Gadgetwise Blog: Choosing the Right Headphones

Headphones are the least expensive and most effective way to improve your sound system. They take room acoustics out of the equation, give you perfect stereo separation, and need not be expensive to be good. (They can be expensive, though; some headphones cost thousands.)

The best values in headphones I’ve tested this year hit a sweet spot at around $100. And you can get quite a lot for that price.

First, there are several varieties of headphones. There are earbuds, which hang in the ears but don’t plug the ear canals; in-ear headphones, which fit snugly in the ear canals and block outside sound; on-ear headphones, which sit on your ears but do not create a seal; and over-ear headphones, which encompass the ear and seal out environmental sound. Some over-ear headsets also have sound-canceling technology, to further isolate the listener from outside sound.

The RHA MA450i earphones.

Earbuds do not offer very good sound quality, and over-ear sound-canceling headphones are pricey. There is also a misconception about sound-canceling sets; they reduce only the droning sound of jet engines and wind rush, not the noisy seatmates chatting on a phone.

If you want to shut down extraneous noise, the best way to do it inexpensively is with an in-ear headset. Most have flexible rubber or foam tips that seal out sound. Of those I’ve tried recently, the RHA MA450i, at $50, is the value winner. The sound was detailed and easy to listen to without fatigue, making the MA450i suitable for subway commuting or a cross-country flight. As a plus, it is iPhone friendly and has a microphone and control buttons built into the cable.

The best value in headphones I’ve heard this year — maybe ever — came from the Grado SR 80i, which provides detailed and balanced sound at a bargain basement $100. These headphones fit over the ear but have an open-air design, meaning they will not seal out environmental sound; they act more like an on-ear headset. That also means that if you crank them up, you may overshare your tunes with neighbors.