I'm trying to figure out how to gauge the sound quality of headphones before making a purchase. Unlike PC components that have clear specs like GHz and GB, headphones don't seem to have straightforward ratings. I often end up relying on random internet reviews or just the price, but I want a better way to assess their quality.
2 Answers
The type of headphones really matters here. For analog ones, frequency response is key, and most high-end brands provide charts for this. With Bluetooth headphones, you'll need to consider codecs and latency, but most of them handle 44.1kHz or 48kHz sampling pretty well. If you're not an audiophile, the specifics may not matter much, but definitely check out the frequency response charts to match them with the type of music you enjoy.
Determining if headphones are 'good' can be tricky since quality can be subjective. A useful approach is to check frequency response graphs for each model; these give you a good idea of how they'll sound. I'd also suggest reading reviews and, if possible, trying them out yourself. Keep in mind that personal taste plays a big role, so what's great for one might not be for another!
I found a website that compares frequency rates of headphones! The graphs are a bit confusing, but it's definitely better than nothing!