Provides better sound quality and immersion, but is large in size, not suitable for carrying, and has good sound insulation.

Open headband: Provides better sound quality and immersion, comfortable to wear and good breathability. However, the noise insulation is poor and the sound will leak out, which is not suitable for use in public places

Bluetooth Earphone(TWS): TWS is one of the most popular headphone in recent years, it is easy to carry, easy to wear, and can be used flexibly in a variety of occasions. However, it needs to be charged frequently and is not suitable for some devices that require plugging in.

**Offline audition

If conditions permit, try to go to a physical store or a headphone specialty store to listen to different models of headphones, and compare the sound quality, comfort and wearing stability.

**Reference to professional reviews

Check professional review articles and user reviews to understand the objective performance and actual use experience of the headphones.

**What kind of songs are suitable for what kind of headphones?

For pop songs, it is usually recommended to choose headphones with balanced and delicate sound effects, wide sound field and high separation. Such headphones can better show the layering and details of pop music.

For rock songs, it is recommended to choose headphones with warm or warm sound. Such headphones can better show the low-frequency part of rock music while maintaining the directness and accuracy of the human voice. When choosing, you can also consider factors such as easy push, low-frequency performance, human voice texture and high-frequency performance. The sound field does not need to be too large, small, medium and regular is enough.

For folk songs, it is recommended to choose headphones with outstanding mid-frequency and mid-high frequency performance, so that the human voice and instrument sounds in folk songs can be better restored, allowing you to feel the charm of folk songs more deeply.

For electronic songs, suitable headphones should have enough low-frequency volume, diving depth and rebound to show the rhythm and dynamics in electronic music. At the same time, the mid-frequency should be prominent and the human voice should be clear, so as to better convey the melody and sound details in electronic music. The high frequency part should not be harsh but bright and transparent to increase the brightness and clarity of the music.

For jazz songs, it is recommended to choose headphones with more sound coloration, so that the complex timbre and musical atmosphere in jazz can be better restored. At the same time, since the low frequency part needs to be highlighted in jazz, but the texture is more important than the volume, the selected headphones should be able to clearly present the texture and details of the low frequency.

For classical large-scale songs, it is recommended to choose headphones with raised low-frequency curves, large sound fields, good separation, good imaging, excellent sound thickness and tension, and excellent detail performance. Such headphones can better show the performance details and layering of different instruments in classical large-scale songs, allowing you to feel the grandeur and tension in the music.

The above examples are common because of the type.

**What types of songs and people are suitable for different types of driver units?

For different types of driver units, they each have their own unique characteristics and applicable scenarios.

Dynamic Driver: Dynamic driver units are famous for their warm low frequencies and large volume, which are very suitable for pop and jazz. Its sound performance is relatively comprehensive, and the three-frequency sound has a strong sense of unity, which is suitable for users who like to immerse themselves in the atmosphere of music.(For example: YDX, B40, etc.)

Balanced Driver: The balanced iron driver unit is known for its high resolution and dry and cold sound, which is more suitable for users who pursue pure sound quality and delicate hearing.

Flat Driver: The flat driver unit, which combines the advantages of dynamic and balanced iron driver units, can provide a wider sound field and delicate highs, and is suitable for users with extremely high requirements for sound quality. Whether it is classical, rock or pop music, headphones with flat driver units can bring you an excellent listening experience.(For example: F1 Pro, F1, etc.)

Piezoelectric Ceramic Driver: Piezoelectric ceramic driver units are usually used in high-end headphones. Most of them are equipped with dynamic and balanced iron to form a multi-unit architecture. The fast response makes the piezoelectric ceramic unit have an advantage in expressing high-frequency details, and can clearly present the subtle changes and fast dynamics in the music. It is suitable for pop, jazz, electronic music and other types of music.

**What are the differences in sound quality between diaphragms/cavities/headphone cables made of various materials ?

**The impact of diaphragm materials on sound quality

Carbon nanotube diaphragm: Carbon nanotube diaphragm has high rigidity and light physical properties, which can give the diaphragm better dynamic performance and enable the sound signal to be restored more accurately.

