About Headphones
Summary
In general, for different sound or facilities, spend your money on headphones
The jumps in quality and usability of headphones are large
…or try an app to alter the equalisation
That can be messy, but will cost you no more then £10 and makes a huge difference
In general, most headphones will work in most phones
There are exceptions, but they are usually high‐end. If you do not have a connector, then you can buy an adaptor, which will not cost much
Picking headphones is not easy, there is a bewildering variety
Even major retail stores can carry forty products from cheap to outrageously expensive. See our guide
About
These are reasons to go and buy headphones/earphones for your tablet/smartphone,
You want to receive calls on the bus without shouting at the whole bus
You want to listen to recorded voices or music on your smartphone
From the idea above, you want to listen with better quality
The third reason, better quality listening, is probably not the main reason people buy headphones/earphones.
General notes
Can I plug anything I buy in?
If you have the connections. The classic solution is that the phone/device has a round hole, which is for a 3.5mm ‘jack’ plug.
This hole is a universal socket, any headphone with a wire you are likely to buy will fit.
Some phones nowadays have no socket for a headphone. You can still use a wired headphone, by using an adapter. In function, an ‘adapter’ will be a headphone amplifier, made as a cable.
As for wireless, most smartphones and tablets can send the signals. You must set up the new headphones, that’s all.
So headphones/earphones work universally?
Ah, no. They can all be made to get sound from a device, that’s true. But if you want the switches (for receiving telephone calls) to work, be careful. Apple standards are different. If you want the switches to work for Apple devices, you need a headphone made for Apple devices.
I ought to buy the manufacturer’s own headphones!
Of course. You are then guaranteed they will work. But, so you know, the first Apple and Samsung earphones were, reputedly. not good. And do you want to spend the £200+ they cost? To hear some voices better with a more convenient microphone?
Why are there so many headphones available?
Well there are different price points. But the reasons are a little deeper, and many, than that. Audio replay is not a decisive technology. There is no overriding ‘good’ solution (not in the same way there are dérailleur gears for pedal bikes). Also, in recent years, new technology and short‐run manufacturing facilities have appeared. This has made the design and manufacturing possibilities wide. And, finally, the audience has become much wider. The market for smartphones has exploded, so a lot of people want headphones now, not only those people who listen to music.
I want something for the gym/jogging/on the bus/hotel rooms
So you have needs beyond sound quality. For example, some earphones have a waterproof rating—the IPX rating—which runs from 0 (no protection) to 8 (protected against immersion in water over a metre deep). Some headphones are made with special clips and hooks to anchor to your head. Some expensive earphones have noise‐cancelling technology, which counters noise outside. Some have superb build quality, so could be run over by a car but work. And some people have special needs, such as not being able to push earphones into their ears, or having tinnitus. Finally, you may decide to buy some earphones because they are cheap, so have a low risk of theft and/or are easily replaced. This site is mostly about sound quality, but I think these are good reasons for buying other kinds of earphones.
Do they sound different?
Yes, they do. Anyone can hear the differences. No, the effects are not ‘subjective’ (not in large part). The base of this is more, “Do you care?” If you want only to listen to some podcasts, you don’t care. You can buy a cheap pair, then be happy. And if you want earphones to be like jewellery, some manufacturers make them like jewellery. Or artwork. And, as important as sound, are the facilities.
Beware Apple standards!
Apple not only use different connectors, they use a different standard of switch control too. You do not need special earphones to listen, but switches or remote controls may not work. For Apple devices, the switches and plugs on headphones must be made for Apple standards. Check with the manufacturer, and look at some reviews.
Refs
You want to know what mortgageable sound replay looks like? This website needs a good internet connection,
Huge database of earphone measurements on an advertisement‐riddled website. You can pay for membership. The main delivery is under ‘rankings’,
A forum whose members believe that by measuring audio equipment, objective conclusions about performance can be reached. If you are interested in sound replay, go read,