Skip to main content

Gift Guide | Headphones for Everyone

Do you or love music? Does someone on your gift list? Then you probably need some nice headphones. Here's how to pick the right pair and fit them for the best sound.

Released on 11/23/2015

Transcript

(chimes ring)

[Narrator] Do you love music?

Of course you do.

You need headphones.

Here's how to pick the perfect pair.

The most popular kind of headphone

is the over ear variety.

They have large ear cups that fit around

and over your ears.

The pads form a seal against your skin,

blocking out the noise of the world around you

while keeping your Justin Bieber deep cuts

from leaking out.

Trust us, it's for the best.

Look for a pair with pads big enough

to fit all the way around your ears.

Go Goldilocks and find the pair that fits you just right.

Over ears have some key advantages.

They're the most comfortable kind of headphone,

and they sound really great.

Disadvantages?

Well, they're bulky.

It's fine for the office, but if you're

a commuter or you travel a lot,

look for a pair that folds.

On ear headphones look a lot like over ears

but they're smaller and they sit

directly on your ears.

Hence the name.

Because the pads are pressing on your lobes,

on ears can be less comfy than over ears

especially if you wear glasses.

They also don't offer as much isolation,

but they're much more compact and travel friendly

especially if they fold up.

The last kind of headphones are in ears.

True to their name, you push them

right inside your ear canal.

These can feel kind of weird if you're

not used to it, and people with

oddly shaped ears may have a tough

time finding a pair that fits comfortably.

Here's the secret.

You wanna make sure that the rubber

tips on the buds make a complete seal

on the inside of your ear canal.

Without that seal, music will be quiet

and won't have any bass.

If you feel like you're not getting

a good seal, just gently twist

the earphone until you feel the seal form

and the music gets richer.

That supreme isolation is perfect

for airplanes, busy commutes

or times when you just wanna be alone

with your music.

Just stay alert because you really

can't hear what's happening around you.