How To Differentiate Between Real & Fake Headphones [5 Models Compared]
You might have heard that the modern headphone market is flooded with counterfeit stereos, but what about headphones? You may be asking yourself: where are the excellent stereo headphones?
Nobody wants to spend a ton of money on something they’ll only use on occasion, so how do you know what’s worth the price and what isn’t? The way to separate good from bad is by reading reviews. Almost everyone overlooks this step because it can be difficult for someone unfamiliar with the industry (and vice versa).
It’s like going to a restaurant you’ve never been to before. If you don’t read the reviews first, chances are pretty high that you won’t like your food. You may even get sick. Likewise, if you don’t do a little research before buying headphones, you’re opening yourself up to wasting money on something that doesn’t suit your needs or tastes.
A recent study conducted by Headphone Reviews revealed that of the 1,250 respondents, 74.6% noticed a difference in sound quality based on which brand they were using. Furthermore, 59% noted they could hear a difference between 1,000 and 2,000 headphones, which indicates that headphones are not all created equal.
In this post, I will compare five models of headphones to help readers better differentiate between real and fake brands.
The models of headphones I will compare are:
1. BoAt
2. Sony
3. Philips
4. Beats
5. JBL
Design
1. BoAt Headphones
The BoAt headphones are made up of plastic and metal. They are pretty lightweight but not too fragile. The padding is soft and comfortable. The headband is adjustable, and the ear cups swivel 90 degrees.
The sound quality is excellent because they have a 40mm driver unit in each ear cup and an 80mm driver unit in the ear cups, which form a sealed acoustic chamber. The sound quality is rich, crisp, clear, and accurate.
2. Sony
Sony uses a combination of plastic, metal, rubber, and mesh to create their headphones, which makes them quite robust with a lightweight design that’s comfortable to wear for long periods of time (up to 20 hours).
Their headband can be adjusted by sliding it up or down the length of the band, so it can fit any head size comfortably (headband length: 19 cm).
Their earcups swivel 90 degrees, which allows you to adjust them to your preferred angle for an optimal sound-quality listening experience.
3. Philips
Philips’ headphones are incredibly sturdy, with a heavy-duty design that’s durable enough for daily use (they’re resistant to drops from 3 feet or 1 meter).
The padding on their cushions is soft yet firm enough to provide reasonable support without being too hard on your ears after prolonged listening sessions (the cushions can be removed if needed).
The headband has a nice amount of cushioning but isn’t overly soft nor too stiff to provide a good fit for any head size. The ear cups swivel 90 degrees, allowing you to adjust them to your preferred angle for an optimal sound-quality listening experience.
4. Beats headphones
They are super comfortable and lightweight while still providing a great fit (they’re resistant to drops from 3 feet, or 1 meter). They also offer a good amount of cushioning on their cushions, which minimizes the pressure on your ears after extended listening periods.
The headband is nice and padded with enough cushioning to provide a good fit for any head size. The ear cups swivel 90 degrees, allowing you to adjust them to your preferred angle for an optimal sound-quality listening experience.
5. JBL headphones
JBL headphones are an excellent choice for anyone looking for a quality pair of comfortable headphones while still providing good sound quality.
The cushions on the ear cups are soft yet firm enough to provide reasonable support without being too hard on your ears after prolonged listening sessions (the cushions can be removed if needed).
The headband has a nice amount of cushioning but isn’t overly soft nor too stiff to provide a good fit for any head size. The ear cups swivel 90 degrees, allowing you to adjust them to your preferred angle for an optimal sound-quality listening experience.
Sound Quality
1. Sony
Sony’s MDR-V6 headphones are an excellent choice for anyone looking for a quality pair of comfortable headphones while still providing a good amount of sound quality.
The cushions on the ear cups are soft yet firm enough to provide reasonable support without being too hard on your ears after prolonged listening sessions (the cushions can be removed if needed).
The headband has a nice amount of cushioning but isn’t overly soft nor too stiff to provide a good fit for any head size. The ear cups swivel 90 degrees, allowing you to adjust them to your preferred angle for an optimal sound-quality listening experience.
Also Read: Sony WH-1000XM4 review: THE BEST NOISE-CANCELING HEADPHONES
2. Beats
Beats By Dre’s Beats Studio headphones are an excellent choice for anyone looking for a quality pair of comfortable headphones while still providing a good amount of sound quality.
