Comparison Sony WI-C100 vs Sony WI-XB400

The type of cable provided in the design or delivery of the headphones. Note that this parameter is relevant both for wired or combined models (see “Connection type”), and for some wireless models - in particular, earbuds and in-ear headphones without a mount, where a wire connects one earphone to another.

- Round. The classic round wire is straight, without braiding or other additional accessories. It is inexpensive and in most cases quite practical, which is why it is found in most modern headphones. The disadvantage is that if the thickness is small, the round wire is prone to tangling; therefore, this option is considered not very convenient for compact headphones, such as in-ear or in-ear (see “Design”), which often have to be carried in a pocket or bag.

- Flat. The main advantage of a flat cable is that it does not get tangled as much as a round cable, and if something happens it is much easier to untangle. This is especially important for earbuds and in-ear headphones, which are often rolled up for storage or transport. However, larger overhead models can also be equipped with a flat wire.

— Round, braided. A round wire with an outer braid, usually fabric. See above for details on round wire. And the presence of a braid gives such a cable a number of advantages over the classic one with “bare” insula...tion. Thus, the wire turns out to be more durable, reliable and resistant to kinks and pressure, tangles less, has a solid appearance, and in some models the braiding also provides shielding from external interference. The downside of these advantages is the increased price.

— Spiral. A round cable, coiled into a spring. The main advantages of a spiral wire are that it practically does not tangle and can significantly stretch relative to its original length. The latter is very convenient if, as you use your ears, you have to change the distance to the signal source. The disadvantages of spiral cable are bulkiness and relatively high cost. Therefore, it is often used in mid-range and top-end headphones (including professional models).

- Round, braided. A cable in the form of two wires twisted into a spiral. This option should not be confused with a spiral wire - in this case we are not talking about a spring. This cable is notable primarily for its unusual appearance; For greater originality, the wiring can be made in different colors. It is also somewhat more tangle-resistant than the classic round one, although a lot depends on the thickness. At the same time, individual wires can be noticeably thinner than a solid round wire, which somewhat reduces reliability.

The diameter of the speaker installed in the headphones; models with multiple drivers (see "Number of drivers"), usually, the size of the largest speaker is taken into account, other dimensions can be specified in the notes.

In general, this parameter is relevant primarily for over-ear headphones (see "Design"). In them, emitters can have different sizes; the larger it is, the more saturated the sound is and the better the speaker reproduces the bass, however, large emitters have a corresponding effect on the dimensions, weight and price of the headphones. But in-ear "ears" and earbuds, by definition, have very small speakers, and rich bass in them is achieved due to other design features.

Headphones with voice assistant support the user interaction with the device to a new level. The call of the assistant. is carried out by pressing one of the control buttons on the headphones or by a specific voice command (for example, «Ok, Google» for the Google Assistant virtual apprentice). The assistant pauses playback, instantly changes the volume of the music, can notify the user of new alerts, helps to answer messages without the help of hands, and commands are given to the paired smartphone via voice control from the headphones.

The declared operating time of headphones with autonomous power supply (see above) when listening to music on a single battery charge or a set of batteries.

As a rule, the characteristics indicate a certain average operating time in music listening mode, for standard conditions; in practice, it will depend on the intensity of use, volume level and other operating parameters, and in models with replaceable batteries - also on the quality of specific batteries. However, based on the stated time, you can fairly reliably assess the autonomy of the selected headphones and compare them with other models. As for specific values, relatively “short-lived” devices have a battery life of up to 8 hours, a figure of 8 – 12 hours can be called quite good, 12 – 20 hours – very good, and in the most “long-lasting” headphones the operating time can exceed 20 hours.

Magnets in the earbuds allow you to connect them together for easy storage and prevent tangling of wires. Another noteworthy implementation of the magnetic mount is pausing music playback when the headphones are pulled out of the ears and magnetized to each other. True, such an opportunity is found only in some copies of the headphones.

The headphones have special protection against moisture and dust; also, this clause may specify the level of such protection according to the IP standard.

Not all waterproof headphones allow complete immersion in water, but in this case this is usually not required — water protection is mainly intended for safe operation in the rain (or during sports activities when the user sweats a lot). But the specific degree of such protection in different models can vary markedly, and here it is most convenient to evaluate it by IP marking. This marking consists of the letters IP and two numbers; moisture resistance is described by the second, last digit, and in modern headphones you can find the following options:

— 2. Protection against vertical drops of water in the working position and when the device deviates up to 15 ° from this position. The minimum indicator that allows us to talk about resistance to rain (however, without strong winds).
— 3. Protection against splashes falling vertically or at an angle up to 60° from the vertical. Provides resistance to moderate rain and strong winds.
— 4. Splash proof from any direction. With such headphones, rain of medium intensity is not terrible, regardless of the strength of the wind.
— 5. Protected against water jets from any direction. Allows you to transfer already a combination of strong wind w...ith a downpour.
— 6. Protection against strong water jets. It is considered the minimum level that allows you to swim safely (with your head above the surface of the water) wearing headphones.
— 7. Possibility of short-term (less than half an hour) immersion under water to a shallow depth (less than 1 m); continuous operation in immersed mode is not expected. In such headphones, you can no longer only swim, but also dive under water to a shallow depth (plunge with your head), but they are not suitable for full-fledged diving.
— 8. The highest level of water protection actually found in modern headphones (although theoretically there is a higher level, level 9). Allows long-term (more than 30 minutes) immersion under water to a depth of 1 m or more, and even permanent work in a submerged position. And although the latter is not particularly relevant for headphones, however, this degree of protection makes it possible to swim and even dive safely. However, note that specific restrictions on use in such headphones may be different, they must be clarified according to the instructions.

