Comparison Sony WI-C200 vs Sony WI-XB400

The type of cable provided in the design or package of the headphones. Note that this parameter is relevant both for wired or combined models (see "Type of connection"), and for some wireless models - in particular, earbuds and in-ear headphones without attachment, where the wire connects one earphone to another.

- Round. Classic round wire - straight, without braid and other additional devices. It is inexpensive and in most cases quite practical, which is why it is found in most modern headphones. The disadvantage is that with a small thickness, the round wire tends to tangle; therefore, this option is considered not very convenient for compact headphones, such as in-ear or in-ear headphones (see "Design"), which often have to be carried in a pocket or bag.

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

- Drawstring around the neck. A wire adapted in one way or another to be worn around the neck - for example, having the form of a loop from which two separate headphones depart. The main advantage of this design is the convenience for constant wear: if necessary, you...can remove the headphones and leave them hanging on a cord, and then quickly put them back on. It is worth noting here that this option is found mainly among liners and in-ear models, for which the mentioned advantage is especially relevant.

- Round, braided. Round wire, supplemented with an outer braid - usually fabric. See above for more details on round wire. And the presence of a braid gives such a cable a number of advantages over the classic, in "bare" insulation. So, the wire turns out to be more durable, reliable and resistant to kinks and pressures, less confused, has a solid appearance, and in some models the braid also provides shielding from external interference. The reverse side of these advantages is the increased price.

- Spiral. Round cable, coiled in the form of a spring. The main advantages of spiral wire are that it practically does not tangle and can be noticeably stretched relative to its original length. The latter is very convenient if in the course of using the "ears" you have to change the distance to the signal source. The disadvantages of a spiral cable are bulkiness and relatively high cost. Therefore, it is often used in headphones of medium and top levels (including professional models).

- Round, braided. Cable in the form of two wires twisted into a spiral. Do not confuse this option with a spiral wire - in this case we are not talking about a spring. Such a cable is notable primarily for its unusual appearance; for greater originality, the wiring can be made multi-colored. It is also slightly more tangle-resistant than the classic round, although much depends on the thickness here. At the same time, individual wires can be noticeably thinner than a solid round wire, which somewhat reduces reliability.

- Zipper. Reversible wire (see "Cable entry"), in which the individual wires are hidden inside the halves of the zipper. The fastener does not cover the entire length of the cable, but usually takes up half, or even more. The headphones themselves with a similar wire most often belong to miniature varieties - in-ear or in-ear. Such models are very convenient in “packing” and “unpacking” for storage and carrying: by zipping up, you can connect two wires into one, and when you need the headphones again, you can unzip them by separating them. At the same time, the fastened zipper is very resistant to tangling. Yes, and this accessory looks quite unusual.

- In the form of a lace. A wire that looks like a lace - like tech used in shoes or clothing. Do not confuse such a cable with a cord around your neck (see above) - in this case, we mean not the way the wire is worn, but a specific type of braid. Such a wire is comparable in width to a flat wire, due to which it resists tangling well. However, the main advantage of this option is still the original appearance: “laces” are often made in bright colors, can be painted in several colors, complemented by a pattern, etc.

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.

The time required to fully charge the battery in properly powered headphones (see above).

In this case, we mean the battery charging time from 0 to 100% when using a standard charger (or a third-party charger with identical characteristics). Accordingly, in fact, this indicator may differ from the claimed one, depending on the specifics of the situation. However, in general, it is quite possible to evaluate different models and compare them with each other: headphones with a shorter claimed charging time will in fact charge faster (ceteris paribus).

Also note that an increase in battery capacity (and headphone battery life) inevitably implies an increase in charging time. To compensate for this moment, special fast charging technologies can be used — however, they affect the cost and require the use of specialized charger.

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.

The function reduces the charging time of the headphones compared to the duration of the standard procedure. For this, increased voltage and / or current strength is used, as well as a special "smart" process control. The capabilities and features of fast charging may vary depending on the specific implementation of the technology. Most often, accelerated charging implies the possibility of literally 5-10 minutes. extend the battery life of the headphones in the accompanying charging case by at least one hour of additional playback.

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.