Any audiophile will tell you that you need to choose your headphones based on the genre(s) of music you plan to listen to with them. This is because different headphones are capable of different things and different genres of music require different features.
So if you are shopping around for the best rasta headphones, you need to be looking for headphones with a specific size, design, and sound frequency sensitivity. In this article, we’ll talk about the kinds of things you need to consider while shopping.
The Best Size For Rasta Headphones
Reggae packs a pretty powerful bass which will definitely determine the range of frequency sensitivity you’ll need but we’ll talk about that later because this also determines the size of headphones you need.
There are three basic sizes: full size, over the ear, and ear buds. For rasta headphones, you’re going to want either full size or over the ear. Ear buds are simply too small to provide the rich, powerful bass impact that you want to feel and hear when you’re enjoying your music.
Now, full size and over the ear each have their pros and cons as rasta headphones. Full size headphones are great for delivering on bass because their cupped shape really helps that bass resonate. However, that same shape also tends to pinch the edges of your ears and make them really hot.
At a certain point, that can become so uncomfortable, it’s hard to fully enjoy the music. Over the ear headphones are much more comfortable because they rest on top of your ears, allowing them to breathe and not pinching them.
Plus, you can find over the ear headphones with a nice shape that allows that bass to resonate well. High quality brands like Beats and Bose specialize in producing headphones for bass heavy genres like reggae, hip hop, rap, and electronic so they also work on developing the best cushion shape to deliver great bass.
Open Back vs Closed Back
Beyond size, headphones are generally defined as either open back or closed back. These terms refer to the back of the ear cups. Most headphones are closed back which means the back (the part that faces outward when you have them on your ears) is covered in a solid, hard enclosure.
By contrast, open back headphones leave the back open. So what do you want to see in rasta headphones? Well, there’s benefits to both designs and it really depends on the kind of experience you are looking for. So instead of telling you that you have to buy a certain kind, we’ll just talk about what each design offers.
There are two main purposes of a closed back design:
Block out outside noise and, as a result, increasing the level of sound isolation so that it’s just you and your music.
Stop your music from projecting outward so that all the sound is directed toward your ears rather than some of it escaping through the back.
At first, this sounds like it is, hands down, the best option. And yes, if you are looking for this high level of isolation, it’s what you want. However, this design can also make it feel like the music is all in your head. It’s not the same, full experience as when the music fills the whole room or area.
That’s where open back comes in. Open back headphones allow some of the sound to escape through the back. And this allows the sound to sort of surround you in a way, giving you an experience more similar to listening to a live a concert.
But at the same time, you do sacrifice sound isolation. So it’s ultimately going to be up to you to decide which kind of listening experience you are looking for.
What about that Bass
Reggae is all about deep, powerful rhythm. So you need headphones that can perform with very low frequencies and pump out that bass so that you can get the full impact of the music. But it’s not, as some might say, all about that bass.
The vocals are rarely hitting those same low frequencies. They tend to stick in the middle range of frequencies. So, in terms of sound performance, you want to look for headphones that are capable of producing great lows AND great mids.
This way, you’re getting the full impact of that rhythm and beat without sacrificing the crisp clarity of the vocals. We admit it can be pretty challenging to find a single pair of headphones that performs well at both frequencies.
And if you’re looking at the super cheap products, you are definitely not going to find anything because it’s hard enough to get a pair of headphones to perform well at one range of frequencies, let alone two.
When you start looking at the higher end headphone models like Beats and Bose, you’ll have better luck finding something to meet your needs. That doesn’t mean you have to buy the most expensive headphones out there. Both Beats and Bose offer some great options that are very reasonably priced for their quality.
We also recommend checking out those two brands because many of their headphones are definitely designed to deliver on bass so you would just need to shop around for a model that also delivers on mids as well.
Final Word
Basically, rasta lion headphones need to be powerful enough to handle some serious bass while still performing well on the mids so that those vocals still come through crisply and clearly. Beats and Bose are two great options for headphones rasta since both brands tend to prioritize bass performance in many of their headphone models.