Publicēts: 2022-10-27

How to choose and care for headphones?

How to choose headphones? 

Bluetooth or wired? 

Currently the most common classifier used for headphones is wireless or wired. Almost all modern smart devices are equipped with Bluetooth function, while wired headphones are not as flexible in their usage scope – the shape of ports tend to vary, which means that not all headphones will be suitable for all devices. Wired headphones are still popular when using a computer. 

The advantage of wireless headphones is that you don’t have to worry about a cord that might get tangled up or caught somewhere, however, wired headphones have a significant advantage – unlike wireless headphones, they do not require charging. 

How often should headphones be charged? Some headphones are being charged every time when they are inserted in the charging case. Others, most often larger headphones, need to be charged via cable thus the time between charges can vary significantly, it is also dependent on the model of the device. The most popular earphone models in Baltics work from 4 to 30 hours. When purchasing headphones, it is worth exploring the duration of operation in order to find the most suitable headphones for you.

MODEL EARPHONE TYPE DURATION OF OPERATION (AFTER FULL CHARGE) 
Apple AirPods Pro In-Ear headphones / Earbuds up to 5h
Samsung Galaxy Buds Pro In-Ear headphones / Earbuds up to 5h
Xiaomi Mi Basic S In-Ear headphones / Earbuds up to 4h
Haylou GT3 In-Ear headphones / Earbuds up to 4h
Jabra Elite 3 In-Ear headphones / Earbuds up to 7h
Acme BH420 In-Ear headphones / Earbuds up to 5h
JBL Tune 500BT On-Ear Headphones up to 16h
Bluedio H2 On-Ear Headphones up to 40h
„Sport Wireless” i12 In-Ear headphones / Earbuds up to 4h
Huawei FreeBuds 4i In-Ear headphones / Earbuds up to 10h
Philips SHB3075RD/00 On-Ear Headphones up to 12h
Sony WH-1000XM3 On-Ear Headphones up to 30h

Compactness and noise cancellation 

  • By the shape of the headphones, it is possible to distinguish three types of headphones and each of them have their advantages: 

  • In-Ear headphones/ Earbuds. Headphones that can be placed in your ears are small and easily portable. They mostly provide good ambient noise cancellation, however some of them can cause discomfort for your ears when they are being used for longer time periods. 

  • On-Ear headphones (with ear hooks). On-Ear headphones can be compact; however, they do not have good ambient noise cancellation features and are not the most popular choice. This type of headphones are suitable for physical activities, as the ear hooks will keep them in place, for example, for running. 

  • Over-Ear headphones. Over-Ear headphones usually are larger in size, as a result they provide higher quality of ambient noise cancelling, they also provide better sound quality and often have higher quality microphones, but they take up more space. 

Why are my headphones not working? 

Using headphones doesn’t always result in positive emotions – if previously the biggest problem was unwinding headphone wires, which doesn’t affect wireless headphones, then now, most common problems are headphones not having sound, Bluetooth connection issues, poor sound quality or headphones simply being uncomfortable for the user’s ears. 

There might be several reasons why your headphones have no sound, and this does not mean that they are defective. Please check: 

  • whether the headphones are connected to an audio source – whether the cord is neatly plugged in and the headphone jack is clean; or if Bluetooth has been switched on in the device; 

  • weather the headphones or audio source has its sound switched on; 

  • whether wireless headphones are not discharged. 

  • It is recommended to first check the connection, if this does not solve the problem – connect the headphones to a charging source. If it seems like everything has been done correctly, then it is possible that the headphones need to be sent to service centre. 

  • Wireless headphones are not connecting to a phone or computer. Please check: 

  • whether the headphones are located no further than couple meters from the device; 

  • if the headphones, phone or computer is already connected to another device; 

  • try switching the headphones on and off and restarting your device. 

If this does not solve the issue, the headphones might be defective, and they would need to be sent to a specialist for maintenance. 

If earphones feel too tight or are not comfortable for your ears, please check: 

  • whether they are not inserted incorrectly, for example, the wrong earphone is inserted in the wrong ear; 

  • whether interchangeable tips of different sizes are available. 

When using headphones, it is recommended to take a break every hour and let your ears rest. 

The sound quality of headphones is poor. It often happens with not-so-high-quality headphones that are simply not well made, but it can also happen that poor sound quality occurs in well-made headphones in which case there can be three explanations for it: 

  • there is a problem with the headphone jack (if the headset is used with wire); 

  • there is electronic interference caused by other surrounding devices; 

  • dirt that has accumulated in the headphones. 

The sound quality can be improved by cleaning your headphones, by cleaning the headphone jack and the headphones themselves. 

How to clean headphones? 

Accumulated dirt in the headphones can lead to poor sound quality and even result in headphones having no sound. 

It is necessary to clean your headphones and it can be done by anyone at home. Cleaning headphones is far from difficult, and you need only couple of things to do it: 

  • soft and dry lint-free cloth; 

  • a cotton swab; 

  • brush, such as a toothbrush with dry and soft bristles. 

To clean in-ear headphones, you will need to: 

  1. wipe them with a soft, dry lint-free cloth;

  2. remove silicone tips (if the headphones have any);  

  3. remove dirt and ear wax with a cotton swab and a dry, clean brush; during cleaning hold the earphones with the speaker side down. 

To clean over-ear headphones, you will need to: 

  1. wipe the whole surface of the headphones, especially the speaker area with a dry, lint-free cloth;

  2. clean the speaker area with a brush; 

  3. remove the padded part of the headphones and thoroughly clean all of it. 

Important! Do not use excess force or liquids while cleaning headphones, it might cause damage to headphones. 

If the headphones are not being properly cleaned warranty maintenance in service can be limited. For this reason, we advise familiarizing yourself with how to properly clean your headphones and in which cases warranty maintenance is provided, you can find this information on the websites of the leading manufacturers – Apple and Samsung. 

To repair and clean or to buy new headphones? 

If it is not evident why your headphones no longer work or are working poorly, we can perform diagnostics for them! Damaged headphones will be tested to understand the cause of issues and to assess the root cause, as well as potential repair costs. If the issue is minor, it is definitely worth repairing them, but if the problem is bigger (or there are several of them), it might be more profitable to purchase new headphones. However, only after diagnostics it will be possible to understand how damaged the headphones are, we advise to think about repairing or utilizing headphones only after performing diagnostics. 

If your headphones have any issues during the warranty period, then we are reminding that we also offer warranty services. If warranty service is available for headphones it will be more profitable than purchasing new headphones. Warranty repair means that repair of the headphones, same as any other maintenance will be carried out according to the instructions of the device manufacturer, using certified tools, the appropriate methods, modern equipment and of course, original spare parts, as we are an authorized service centre. 

Even when one of the headphones is missing from the set or you have lost the charging case, we can help you receive the missing component and to pair it with the already existing headphone set, so that it can be used once again.