Escalate Topic

Here's a quick summary.

• Using only a portable player, often on the move? Go for earbuds.
• Using only high-quality home equipment? Go for bigger headphones.
• Listening mainly on the commute to work? Choose noise-cancelling phones. For safety reasons, don't under circumstances use them on a bicycle, skateboard, or while driving a car—you won't hear things around you.
• Listening at home with other noises you want to block out? Choose closed-backed or noise-cancelling headphones.
• Listening to high-quality audio in a quiet home? Choose open-backed headphones.
• Spend as much as you can on your phones because more expensive ones are almost always better than cheaper ones. If it's a choice between expensive ordinary phones and noise-cancelling phones at the same price, the ordinary phones are almost certainly going to give you better sound.
• Try headphones before you buy if you possibly can.
• If the cable gives out on your favorite phones, see if you can get a new jack plug fitted. If you can't do it yourself, ask your local hi-fi shop. It'll cost you a fraction as much as a new pair.
• Once you find a good brand, stick with it. I've bought BrandA and BrandB for years, for example, and I'll keep doing so.