Headphones Buying Guide

Looking for a new pair of headphones can be confusing, especially if it’s been a while since you bought your last pair. We’ll cut through the noise and let you know exactly what to look for to find the perfect pair of headphones for your needs.

Included in this guide:

• Types of headphones
• Features to look out for
• Recommended headphones

There are 3 main types of headphones:

1. In-Ear headphones

Minimal form factor earbuds ideal for portability, active lifestyles and a discreet appearance. Many options now come with a wireless charging case for added battery life when you’re out and about.

• Example: B&O BEOPLAY E8 3RD GEN

2. Over-Ear headphones

If you’re looking for the best possible sound quality, you’ll definitely want to check out a pair of over-ear headphones that fit around the entire ear providing a more isolated, immersive soundstage.

• Example: Sennheiser Momentum 4 Wireless

3. On-Ear headphones

These rest on top of the ear and whilst typically a slight step down in sound quality from over-ear headphones are often a more ergonomic and lightweight option, great for chucking in a bag when you’re on the go.

• Example: Marshall Major IV

There are a few other headphone categories that you might want to consider:

Gaming headphones

For all the gamers out there, our headsets are more geared towards providing virtual surround sound and comfort for hours and hours of immersive gameplay with your mates. Whether you’re a console or PC gamer we’ve got you covered.

• Example: Playstation 5 Pulse 3D Wireless Headset

Sports/active headphones

Whether you’re heading to the gym, out for a jog or commuting to work, a great fitting pair of earbuds that stay in place no matter what, ensure you’re getting great sound whatever you’re up to.

• Example: Sony Linkbuds

Noise Cancellation 🔇

If you want to cut out external distractions and get lost in your music you definitely want to check what level of noise cancellation a pair of headphones are offering. Here’s what to look for:

• Active Noise Cancelling - Microphones and speakers are used to cancel out exterior, ambient sound waves. Active noise cancelling has been around for a while and provides a great level of isolation.
  • Example: Audio-Technica ATH-ANC900BT
• Adaptive Noise Cancelling - An updated and more effective form of noise cancellation covering a wider frequency range using filters to tailor the sound to suit your individual fit.
  • Example: Bowers & Wilkins PI7
• Passive Noise Cancelling - The physical attributes of the headphones (as opposed to any onboard circuitry) are designed to obstruct ambient noise. This is the least effective form of noise cancellation.
  • Example: B&O Beoplay E8 3rd Gen
• Transparency Mode - The complete opposite of noise cancellation where an open-style design allows you to hear what’s going on around you whilst listening to music.
  • Example: Sony Linkbuds

Battery Life 🔋

Battery life is important to think about when choosing the best headphones for you. If you just want headphones for moving easily around your home, you probably don’t need to think about battery life. However, if you’re constantly on the go with little downtime, battery life should be at the top of your list.

Most In-Ear headphones now come with a charging case allowing you to charge on the go and many on/over-ear headphones have a quick charge feature for when you’re strapped for time, allowing you to get a burst of battery life from a small charge.

As well as battery life, check the charge times and methods. Does it use a USB-C connection or something different? How long does it take to recharge from dead?

Touch Controls 👇

Many headphones now come equipped with touch controls allowing you to play, pause, change track and volume and answer calls via touches and swipes to avoid having to switch to your device.

• Example: Audio-Technica ATH-CKS50TW

Wireless Charging ⚡

Wireless charging is swiftly becoming more and more popular as an alternative to fumbling around with annoying USB cables. Opting for wireless charging headphones will allow you to easily charge in the same way you do your other devices.

• Example: B&O Beoplay E8 3rd Gen

Waterproof rating 💧

Many headphones come with an IP rating. It’s good to understand what IP rating will cover, as dust and water protection may be a key feature for some.

Example: IP67 - Great for days at the beach, as the ‘6’ gives you complete protection from dust and sand and the ‘7’ gives protection against immersion in water between 15cm - 1m deep for 30 mins.

Example: IPX7 - The ‘X’ demonstrates the headphones haven’t been formally tested in solids, so avoid this rating if you need protection from dust. The ‘7’ does protect against immersion in water between 15cm - 1m deep for 30 mins. This rating would work well by the poolside for extra protection.

Bluetooth Standard 🔹

Currently, all of our headphones support Bluetooth 5.0-5.2. Bluetooth 5 provides higher bandwidth capacity compared to previous iterations as well as backwards compatibility with Bluetooth 4 and more efficient battery life.

Best In-Ear Headphones

• Audio-Technica ATH-CKS50TW

These had to feature as one of our best picks for in-ear headphones mainly for the package you get for the price. If you’ve got around £150 to spend on a new set of earbuds, these offer a very punchy performance and a market-leading battery life of 50 hours.

• Bowers & Wilkins PI7

The PI7s are really for people who love their music so much that they want to obtain the best possible sound quality from a set of premium earphones, with some impressive additional features such as audio re-transmission, DSP and adaptive noise cancellation.

Best Over-Ear headphones

• Bowers & Wilkins PX7 (Carbon Edition)

The PX7s offer a carbon fibre headband and diamond-cut detailing so retain a great build quality and lightness to them. They offer great battery life at 30 hours but the quick charge feature is especially useful and only 15 minutes of charge gives you 5 hours of battery life.

We would recommend the B&W PX7 Carbons for people wanting the extra wow factor in a pair of headphones with superior sound quality.

• B&O Beoplay HX

The B&O HX have mastered their headphone craft with a superior fit than most other headphones so they can be worn for extremely long periods with no ear fatigue whatsoever. Pair this with the market-leading noise cancellation abilities and a 35-hour battery life, you’ll struggle to make £449 go further.

Best Active headphones (Sport)

• B&O Beoplay E8 Sport

The B&O E8 Sports are amongst the best active in-ear headphones on the market. The IP57 rating means you can shower with them on with no worries. They have been engineered with comfort at the forefront and come with a variety of ear tips to fit all ears. An impressive battery life of 30 hours means you can keep listening for longer.

• Sony Linkbuds

The revolutionary LinkBuds needed to feature in the best active earphones primarily due to the fit. The earbud makes contact with your ear in 3 different places and they just don’t budge. Being sweat and water-resistant too makes them perfect for an active lifestyle. Just tap your cheek if you want to control the earbuds. These really are ahead of the game.

Best Gaming headphones

• B&O Beoplay Portal

The B&O Portals are the holy grail of gaming headphones with more features that can fit in this paragraph. With support for both Playstation and Xbox, virtual boom arm (so no need for a boom arm), Adaptive ANC and arguably one of the most comfortable fits on the whole market, these are the headphones to buy if you’re a gamer that will also use headphones in and out of the home.

• Playstation 5 Pulse 3D Wireless Headset

Although exclusive to Playstation 5, the performance far outweighs the price tag. Featuring a refined design with dual noise-cancelling microphones, a rechargeable battery and easy access controls; the Pulse 3D Wireless Headset is the perfect addition to your gaming set-up.

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