An Idiot’s Guide to Buying the Best Bluetooth Headphones in 2021

“Music connects us to ourselves.”

Simplified and philosophical, you would say, but it is just as true for a school-going teenager as it is for a jogger or a fitness professional. Technology is growing by leaps and bounds and people are exploring newer and exciting ways to listen to their favorite music. Listening to one’s favorite music on the go is a viable option that all millennials are fast taking up.

As they switch to mobility-centric solutions to listen to their favorite music, headphones start taking center stage. People are now gunning for an elaborate, yet durable setup that lets them listen to their favorite music in high quality for longer lengths of time without fatigue. Here is an article explaining how to select the best Bluetooth headphones for yourself.

You would possibly run out of numbers before you could count all the headphone brands that are competing in the consumer market around the world. Add to it the presence of multiple variants and attributes, and you might as well end up drawing up numbers and numbers alone.

We are thus narrowing down the list of features that you should expect from the best Bluetooth headphones as per their criteria. This is important because every person has a different (read: unique) preference for music. Here’s how you can understand your needs better.

This is non-negotiable. The only reason why you are probably looking for a premium Bluetooth headphone or earbud is that you want to have the BEST quality of music for yourself. It is important to buy headphones or earbuds that come with 40 mm HD Audio Drivers because they offer an immersive experience.

You could take your pick from In-Ear, Over-Ear, and True Wireless type of earphones. For headphones, only overhead types are applicable. Please note that going for over-ear headphones is often the best bet in terms of sound quality and battery life. However, you would need to make a compromise between the accessory’s sound quality and its weight at times.

This is an important distinction to make. Are you willing to let go of some ease of usage for a lesser price? A wired headphone won’t be Bluetooth enabled in most cases but it would offer you a much better sound quality. Battery life too would be a plus in wired headphones.

PS: Some premium Bluetooth headphones come in a flexible form factor and can be easily folded into a pocket.

Punchy bass and a highly responsive treble are the salt and pepper of an immersive music listening experience. While a “thumping bass” offers the requisite impact and depth of musical notes, it is the treble that provides their clarity and separation. If you are listening to anything older than the ’60s, chances are you won’t find much bass but only treble in your music.

This marks the sensitivity to every single rise and fall in the musical beats. Obviously, the more sensitive a headphone is to the changes in music profiles, the better sound quality it would offer at all times. However, if the music source is distorted, there would be a lot of static sound in the chosen wireless Bluetooth earphone or headphones.

The lighter a pair of headphones or earphones or earbuds is, the better grade it shall offer in its usability. Secondly, one should also check for the padding or the cushion support that comes as a standard. More padding would imply more comfort but it would also cause the sweat to accumulate.

PS: You can easily beat this disadvantage if you go with an anti-sweat and IPX5-rated waterproof wireless music accessory.

They are quite the opposite of each other but you would need them both, especially if you are looking for the best Bluetooth headphones with a mic for calling support. You should note that most premium wireless music accessories come with a standard sensitivity rating of 90dB+/-3dB and an impedance rating of 16Ω+/-15pct.

Special Note: Noise Isolation is a weaker concept and it simply refers to the reduced number of sounds between your headphone and your ear. Noise Cancellation is a concept in Acoustics that refers to the neutralization of external and interfering noises during a call or while listening to music.

These two refer to creating a customized musical environment where one could listen to one’s favorite music. For example, Rock and Pop are two common equalizers in music players and they help in improving the beats and frequency response for a better listening experience. However, you may again use a personalized equalizer (called Custom) if you are looking for a finer listening experience.

If you’d wear a plastic headband that simply sits on your head and wraps it in a tight semi-circle, you would soon get a headache. This is why going in for one that has padded support over its durable plastics bands is better. As mentioned in point #3 above, you can go for a headphone that is flexible enough and can be easily tucked in your pocket.

The less said, the better. It is a crucial aspect to consider when you are buying the best Bluetooth headphones under INR 3000. This is a sensitive price range because all the top-notch earphones and headphones usually come at a higher price point than this. However, you should note that not all expensive music accessories would justify their high price.

Most of the Bluetooth headphones (including the ones with mic support) come enabled with onboard volume controls. You should note that they should be responsive to press and that the plastic quality on them should be optimized for longer use.

PS: These externally mounted controls are of tremendous help to fitness enthusiasts who love spending hours in the gym training themselves or dancing in online Zumba sessions.

We have brought together some of the most crucial points that you should consider before buying your next music accessory. However, there is another point that we should have added above in our headphones buying guide above- and it is related to the ease of usage during workouts and jogging, etc.

If you are a fitness professional, you should go for in-ear headphones. They are lightweight and come with mic support for a seamless experience. They are mostly wired types to enhance battery life and their small size helps in better noise isolation. You can further top this experience by using a pair of good-quality True Wireless earbuds too.

Remember, the key to a fabulous music experience is to have the most matching pair of Bluetooth headphones or earphones as per your lifestyle and activity gear- everything else can wait!