Got new headphones for Christmas? These 6 tips will supercharge your new cans

By the time Santa has finished his holiday shopping with our list of the best headphones, you might just be adorned with a nice, shiny new pair of cans to listen to top-notch music from.

What Santa may not have mentioned is that headphones are for life (or at least a few years), not just for Christmas. These will be your new musical companions through Thick (or Robin Thicke) and Thin (Thin Lizzy?), and you should therefore make sure you use them correctly.

That’s why I’m giving you a special gift this Christmas: six useful tips to help you get the most out of your new headphones. Some of these are about improving the audio quality of your music, others are about increasing the longevity and lasting performance of your over-ears.

Most of this advice will be especially useful for tech newbies – or “aspiring tech experts” as I call them – but no matter your relationship with gadgets, there should be something to help you make the transition The way you use your headphones helps.

1. Check if there is a smartphone app

Edifier W820NB Plus

(Image credit: Future)

To tech-savvy people, this advice may seem obvious, but I meet many people who don’t even consider it. Almost all headphones, earphones and speakers you can buy now have smartphone or tablet apps that give you additional control over your cans.

Apps like these automatically connect to your headphones (when you listen to music on the same device over a Bluetooth connection) and give you additional features and an overview of the headphones status, such as: B. Battery and audio codec used.

Depending on the app, you can change noise cancellation settings, adjust the equalizer (which changes the audio balance of the music), toggle the function of touch controls, change spatial audio functions, find your headphones if you lost them, and any Number of features enable additional features of the company. You’re already paying for these features – you might as well use them!

Sometimes it can be a bit difficult to find the right app. Sony has headphones, Sennheiser has Smart Control, Nothing has Nothing X and so on, but some brands have them loads of apps. Type “JBL” or “Bose” into the App or Play Store and you’ll find plenty of options. To find the right one, check the user manual or the Google app “(headphone name)” to find the right one.

2. Play with the equalizer

Now that you’ve set up the app, you can use another handy feature that almost everyone uses (but doesn’t). all all) headphones offer: an equalizer.

For those of you who don’t know, an equalizer is a feature that allows you to play with the audio balance of your headphones to better tailor the sound to your personal preferences. If you prefer bass tones, you can emphasize them, otherwise you can reduce them in favor of treble, etc.

Different app equalizers work in different ways and with different levels of complexity. Some simply give you a range of presets to choose from, others give you a three-way graphic that allows you to switch between bass, treble and mid. More advanced apps give you full control over a parametric EQ and there are many custom alternatives that some audio brands also use.

If you are a bit technophobic, I would recommend using presets as they are simple and easy to use. However, the more you know about audio, the more you can play around with advanced options.

3. Make sure you get the best sound possible

Sony Xperia 1 IV and Sennhesier IE 600 wired earphones with some blue Sennheiser Custom Comfort Tips while playing a Tidal Masters file

(Image credit: Future)

Different audio sources and apps offer you music and sound with different fidelity; If you just got some really expensive and fancy headphones, you’ll want to make sure the sound being streamed into your ears suits you.

The explanation here gets very technical, so I’ll use a Christmas metaphor to help you explain. Imagine that the audio quality is like Mince Pies – if you have low-end headphones you might not have much of an appetite, but owners of expensive headphones are absolutely hungry (and I can’t blame you for Mince Pies either). for super-sounding music).

Traditionally, streaming services only offer you a limited number of mince pies per second because the mince pie delivery service (i.e. the internet) can handle it. And considering we’re talking at rates of thousands of mince pies per second, most people might notice that a few of the tasty treats are missing. However, if you have a big appetite, certain premium services may offer you more mince pies.

So you should find a mince pie provider (a music service) that suits your appetite (the potential of your headphones). How can you do that?

If you have fancy headphones, I would recommend checking out premium audio streamers like Tidal or Apple Music as they offer lossless music that sounds much better. It’s hard to delve deeper without getting too technical, but I’ve put together a handy guide to audio file formats that gives further advice on what to look out for.

4. Find your way with noise cancellation

If you only get new headphones every few years, what might surprise you about your new pair is how many different types of ANC – or active noise cancellation – there are. Headphone manufacturers pack their creations with many different ways to block out background noise; It can be a little confusing, but educating yourself about the different options will help you get the most out of your new cans.

The first fancy mode you need to know is called Ambient, Aware, or Active, depending on the brand. It is designed to block out annoying background noise while still giving you the ability to hear sounds around you, such as: B. oncoming vehicles can be heard. People talk to you and knock on your door. This can be useful for tuning in when situational awareness is important.

Headphones also often offer varying ANC intensities that limit sound blocking. Some let you adjust it manually with a slider (you’ll probably want to crank it to the maximum level on flights or on noisy days in the office when you really need to get going). I often opt for any “adaptive” mode when available, which automatically switches between high, medium and low ANC depending on the environment. Many of the best noise canceling headphones and best noise canceling earbuds we’ve tested have such a mode.

I’ve also been seeing ANC modes with very specific capabilities lately. Some block out the wind, others block out ambient noise, others combine ANC with head-controlled spatial audio filters (see the Bose QuietComfort Ultra Earbuds) or even more niche situations.

It may be worth finding out the strengths and weaknesses of your specific headphones’ ANC modes, as this may prompt you to switch between them at certain times.

5. Get a case

The noble Focus Apollo on a white fleece background.

(Image credit: Future)

Most of this advice comes from my years of technical experience; This is due to my long-standing technical errors… Get a case for your headphones!

Headphones are quite fragile compared to technical devices: there are microphones, drivers and electronics in the earphones that can be damaged by shocks or falls. the pads may be scratched, stained or torn; The bands are made of metal and plastic strips with hinges that can snap into place when necessary.

Therefore, it is very easy to damage headphones whether they are on your head or in a bag. Of course, there’s not much you can do to protect them in the first case, but I’ve often found that the Achilles’ heel of a fancy pair of headphones is a backpack – and one that they fit loosely into. My personal headphones are currently about 50% made of duct tape because they were damaged from being stored loosely in my bag!

If you often carry your headphones in a bag, I would really recommend investing in a good carrying case (some headphones come with one, I might point out). This small cost could save you from having to buy a whole new pair if the headphones break apart due to harsh conditions.

6. Don’t leave your headphones plugged in

This isn’t the most glamorous advice on this list, which is why it’s not at the top of the list, but I use it with all of my tech devices and it works wonders: Don’t leave your headphones plugged in once they’re fully charged.

What is the reason for this? Overcharging can damage a device’s battery, which over time results in the battery not being able to hold as much charge as it originally did. In short, while your headphones may have an advertised battery life of 10 hours, if you overcharge them, the battery life will slowly deteriorate.

The best way to charge your headphones is to do so in bursts, plugging them in for a few minutes here and there to ensure the battery level stays high for longer. In general, experts recommend that your devices charge between 20 and 80%. However, not all headphones allow you to display the charge level in percent, as is the case with smartphones or tablets.

Avoiding overcharging won’t give you any noticeable benefits over time, but if you use the headphones for several years and the battery life is still pretty solid, you’ll thank me!