Stereo Headphones Review

In 1958, a man named John Koss, and his business partner, Martin Lange, developed a suitcase-sized portable record player that they demonstrated at a Wisconsin audio show. To draw attention to their new record player, they adapted a World War II aviator headset so customers could appreciate the stereo sound produced by the compact player. They did not get a lot of interest in the record player, but the headphones were a hit and the modern stereo headphones were born.

Today stereo headphones are an integral part of everyday life. We live in a very mobile world where we can be entertained 24 hours a day by music, radio, TV, the internet and movies delivered through small handheld devices. We generally use the cheap ear buds that come with these devices, which do not produce very good sound and can be quite uncomfortable.

Stereo headphones come in all styles, shapes and sizes and each type is aimed at a specific audience. On this site you will find articles on stereo headphones and reviews of models that are designed to fit on the ear or over the ear as an alternative to those cheap ear buds that come free with your portable players. The stereo headphones reviewed here are moderately-priced, and aimed at the discerning music lover who wants more clarity, definition and comfort than cheap ear buds can deliver. At TopTenREVIEWS We Do the Research So You Don’t Have To.™

Stereo Headphones: What to Look For

When shopping for a pair of headphones, the most important thing to consider is how they sound to you. How we hear differs from person to person and is very subjective. You also want to make sure they fit correctly and are comfortable to wear. As we reviewed each of these products, we rated them according to the following criteria:

Performance
We rate each pair of stereo headphones based on how well they perform when listening to a variety of musical genres. We reviewed the high and low frequencies they can reproduce, and compared how well they handle low, mid and high frequencies.

Features
In this section we look at how well each product is built. If the design is heavy or too bulky, they might be uncomfortable to wear and it won’t matter how good they sound if you don’t like to wear them. On the other hand, if the headphones are too light or flimsy, they might be comfortable to wear but they could break easily.

Accessories
Here we consider what ships in the package. The higher rated products generally include additional adapters so you can use them with a variety of audio components. They also include an extension cable to give you enough room to watch TV or listen to your home stereo in comfort.

Help/Support
Even well-made products may occasionally break through no fault of your own. In this section we review the manufacturer’s warranty policy, available support and access to additional documentation and information. Knowing that a company stands behind its products can put your mind at ease even if you never had any problems with the product.

Using these rating criteria, we found that the Denon AH-D1001, the Audio-Technica ATH-M35 and the AKG K242 HD are the best stereo headphones in our reviews. Using any of the products reviewed here will significantly improve your listening experience over the ear buds that came with your MP3 player.