Due to its lightweight characteristics, the carbon nanotube diaphragm has a small movement inertia, which helps to improve the clarity and detail of the sound.

The carbon nanotube diaphragm also performs well in the high-frequency band restoration ability, which can clearly reproduce the original sound and allow every note of the music to be perfectly presented.

LCP diaphragm: LCP diaphragm has excellent high rigidity, and the diaphragm can vibrate better, providing a clearer and more accurate performance for the sound quality. And it can resist external interference and maintain the stability of the sound quality.(For example: EB2S PRO, EB2S, etc.)

In addition, it also has the characteristics of high internal resistance, which helps to reduce harmful resonance, make the sound more natural and smooth, and the transient response and sensitivity are more outstanding.

And it is more prominent in the mid-high frequency and transient performance, which can make the earphones resolution, transient performance and high-frequency detail restoration achieve better results.

Titanium-plated diaphragm: Titanium-plated diaphragm has good frequency response characteristics, which can better control the vibration of the diaphragm, making the sound quality clearer and more accurate.(For example: Himalaya, Carat, X39)

In addition, it also has super durability and stability, and can maintain stable sound quality performance during long-term use, and is not easily affected by external factors.

And it also has better rigidity and durability, so that the diaphragm can better withstand external pressure and vibration, and reduce the sound quality distortion caused by the deformation of the diaphragm. At the same time, it can also extend the service life of the earphones to a certain extent.

Carbon-plated diaphragm: This diaphragm technology can improve the rigidity and strength of the diaphragm, reduce vibration distortion, and thus improve the details and clarity of the sound. Its advantages mainly include high rigidity, which helps to reduce split vibration and distortion, making the sound clearer and more accurate; light weight, which can improve transient response and sensitivity, and further restore more details of the sound; large internal resistance, which can reduce harmful resonance, making the sound more natural and smooth; and fast sound velocity, which can maintain the synchronization of the diaphragm and avoid phase difference and attenuation. These advantages work together to make the carbon-plated diaphragm more outstanding in sound quality performance.(For example: B70, etc.)

Diamond-like carbon diaphragm: Diamond-like carbon diaphragm has very high hardness, and its molecular structure is similar to that of diamond, which makes it very good in sound performance. In particular, the diamond-like carbon diaphragm achieves a perfect balance in terms of sound conduction velocity and internal resistance, has ideal front and back extension performance, ultra-high sensitivity and excellent transient response, and can accurately restore the sound. This diaphragm is usually used in devices that pursue clear and bright sound.(For example: Carat, etc.)

Beryllium-plated diaphragm: Beryllium-plated diaphragm is a diaphragm with a layer of beryllium metal on the surface, which has a very high elastic modulus and tensile strength, which enables the beryllium diaphragm to maintain a low degree of deformation during sound transmission, thereby reducing sound distortion. The beryllium diaphragm performs well in the high-frequency part, the sound is transparent and has a metallic feel, giving people a clear and bright feeling. In addition, the density of the beryllium diaphragm is relatively low, which also helps to improve the sensitivity and response speed of the sound.

(For example: NX7MK4, etc.)

In addition to the diaphragms commonly used in headphones, there are also various types of diaphragms such as biological diaphragms, composite diaphragms, silk diaphragms, and aluminum diaphragms.

**The impact of various headphone cavities on sound quality

Ceramic cavity: high rigidity, not easy to deform and resonate, clean sound bottom with low distortion, crisp sound, especially excellent in high-frequency performance. Ceramic cavity provides a better acoustic environment for the sound unit. Ceramic cavity has inherent advantages in many aspects such as the reflection of sound in the ceramic cavity and the control of low-frequency standing waves.

Metal cavity: The metal cavity has excellent rigidity, which helps to reduce the resonance and resonance of the sound, so that the sound quality maintains a cleaner bass, while maintaining the resolution and clarity of the sound. The machining precision of the metal ear shell is high, which enables the sound to be transmitted more accurately and cleanly, and is not easy to resonate and distort.(For example: EB2S, etc.)