As for protection against dust (it is indicated by the first digit in the IP marking), its level in modern “ears” is indicated mainly in cases where it corresponds to level 4 (protection against objects 1 mm thick or more), 5 (allowed a small amount of dust that does not affect the operation of the device) or 6 (complete protection against dust). Also note that this number can be replaced by the letter "X" — for example, IPX7; this means that no official dust certification has been carried out for this model. However, this resistance in many cases can be assessed by the degree of protection against moisture: for example, devices with a moisture resistance of 7 or 8, by definition, do not let water through — which means that they are also not afraid of dust.

The total weight of the headphones; for true wireless models (see "Cable Type"), the weight of each individual earbud is listed.

This parameter is directly related to the design (see above) and some features of the functionality. Thus, the mentioned true wireless devices are very light, their weight does not exceed 25 g. More traditional in-ears and in-ears can be noticeably heavier, up to 50g for in-ears and up to 100g for most in-ears. Overhead models, for the most part, are quite massive: among them there are many models weighing 200 – 250 g, 250 – 300 g and even more than 300 g. It should be noted that a significant weight for false ears is often not a disadvantage, but an advantage: it allows them to stay on the head more securely, creates an impression of solidity and reliability, and most often does not create significant inconvenience.

Among the equipment, it is worth highlighting silicone and polyurethane tips, relevant for in-ear headphones, additional fixation nozzles and behind-the- ear arms for better attachment in the ear, interchangeable ear pads, additional cable, dongle, aircraft adapter, case / case and docking station. There are also other accessories. More details about them:

- Silicone tips. Replaceable silicone tips used in in-ear headphones. Usually, several nozzles of different sizes are supplied in the kit, which allows you to adjust the headphones to a specific user. The practical advantages of silicone are softness, durability, general convenience and at the same time low cost.

- Polyurethane nozzles. Replacement tips for in-ear headphones made of foamed polyurethane. This material is somewhat more expensive than silicone, it requires regular cleaning and has a shorter service life - including due to deformation as it wears. On the other hand, polyurethane is ideal in terms of acoustics; it is these tips that are considered the best choice for lovers of in-ear “ears” with high-quality sound.

- Ear hooks. Removable devic...es designed to additionally secure each earpiece to the ear. Note that such devices should not be confused with behind-the-ear mounts (see above). The main difference is that the arms are used exclusively in some models of in-ear headphones and earbuds as an additional option. In other words, you can wear such headphones without a bow, while the behind-the-ear mount is usually made non-removable and, in principle, you can’t do without it.

— Nozzles of additional fixation. Auxiliary caps for a tighter fit of the in-ear headphones. They are used to provide better fixation of headphones during sports or provide additional volume to users with a large auricle.

- Replaceable ear pads. Comes with interchangeable ear tips. In general, the ear pads are the part with which the headphones come into contact with the listener's ears. In full-size and on-ear headphones, they are soft pads on the inside of the cups.

— Case (case) / cover. Covers are usually called soft rag bags, they protect the "ears" mainly from pollution and take up a minimum of space. Cases are made of hard materials, they are a little more bulky, but they protect well from shock, pressure and contact with sharp objects. In any case, the complete case or case is optimally suited for the headphones and is more convenient than an impromptu protective casing.

- Charging case. Case - a case made of hard material - simultaneously playing the role of a charger. This feature is very popular on true wireless models (see "Cable Type"). The charging case usually has its own battery and the headphones are already charged from this battery; this design provides additional convenience in several moments at once. Firstly, the case, in fact, also performs the function of a power bank - an autonomous power source; the capacity of such a “power bank” may be different, but it is usually enough for several full charges of the “ears” (for more details, see “Capacity of the case”). Secondly, the ability to charge the headphones directly in the case reduces the risk of losing them. Thirdly, the charging procedure itself is quite convenient - just connect the cable to the case.

- Dock station. Stationary stand with the possibility of placing headphones and contacts for charging them. Also, docking stations are often used to transfer the sound track to headphones - they are connected directly to the sound source via a wire, and the sound is transmitted to the ears wirelessly within a certain radius of action.

— Clip for carrying. A clip designed to fasten the wire to a pocket, collar, lapel of clothing, etc. It provides additional convenience: thanks to the clip, the wire does not hang out, the likelihood of touching it with careless movement or catching on the surrounding object is reduced.

- Additional cable. An additional cable provided in addition to the main one may have different features and specializations. So, complete cables can vary in length, connector type, wire type, additional equipment (microphone, volume control), etc. These details should be specified separately in each case. Here, we note that almost all headphones with this configuration have a detachable cable (it makes sense to supplement a non-detachable wire with an extension cable, and it is considered a separate accessory - see below).

- Extension. A type of additional cable designed solely to increase the overall length of the wire. Due to the extension cord, you can adjust the headphones to the specifics of the situation: for example, “build up” the cable if you need to switch from a laptop to a TV or a stationary audio system.

— Airplane adapter. Dedicated headphone adapter for use with modern airliner entertainment systems. In such systems, a special way of connecting headphones is used - through two 3.5 mm jacks (and we are talking about classic "ears", without a microphone). Models with a traditional single 3.5 mm plug can only be connected to this output through an adapter; such adapters may initially be included in the delivery.

- Windproof microphone. Devices in the form of a foam rubber or "shaggy" lining on the headphone microphone capsule. Cut off unnecessary ambient noise and minimize the effect of direct exposure to air currents on the microphone, which can cause interference in speech transmission.

— Dongle. The dongle is used to simplify the organization of connecting wireless headphones to other devices. In fact, this is a radio transmitter (less often a Bluetooth transmitter) that non-contactly broadcasts sound to headphones from a connected device.

This list is not exhaustive and may include other optional items.