It would seem that could be easier? Two speakers, dangling in a pair with a plug, are located in the auricle and “feed” us with the work of our favorite artists. However, everything here is not as simple as we would like. The pleasure received from listening to your favorite music directly depends on the quality of its reproduction.
The market is ready to offer us many options, from consumer goods to exclusive models with gold plating. However, even having unfastened a decent amount for a product of a famous brand, you can stay with nothing. To avoid this, I want to share with you the fundamental factors that you should rely on when choosing, as well as the personally compiled top of good wired headphones for an acceptable price tag. In the article, we will resort to using both dry numerical values ​​and my personal impression. Fortunately, working in a shopping center, it was not a problem for me to find and test the specimens I selected.
Criterias of choice
Take out a notebook and pen, we move on to the criteria, upon which you will be delighted with the newly acquired wired comrade.
1) Convenience
First of all, you should think about your own comfort. No matter how wonderful your headphones sound, what is the use of it if you get sore ears after ten minutes of use? Before buying, be sure to try to listen to your favorite model. It is important that the headphones do not bring discomfort and are conveniently located in the ears and are not too heavy. As a rule, if the earphone does not bring discomfort in the first minutes of use, it will further protect your ears from this scourge.
The shape of the auricles is individual for each, which is why the convenience issue is rather subjective, as they say, you won’t check - you won’t recognize.
2) Build quality
Pay attention to what material the headphones and cable are made of. Cheap plastic and a thin cable do not promise headphones a long and happy life. In some cases, from the factory packaging, the pungent odor of low-quality plastic rushes into the nose. It's funny that when choosing an audio device, the sense of smell can come in handy. Such a "smelly" instance can be safely sent back to the window. Check the connection between the cable and the headphones. The reliability of this connection will guarantee that the cable does not come off the speaker at the soldering point. Pay attention to cable thickness and plug reliability.
A few years ago, my wallet lost a couple of thousandths of a bill in exchange for owning Monster Turbine headphones. Neither the rich equipment, nor the perfect sound quality, nor the brand loudly screaming from the box could save the “ears” from death. One careless movement turned them into wireless ones, leaving the connector sticking out in the player. Price is not an indicator of quality.
3) Frequency range
The human ear is capable of perceiving frequencies in the range of 20 - 20,000 Hz. The beginning of this range (bass) - responsible for low-frequency sound, such as bass. The end of the range (top) is responsible for high-frequency sound. Thus, we conclude that good headphones should work precisely in this range, and only a person with very good hearing or, for example, a bat, can hear beyond it. Your musical preferences should also play a role in choosing headphones. Relying on deep bottoms for further listening to opera singing is not the best solution.
Do not rely solely on these values. Sometimes cheap analogs lose to higher-quality copies in sound quality, even if they have a wider frequency range indicated.
4) Resistance
If you do not go deep into the works of a famous physicist, I will briefly say that the resistance of the headphones affects the sound quality. Here a lot depends on the device, in conjunction with which we will use headphones. Hi-Fi players and professional equipment, as a rule, are subject to a large resistance range, and its values ​​will not affect the sound quality. However, if you are an ordinary user, and intend to use your headphones, say, in conjunction with your smartphone or PC, then the universal range can vary between 10-36 Ohms.
5) Price
Product pricing depends on many factors. A box covered with velvet, a case, ear pads for the whole family - get ready to pay. Sometimes, the fee for branded "wheeze" will be more than for a more reliable and "melodious" model. Since in this article we are discussing headphones for the budget price segment, let the price for them be no more than 1,500 rubles.
6) Appearance
The last point is important not for everyone, and we are not at a fashion show to judge the appearance, but I, like many of my friends, are much more pleasant to use the thing, if I like it outwardly, I am aesthetically pleasing. So, if there are ardent aesthetes among the readers, then you should know that you are not the only ones torn when choosing between functionality and aesthetics.
My little top
The top was compiled by me based on experience and dry numbers. In the presented models, songs of various genres were listened, the benefit of musical taste allows. I will not overload the article with amplitude-frequency characteristics and accurate data from the package, I will try to express my opinion briefly and informatively. The list is numbered, but the numbers mean only the serial number. Each of the following models could catch my attention and made me listen to a song or two. So let's go.
1. Sennheiser CX 300-II
Having managed to win the hearts of many users, the model will appreciate the excellent quality of stereo sound. Remarkably holds both low and high frequencies, the “middle” sounds worthy. She noted for herself the pleasant sound of instrumental music. Each instrument is clearly audible, the sound does not roll into a single lump. Every drum beat, every guitar riff is clearly audible. High-quality glossy plastic looks pretty stylish and will not burden the ear. Build quality is also up to par, and factory packaging gives the product a presentable look. Doubt is caused only by a thin cable, which will be the Achilles heel of this model.
2. JBL T160
This model, like most of its brothers, both younger and older, can impress with the density and depth of its bass. Are low frequencies something you can't imagine your playlist without? Then the “ears” from JBL, in particular in collaboration with Harman, are perfect as a pocket subwoofer. Here are just the top suffer, instrumental songs sound a little worse.
3. AKG Y 20
Headphones of a well-known company rightfully deserve a place in the top. A high degree of detail of the sound allows you to penetrate into the "center" of the musical composition, to hear it from the forefront. Listening to songs long memorized by heart, you can discover in them something new that you had not noticed before. For high sound detail you have to pay with poor build quality. (I did not expect from AKG).
4. Xiaomi Mi In-Ear Hybrid Pro
The brand, originally from the Middle Kingdom, seems to never rest on its laurels until it replaces a smartphone, a vacuum cleaner, a toothbrush and even pens in your home. I publicly declare that Xiaomi “may sound”. Headphones sit very comfortably in the auricle, are great friends with both high and low frequencies and give a clean middle thanks to a hybrid driver. A great choice for music lovers balancing between completely different genres of music.
5. Sony MDR-XB50AP
Sony released this model two distant years ago, however, in the budget price segment, it continues to hold tops. And this position is absolutely justified, since the sound of these headphones is really worthy. The build quality is amazing, which is to be expected from the Japanese. The attention of engineers and designers was focused on parts that, sometimes, competitors miss. Unfortunately, I felt uncomfortable when testing this model, but I repeat that all this is purely individual.
The calculation is completed, at ease. I didn’t add to the top, but I can’t help but mention Philips and Panasonic , which offer affordable and high-quality models to the consumer, but today we are gathered here for the best of the best. On this my guide / top half-breed comes to an end.
PS
I am pleased to read comments about your pocket speakers on a string. Active discussion and exchange of experience is welcome. Thank you for reading the article, and let a quality sound enter your life and stay there for a long time.