What Headphones Should I Buy In Kenya?
What headphones should I buy in Kenya?
This is a question everyone struggles with once or twice in their lives.
See, music ni sabuni ya roho (loosely translates, music is the soap of the soul).
Which is true actually.
At some point, you will need earphones to help get the lyrics closer to your soul.
In today’s article, you will learn everything you need to know about headphones in Kenya.
Types of headphones in Kenya
- On-ear headphones
- Over-ear headphones
- Closed-back headphones
- Open-back headphones
- In-ear headphones
- Wireless headphones
So when it comes to headphones, there are three main form factors you have.
On-ear and over-ear headphones in Kenya
Over-ear is the bulkiest best sounding of the three.
Check these ones out on Jumia;
- B39 Foldable Wireless Headphones – KES 1800
- Bluetooth Headphones Over Ear With Deep Bass – KES 1800
You have on-ear headphones.
This type of headphones in Kenya is slightly less comfortable than over-ear.
Its saving grace is the way they push against your ears.
For example;
- Weile Headphones in Kenya
Going for KSh 740 – KSh 999 on Jumia.
- P47 Wireless Headphones
Going for KSh 863 on Jumia.
And then we have in-ear.
It is the most portable but a lot of people feel like they are the worst sounding out of the three.
Examples;
#1 – Jellico Super Bass Wired Headphones
You can find them for KSh 259 on Jumia Kenya.
#2 – Oppo In-EAR Earphone For A3s F7 F5 A37 F9 A7 R11 R15 F3 phones
You can get them from anything from KES 600 on Jumia.
Here is an article showing the prices of Bluetooth earphones in Kenya.
Closed-back and open-back headphones in Kenya
Now, the next two different groups of headphones in Kenya are closed-back and open-back headphones.
Here is an example of open-back headphones, the audio quest Nighthawk headphones
On the other hand, an example of closed-back headphones is the recently released AKG k92 closed-back headphones in Kenya.
They tend to keep sound isolated around your ears.
And don’t let the sound leak out to annoy anyone around you.
At the same time, sound has a harder time leaking in.
As much as that is a blessing, it has a second face.
Since nothing can come in or go out, the sound tends to reverberate.
It doesn’t sound quite as open and as expansive.
You can’t experience that problem when using open-back headphones.
But they have the disadvantage of sound leaking out, which means other people can hear it and you can hear a lot more of what is going on around you.
For this reason, people tend to be like, ‘Use open-back headphones at home in a quieter environment and stick to closed-back headphones in a noisy office, where you don’t want to disturb people around you.’
But if you really want to cut out the noise in the world around you, make sure you go for a pair of noise canceling headphones in Kenya.
Wired headphones and Bluetooth headphones in Kenya
Actually, it used to be the case that all headphones were wired.
Wired headphones offer much better sound quality than the fairly compressed Bluetooth equivalent.
Like these ones on Jumia;
- Microkingdom Wired Extra Bass Headphones
With KES 600, you can have it.
Another one here;
Wired Headphone With Mic;
I checked on Jumia, it is currently going for KES 950.
Looks like the Weile headphones.
Nowadays, Bluetooth standards have improved.
Check these ones;
- Celebrat A18 Wireless Bluetooth Headphones With Extra Bass (at least 2500 on Jumia)
- Pace Live II Bluetooth Headphones – KES 3080
We have seen the launch of Bluetooth aptX, new technology.
This has improved wireless sound quality a great deal.
What is also nice is that nowadays, wireless headphones in Kenya tend to include a detachable cable.
This means you can use them as a wired pair.
And the when they’ve run out of battery, you plug in the cable.
But here is something.
Even if a pair of headphones aren’t specifically wireless, they ofteninclude a detachable cable.
This is really nice if you intend to use your headphones in Kenya for a good amount of years since the cable is the part of them that is most likely to break.
If they do break, then having detachable cable is very handy.
All you have to do is simply replace rather than having to get cable repaired, which can be quite expensive.
Now, most of these headphones come with a very standard 3.5 millimeter jack.
But increasingly, some headphones in Kenya are coming with lightning connectors.
This allows you to plug directly into the Lightning port of your iPhone in Kenya (if you own one).
So, these lightning adapter headphones might prove to be a good way of getting around.
But I should say that if you see a pair of headphones that you like which use a standard 3.5 mill then there are adapters available, go for it.
High resolution audio headphones in Kenya
Most headphones in Kenya have a frequency response of between 20 Hertz and 20 kilohertz.
This is generally thought of as being the limits of human hearing.
Nowadays though, we are getting what are called high-resolution audio headphones.
For example;
Sony MDR1AM2 Wired High Resolution Audio Overhead headphones.
It can go up to as much as 50 kilohertz or even higher.
The benefits of this probably depend on how sensitive you are to high-resolution audio.
But having this extra headroom can be incredibly helpful if your music is of a high enough quality.
High impedance headphones in Kenya
The final thing I want to talk about is high impedance headphones.
These are headphones that offer an improved level of detail as you are listening to music.
But there is one problem with that;
They are a lot more sensitive and they need a stronger signal to be powered which often can’t be provided by just the audio jack of your mobile phone or computer.
An example of such headphones is Beyerdynamic DT 880 Pro.
If you opt to buy a high impedance pair, then you will need to purchase a headphone amp.
It help boosts the signal and really allows your high impedance headphones in Kenya to sing.
One more thing;
When you decide to for a pair of high impedance headphones, then look for headphones that have an impedance rating of about 25 ohms or above.
And if you are looking for a compatible head for an amplifier, then I could recommend the audioquest dragonfly red.
Actually, it is a hybrid of USB DAC and headphone amplifier that you can use with either your laptop or your phone with a lightning adapter.
Final thoughts on the best headphones to buy in Kenya
All of these can sound quite confusing.
But get this;
To answer the What Headphones Should I Buy In Kenya question well, the most important thing to realize is that, when shopping for something like this, it is important to find something that works best for you and the way you like to listen to music.
Personally, I like to listen to music while in office, writing, or just seated.
As such, I have a pair of nice wireless over-ear headphones.
I must admit, I love the sound quality.
Keeps me focused and in my own world, like now when I am writing this headphones reviews in Kenya.
If you like to listen to music while out and about, you can get nice small compact portable on-ear headphones in Kenya.
For example;
The bear dynamics headphones.
Comes with an inline remote that works seamlessly with your mobile phone.
And they offer a really great level of sound quality without being too bulky and difficult to carry around.
If you are in an office environment, you might want to go for close back headphones in Kenya.
But still keep it over ear because it is nice and comfortable.
Ultimately though, find a pair of headphones that are comfortable to wear and the sound is good.
At the same time, if you are going to use them whilst out and about, they should offer a good amount of passive noise isolation.
This way, you are not hearing too much of what’s going on around you.
I hope I have helped shade light on what headphones to buy in Kenya.