How to choose good earphones or headphones

Active noise cancellation

We are surrounded by noise, but thanks to noise-canceling headphones we can enjoy our music without interruptions. There are two types of noise cancellation: passive and active.

The first creates a barrier between the noise and our ear, as in headphones, where the headphone themselves protects us from external noise.

Active noise cancellation is based on microphones that pick up external noise and cancel it out. This is very useful in AirPod type in-ear headphones.

Autonomy

Nowadays, most headphones are wireless. However, in this case, the battery life becomes important data, especially if you're going to use the headphones several hours a day.

Check the battery life before you buy. You should also pay attention to the connection: headphones with Bluetooth 5.0 or higher have less battery consumption and a more stable connection.

Sound quality

Much of the sound quality of a headset is due to the drivers, which are located inside the headphones and emit the sound.

There are different drivers (dynamic, flat, balanced armature, electrostatic…). Dynamic drivers are the most common, but they can also generate distortion when the volume is turned up.

Operating system compatibility

Most headphones connect via Bluetooth and that's it. However, there are some that can be controlled with a phone application, in that case, it's essential to look if they're compatible with iOS and Android. For example, Apple headphones can work with Android, but you will lose a lot of functionality by not having an iPhone.

Water resistance

It's important to look at whether the headphones are water-resistant. There are few headphones that are submersible; however, it's crucial that they can withstand sweat, especially if you are going to use them for sports.

Microphones

Nowadays, headphones usually include several earphones to improve the sound quality during calls. But not all brands invest in this, as it increases the price of the headphones and there are people who don't want to use them to answer calls. Look into this feature if it's important to you.

Our opinion

If you're looking for cheap headphones that sound good, you've probably noticed that it's a bit tricky. Most of the well-known brands have very high prices.

On other sites like Amazon, there are also cheap headphones, but most of them are of little-known brands. That's why AliExpress seems like the best alternative to buying cheap headphones (to us).

All the brands we've mentioned above have been selling their products for years and have an excellent score that proves the quality of their headphones.