
Product test
Sony WF-C700N: inexpensive yet near perfect headphones
by Livia Gamper
Whether for listening to music, watching films or gaming - headphones are used in various areas and must meet different requirements in terms of quality and function. A distinction is made between four different types of headphones: In Ear refers to earphones that are worn directly in the auditory canal, On-Ear covers the ear and Over-Ear completely encloses the ear. Earbuds, on the other hand, sit loosely in the outer ear.
In terms of connectivity, more and more manufacturers are opting for wireless connections, for example via Bluetooth. With Bluetooth headphones, you'll never again have annoying cables in the way and there's no need to untangle the headphone cable. True wireless headphones go one step further. With these, the individual earphones are not connected to each other by cable.
For commuters, people who work in open-plan offices or for long-distance flights, headphones with "active noise cancellation" are recommended. With active noise cancelling technology, interfering sound waves, e.g. from an aircraft engine, are picked up by a microphone attached to the headphones and a second sound wave with opposite phase is generated. The two sound waves almost completely cancel each other out. With noise-cancelling headphones, you have peace and quiet and can concentrate fully on your work or your music.
In-ears, which are available in various designs, are particularly suitable for athletes. They are often dirt and water resistant, completely wireless or with an "around-the-neck design" and transmit music via Bluetooth.
For more action in the living room, we offer a wide range of home cinema headphones, which provide virtual surround sound, among other things.
For relaxed music listening in your own four walls, we have various hi-fi headphones on offer. The often open design of these headphones means that you can hear a lot of your surroundings, and they in turn can hear a lot of your music. So with these headphones, you won't have any fun on the train and you won't make any new friends in the office either.
For the youngest audiophiles or parents who like peace and quiet, we have a selection of children's headphones. They have a volume limit around 85 dB, which is supposed to protect against hearing damage from listening to music too loudly.
You can buy headphones from all the popular brands like Apple, Beats, Bose, Sony, Sennheiser, Jabra, Marshall Headphones, Bang & Olufsen (B&O) and many more.