You’re looking for a new pair of headphones. Your last pair broke or you want to try something different. Here are some things you’ll want to look for.

The first thing you want to figure out is what you’ll be using your headphones for, because every pair is designed for different purposes.

For the sake of simplicity most musicians, producers and audio engineers out there are broken down into two main groups: bass and “true to sound.”

“True to sound” is a simplified term for headphones designed to let you perfectly hear the high, mid and low frequencies of sound the way you would in a studio.

Guitar based genres such as rock, folk or jazz person sound best with a more “true to sound” pair of monitors.

For those who are audio engineers, whether it be for music, film or any time you need to capture sound, without a doubt you will want a “true to sound” pair of headphones, especially with outside audio reduction.

People who enjoy all kinds of music will also want to go for the “true to sound” headphones because you will get the greatest range of sound for all of your musical choices.

If you are a person who is just looking for a good new pair of headphones or earphones then the majority of you will want to get a pair that is more bass oriented, because it is better for the newer types of popular music like EDM, hip-hop and rap where bass is key to the enjoyment.

The most common brand of bass-oriented headphones are Beats by Dre, while brands with a “true to sound” orientation are Audio-Techinca, Sennheiser and Bose.

Finding your use is the first step to good sound and music happiness.

After you’ve identified the type of headphones, the second most important stage of the buying process is price.

Price is an interesting category because you must be realistic.

Yes, there are some greats deals where you can find good headphones for as little as $130, but those are rare and only usually happen when a model goes on clearance.

A realistic range for headphones is from $250-$499.

Many brands like Audio-Technica, Bose, AKG and so on have a reliable and comparable model in this range.

You figured out whether you want “true to sound” or bass oriented cans. You know how much you are willing to pay for them. You’re ready to buy your next pair of headphones.