Resin cavity: Resin material has the effect of reducing the scattering of sound, reducing the scattering and reflection of sound inside the cavity, reducing the distortion of sound, and making the sound quality purer.(For example: DB2, etc.)

Plastic and resin earphone cavities have the advantages of low cost and easy processing. However, their impact on the sound may be relatively weak, and the specific performance will be affected by other factors.

**The impact of different materials on the sound quality of earphone cables

Copper wire: The copper wire has a thick mid-frequency, good texture, and a warmer and softer tone. The sound of the copper wire is full and solid, giving people a sense of gentleness and envelopment. However, compared with silver wire and copper-plated silver wire, the speed of copper wire is slightly slower.(For example: OurLaura, 60saga, etc.)

Silver wire: Silver wire performs well in high-frequency characteristics, with bright and transparent sound, high density, and prominent sound lines. The sound of silver material is mainly concentrated in the mid-high frequency, the body is thin, and the mid-low frequency gives people a sense of relaxation. When transmitting high frequencies, silver wire has obvious advantages, faster speed, less sound coloration and distortion, but may lack the gentleness and envelopment of copper wire.(For example: SsOrpheus, sHeart, etc.)

Copper-plated silver wire: Copper-plated silver wire combines the advantages of copper wire and silver wire. The sound is delicate and natural, the timbre is full and round, and the bass has a certain dive. This kind of wire is not floating or hairy, has good resolution, and outstanding mid-high frequency capabilities. It has both the warmth and softness of copper wire and the high-frequency acceleration and delicate and elegant of silver wire.(For example: BlueCat, MeetEva, etc.)

Gold wire: The sound is mellow and natural, the mid-frequency and high-frequency are soft, but the high frequency may not be as bright as the silver wire. The gold wire has a large sound field, the human voice may be a little farther, but the image is clear and the low frequency is tight.(For example: AuKingUltra, AuKing, etc.)

Common earphone Materials

Plastic: Materials like PC, ABS, and PC/ABS alloys are commonly used in TWS/OWS earphone shells for their lightweight and low-cost characteristics. Some models also use recycled plastics like recycled PET and recycled ABS for more environmentally friendly manufacturing.

Metal: Aluminum alloy is common in earbud designs for its excellent machinability and ability to reduce resonance within the metal chamber, enhancing sound wave transmission. Aluminum alloy also allows for versatile design possibilities.

**How to choose TWS headphones and other types of headphones?

**From the appearance of wearing:

Semi-in-ear headphones: can bring a comfortable wearing experience, and the music sound field is relatively comfortable, and there will be no stuffy pressure

In-ear headphones: Due to the presence of earplugs, they fit tightly with the ear canal and have a strong airtightness, which is more conducive to the active noise reduction function

Bean-style headphones: small and light, comfortable to wear and more beautiful.

Hanging earphones: can provide a more stable wearing experience, and are a product that tends to the sports market

**From the Bluetooth version:

Choose headphones with a higher Bluetooth level, which can ensure higher transmission efficiency, better transmission distance, better sound quality, better anti-interference ability, and lower power consumption. For example, Bluetooth 5.2 > Bluetooth 4.2

**In terms of encoding format:

Common Bluetooth encoding formats include SBC, AAC, AptX, LDAC, LHDC

In terms of sound quality: LDAC≈LHDC>aptX>AAC>SBC

SBC is a mandatory encoding supported by Bluetooth, with a simple encoding scheme, low bit rate, high compression rate, and average sound quality.

The bit rate of AAC is comparable to that of SBC, but thanks to better encoding technology, it sounds better than SBC and MP3.

The transmission bit rate of aptx is slightly higher than the previous two, and more efficient encoding allows more audio details to be retained, which sounds better than SBC and AAC.

Similar to LDAC, LHDC can transmit audio with higher quality than CD, with a transmission bit rate of 900Kbps, making it the best Bluetooth audio encoding currently.