Headphones are something you probably use every day (unlike those expensive, might-wear-once-a-year shoes you bought recently). But a lot of us are stuck using the cheap, earbud kind—often the ones that come with your device? And, as with most things, you get what you pay for. Maybe it’s time to spend some change, to make a change.

1. Be the ultimate fan…of your ears!

Let’s be real, you only get one pair of ears. So be kind to the natural conduits that sit on the sides of your face. After all, they let you listen to your friends drone on and on about their relationship issues; make sure you hear that key piece of info in a meeting that could be a breakthrough in your career; and enjoy hours of soulful jazz, deep-bass EDM, dance-down-the-street pop rock—whatever you’re into. Quality sound is important because it means you are more likely to listen at the appropriate volume. You get the powerful bass, the high electric guitar, the full range of your fave diva—with less chance of damaging your hearing (did you know one in five teens in the US have hearing loss?). You might even have that eureka moment when you realize how good music can really be.

2. Style never sleeps

Fashion is one of the clearest ways you can express yourself. And that doesn’t start below the neck. Marrying fashion with function when it comes to your headphones let’s you stand out from the sea of people wearing the standard white earbuds. Suddenly, you’re excited to slip those babies over your ears because you feel like they’re an extension of yourself. Your fashionista self. Sort of like, “Hello, world! You don’t know what I’m listening to, but I know you think I look uber-cool doing it.”

3. Comfort is key

Unless you are a speed-music-listener (like, speed reading?), then you’re wearing these bad boys for an extended period of time. Like, hours. And hours. Until the parental units physically yank them from your ears. Therefore, comfort is a no-compromise, take-no-prisoners kind of deal for you. That’s the beauty of traditional over-the-ear headphones. They’re like pillows for your head. Pillows that blast your favourite tunes, that is. Look for light headphones with soft, breathable pads on their ear cups. Also make sure they are fully adjustable, so you can shake it all about (and do the hokey-pokey, if you want). Rock-out capability is a must.

4. It’s all about control

How to get it. How to keep it. Control is king in our culture. The same goes for your devices. You want to be able to switch seamlessly between calls, music and back again. The right headphones will let you do just that, without fumbling around to search for the skip button, adjust the volume or resume your break-up-music-cry-fest once that important phone sesh is over.

5. Work hard, play hard

Life can be rough. So can you. There’s nothing worse than spending money on accessories that don’t last (all right, so there are worse things, but humour me, okay?). Because you have a ton of things on the go at any given moment, you need headphones that aren’t going to break the minute they get shuffled around in your bottomless purse. Sound, fashion, comfort, control—they all mean nothing if they won’t last the week in your world. Durability, my friend. Put it on your list.

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For the record (and we aren’t being paid to say it) we’re big fans and owners of Sennheiser headphones (and mics). And our team includes professional musicians, videographers, music industry folks. For now, these are our everyday headphones of choice.

MOMENTUM On-Ear Headphones

  • unparalleled sound quality (a closed supraaural design with high performance Sennheiser SYS32 (18Ω) transducer—to get technical)
  • available in seven colours (blue, green, ivory, red, black, brown and pink)
  • adjustable headband
  • super-soft and durable ear pads
  • iRemote control unit and mic for iPod, iPad and iPhone

Check out at Sennheiser