First, you can choose your headphones by brand. Several of best brands on the market today include Shure, Sennheiser, Iawa, and Koss. Other names you might be familiar with include Maxell, Phillips, AKG, Logitech and Sony. When shopping around, be aware that price should not be the only indicator of quality (therefore, don't assume that the higher the price, the better the quality)...however, generally speaking, price is often a fairly good indicator of quality. With the above brands, we've highlighted some of the best names for you and you can probably expect to pay a little more for their headphones.

Another way to help you decide how to choose headphones is by the style. There are a few different styles and they can go by different names. Circumaural headphones have a padding that go all the way around your ears. Although not always the case, circumaural head phones are usually closed back headphones which means they are designed to suppress outside noise, giving you the very best audio sound. A combination of the padding and special circuitry and vibrations within the headphone casing keep noise out...and keep noise from getting out. Even circumaural head phones that aren't noise canceling are among the very best in sound quality. The only problem is that they can be fairly heavy and cumbersome...not something you want to take with you on the bus. As well, some of them are powerful enough to require their own amplifier! That means you won't be able to use them for portable purposes.

Supra-aural headphones are the kind that go over your ears with fairly flat padding that mashes over most or all of your ear. These may suppress some noise, but not all and they let some sound out. While good quality and durable, they are often one of the cheaper kinds of headphones. Some people find these good for traveling because they can slip on and off your ears when you need them to, and the over-the-head band allows you to put them around your neck when not in use. For many years, these were the type of head phones that you saw someone wearing. Today, many supra-aural headphones simply clip over the ears without having an over-the-head band.

Earbuds and canalphones. Earbuds are a type of headphone that fit into the ear while canalphones fit into your ear but are able to go in farther. In terms of expense, earbuds are closer in quality and price to supra-aural headphones. Canalphones are a little more expensive but also are a better quality and help to keep exterior noise out. Although earbuds appear to block exterior noise, they don't always while canalphones do a better job of deadening noise coming into the ear canal. One of the biggest complaints about earbuds and canalphones is their ability to get lost or to cause pain if there were suddenly ripped out of your ear in a mishap.