“Walkin’ about with a head full of music, cassette in my pocket and I’m gonna use it.” Anyone who grew up in the Walkman era will surely recognise this Cliff Richard number. But the song is considered evergreen for a reason—even if today’s generation wonders what to do with cassettes, it knows all about the head full of music.There’s no doubt we are growing increasingly dependent on headphones, earphones, earbuds, headsets, face-plugs or cans… call them what you will. In fact, even as I type this, I’m listening to Pink Floyd on my Sony MDR 410 headphones to keep garrulous colleagues away.A friend’s most prized possession is a set of Bose Noise Reduction headphones.What do you use? And what do you look for when you buy a new set?
There are basically two kinds of headphones—circum-aural and supra-aural.The former is used by recording artistes and audiophiles; the earpads fit around the ears, instead of on them.They are generally, though not always, “closed”, that is, they have a back of solid material that keeps the sound from leaking. Which is why some of these headphones produce a hollow, reverberant sound. Supra-aural and “open” headphones are more common than the circum-aural type.
Price: Sennheiser seems the undisputed leader in circumaural headphones.The PXC 450, available in India, costs around Rs 30,000. Bose’s Around Ear headphones cost Rs 7,000. In the supra-aural category, there are the Bose QuietComfort 2 Acoustic Noise Cancelling headphones, which cost a little over Rs 14,000
• If you want looks (but iffy quality), check out the inexpensive headphones from computer accessories’ makers like Intex and iBall
• Clip-ons ensure that your headphone doesn’t fall off even when you’re carried away by the music
• If you listen to music on your mobile, check out the growing range of Bluetooth headsets which are available for Rs 1,500 and above
These look like standard earbuds from the outside, but actually fit into your ear canal. This means that they block a lot of external noise and give you great sound. But prolonged use can almost certainly lead to hearing impairment.
Price: These earphones are more expensive than earbuds. Bose’s In Ear headphones cost around Rs 5,000, as do Sennheiser’s CX400
• A cheaper version of canalphones with good sound quality is Sony MDR-EX32LP/B, which costs Rs 1,090
• The grey market is flooded with many cheap varieties. But beware! Bad material can cause ear infections
The ubiquitous, white earbuds popularised by the iPod might make an iconic statement, but the sound quality is not great. Replace them with a high-quality set and you can hear the difference. However, it is likely that using earphones for long can affect hearing.
Price: There are dirt-cheap versions (Philips has a set for Rs 50), but if you want decent quality, try Sony’s MDR-E818LP, which costs Rs 500.Then there’s Sennheiser’s CX range, which starts from Rs 3,000
• The grey market has the cheapest rip-offs; you can get anything from fake iPod earbuds to JVC buds for less than Rs 100
• There are also cheap, use-and-throw Chinese earbuds (in impressive packaging) that cost around Rs 150
