Shopping for headphones is like shopping for wine. 1) Everyone has an opinion, but few people really know what they’re talking about. 2) Buy something under $5, and you’ll wake up the next morning with a headache. 3) Buy something over $1,000, and you won’t notice the difference unless you’re a connoisseur. 4) Most people will buy solely based on price and label, feel quietly insecure, then retroactively justify their purchase, despite knowing next to nothing. Enough is enough. Dump out that $4 Chardonnay. Sell your $1,300 Bordeaux. And most of all, stop buying the hype and start shopping smart. Here are four great alternatives to four popular, overhyped headphones. Apple EarPods ($29) The Hype Apple EarPods are, in many ways, the distillation of every invention in human history. For the first time, we have a product that blends the power of technology with the beauty of the human figure. It’s the first—and only—pair of earbuds to actually fit the human ear. The Reality It’s all baloney: manufacturers have been designing headphones to fit human ears for decades. Worse, experts report EarPods only sit snugly in some ears. Whoops. In fairness, Apple’s one-size-fits-some EarPods do beat the original Apple Earphones in raw sound quality. Two and a half cheers for Apple innovation. The Better Choice: RHA MA 350 ($39) At $39, you’ll have to drop an additional ten bucks for the MA 350, but your ears will thank you. They’re more consistent, provide better balance, and fit a much wider range of ears. Beats by Dre – Tour ($149) The Hype Legendary rapper Dr. Dre was fed up: “People aren’t hearing all the music.” He set out to create professional-grade headphones for the masses—a line of products designed to capture every subtlety of the modern-day recording studio. Today, A-list celebrities, pro sports players, and Grammy-winning recording artists all use Beats by Dre gear. It’s simply the best in the business. The Reality Beats by Dre really is the best in the business—when it comes to marketing, not sound. Today, A-list … Continue reading 4 Great Alternatives to 4 Overhyped Headphones