personal shopper
personal shopper is TechRadar’s semi-regular advice column, where we answer readers’ questions. Have you ever wished you could consult your own tech expert who’s tried all the latest gear so they can tell you what’s best suited for your specific needs? you can! We like to consider ourselves a helpful group. is here Ask one of our experts for all the information about the service.
Dear Reader, I can’t resist an audio-related challenge. So when a genuine cry for help comes from this pleasant and music-loving corner of TechRadar readers, I won’t let you down. Prayer? As for basic information related to headphone measurements, I agree it disappears whenever I search for it. My reader writes:
Your site is the most impressive site I have visited (By the way, thanks for that. The flattery doesn’t end here) But still no help for my query. I’m 6.4 inches tall and not unusually proportioned, but every over-ear headphone I try is too ‘small’ and doesn’t extend far enough to cover my ears.
Yet the specifications don’t cover that measurement and most online retailers here say I can’t return them if they don’t fit, because the item wouldn’t be ‘discontinued’ if I tried them on. I have a set of wired Sennheiser headphones that fit perfectly, but I want some mid-range Bluetooth headphones and this is all an exercise in frustration. will be Sony WH-CH720N Suitable? Or something like that? No one knows. Can you help? I think the extended slider leg should be about 20.7cm from the middle of the cup to the bottom. Surely other people too are facing this dilemma?
Challenge accepted sir! I will admit, this is not an issue I have personally encountered (I suffer at the other end of the scale, see mine). Best earbuds for small ears Guide if you’re with me) But, as the following research proves, it’s a legitimate concern – and one that’s being under-reported.
For example, I can check a spec-sheet for the weight and dimensions of a particular earbud, and thus get a good sense of whether the product will fit my Bijou auricles. Even looking at headshell online helps! But have you ever tried to find the measurements written on a spec-sheet for the length of the headband, from the top of the crown to the base of the ear cups when fully extended? Or looking for an image of headphones with arms extended as far as they’ll go? You won’t get it either. Manufacturers aren’t currently listing or picturing this measurement, and there’s always the possibility that – especially with more budget-conscious headphones – this could be where some extra money is being saved.
tale of the tape
So here’s what I would do: Create a database of measurements from review samples I currently have, old legacy reference sets of some best headphones And best noise-canceling headphones We keep those in-house as benchmark models, as well as more specialized headphones owned by the broader TechRadar team. This should give us a better idea of ​​any relationship between the market and brands, pricing and length of extensions Hand,
Instead of taking the length of each extension arm, I’m measuring from the top of the crown to the bottom edge of the ear cup, along the outer edge of the headphones, with the arm fully extended. This is because headphones – even those from the same manufacturer and the same model number – do not have a uniform headband design, meaning the hinge-points and mechanism of the arms are located at different points along the band. . Therefore, measuring from these points is confusing, when it is the absolute measurement we want, i.e., ‘how big are they reallygot it? Good.
My hope is that by measuring from the top of your head, where you want your headphones to grace it, to just below the base of your ear, you’ll know if this particular problem will affect you, and which models are affected. Can be more sociable. I never had to stretch my hands on a set of headphones from the out-of-the-box setting, but then again I measure only 21cm there (my partner’s is 23.5cm) so if you’re like us, you’re probably This is not my target audience. Correct! off we go.
| Sample | price | Measurements (from crown to lower ear cup edge) | notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1More Sonoflow Pro HQ51 | $90 (about £70 / AU$135) | 29cm | Row 0 – Cell 3 |
| Bose QuietComfort Headphones | $349 / £349 / AU$549.99 | 28 cm | very flexible headband |
| Cambridge Audio Melomania P100 | $279 / £229 / AU$479 | 30 cm | Larger than average, oval earcups |
| dali io-8 | $899 / £599 / AU$TBC | 28.5 cm | smooth, silent motion |
| QCY H3 Pro | About $50 / £45 / AU$89 | 29.5 cm | Row 4 – Cell 3 |
| Sennheiser 350BT | About $119 / £89 / AU$175 | 26.5 cm | A bit old (January 2020 release) so look for deals |
| Sennheiser Momentum 4 Wireless | $299 / £269 / AU$450 | 27 cm | Row 6 – Cell 3 |
| sonos ace | $449 / £449 / AU$699 | 26.5 cm | Row 7 – Cell 3 |
| Sony WH-CH720 | $149 / £99 / AU$259 | 29cm | Row 8 – Room 3 |
| Sony WH-1000XM3 | officially discontinued | 29cm | Adding for reference – and if you can find a deal, they’re reputable. |
| Sony WH-1000XM5 | $329 / £319 / AU$549 | 29.5 cm | Row 10 – Cell 3 |
use your brain
So what did we learn? Well, simply, Sennheiser (both 350BT and Momentum 4 Wireless) and this sonos ace Coming in a little, er, short compared to the competition. And they’re certainly not the cheapest option on this list, so my theory that the cheaper headphones would probably have been a bit of a departure from the headband (because of profit margins) doesn’t seem to be quite true.
During this time, Sony Nothing if not predictable, with standard 29cm reading (stretched to 29.5cm) WH-100XM5) Whichever model we looked at was based solely on our measurements, with the Bose option being a centimeter shorter.
I suggest that my readers will be happy with this Sony WH-CH720 However, based on that 29 cm reading Cambridge Audio’s excellent Melomania P100 (or even the much cheaper QCY H3 Pro – which is not the model I tested) may be even better on measurements alone. I reached out to Sony for more info on this, so if I get any concrete information about the target measurements the designers need to hit, I’ll update what you’re reading now.
But our work is not done! The beauty of an online facility is that you, dear reader, can help build our database and help our taller and/or bigger-minded friends. You may be wearing headphones right now, as you see from these figures. Why don’t you measure your cans and post the data in the comment thread? We music-lovers have to stick together, you know…