The cushions on the ear cups are soft yet firm enough to provide reasonable support without being too hard on your ears after prolonged listening sessions (the cushions can be removed if needed).
The headband has a nice amount of cushioning but isn’t overly soft nor too stiff to provide a good fit for any head size. The ear cups swivel 90 degrees, allowing you to adjust them to your preferred angle for an optimal sound-quality listening experience.
3. BoAt
BoAt’s headphones are an excellent choice for anyone looking for a quality pair of comfortable headphones while still providing a good amount of sound quality.
The cushions on the ear cups are soft yet firm enough to provide reasonable support without being too hard on your ears after prolonged listening sessions (the cushions can be removed if needed).
The headband has a nice amount of cushioning but isn’t overly soft nor too stiff to provide a good fit for any head size. The ear cups swivel 90 degrees, allowing you to adjust them to your preferred angle for an optimal sound-quality listening experience.
4. Philips
Philips’ SHP9500NC is an excellent choice for anyone looking for a quality pair of headphones with excellent sound quality. The cushions on the ear cups are soft yet firm enough to provide reasonable support without being too hard on your ears after prolonged listening sessions (the cushions can be removed if needed).
The headband has a nice amount of cushioning but isn’t overly soft nor too stiff to provide a good fit for any head size. The ear cups swivel 90 degrees, allowing you to adjust them to your preferred angle for an optimal sound-quality listening experience.
5. JBL
JBL’s Pulse Wireless is an excellent choice for anyone looking for a quality pair of headphones with excellent sound quality.
The cushions on the ear cups are soft yet firm enough to provide reasonable support without being too hard on your ears after prolonged listening sessions (the cushions can be removed if needed).
The headband has a nice amount of cushioning but isn’t overly soft nor too stiff to provide a good fit for any head size. The ear cups swivel 90 degrees, allowing you to adjust them to your preferred angle for an optimal sound-quality listening experience.
Comfort
1. BoAt
BoAt headphones are an excellent choice for anyone looking for a pair of incredibly comfortable headphones with fantastic sound quality. The ear cups have enough padding to provide an excellent fit for any head size.
The headband is padded with enough cushioning to give a good fit for any head size without being overly soft or too hard. The ear cups swivel 90 degrees, allowing you to adjust them to your preferred angle for an optimal sound-quality listening experience.
2. Sony
Sony has been making quality headphones for a while now, and they continue to make great products. The MDR-XB550AP is an excellent example of that and you can be able to determine sony headphones original vs fake. The headband is padded with enough cushioning to fit any head size well without being overly soft or too hard.
The ear cups swivel 90 degrees, allowing you to adjust them to your preferred angle for an optimal sound-quality listening experience.
3. Beats
Beats by Dre is one of the best-selling brands of headphones, and their Beats Studio is no exception. Suppose you’re looking for something that will work well with your smartphone. These headphones are for you.
They have an excellent, sleek design, a comfortable and flexible headband, and earpads. These are worth checking out if you’re looking for some affordable, high-quality headphones!
4. Philips
Philips has been making quality, affordable headphones for a while now, and their new ANC technology is excellent for the environment and your ears.
These headphones are very comfortable and have excellent soft cushioning. The earpads are made of memory foam, making them very soft and comfortable to wear.
The headband is padded with enough cushioning to fit any head size well without being overly soft or too hard. The ear cups swivel 90 degrees, allowing you to adjust them to your preferred angle for an optimal sound-quality listening experience.
5. JBL
JBL is a well-established brand in the audio industry, and their new JBL Reflect Aware 2.0 headphones are worth looking at.
The JBL Reflect Aware 2.0 headphones are lightweight, comfortable, and sturdy. They have excellent soft cushioning on the earpads and the headband, which makes them very comfortable to wear, and they fold up nicely for easy storage.
The earpads swivel 90 degrees, allowing you to adjust them to your preferred angle for an optimal sound-quality listening experience.
Tips To Differentiate Between The Original Headphones And The Fake
1. Lack Of Barcode Or Fake Barcode On The Packaging
Check for any barcodes on the packaging. Sony fake headphones will never have this. These products should always come with a barcode on their packaging, so if you see one that doesn’t, there’s something suspicious.
The barcode is a unique identification code that can be used to verify the product’s authenticity easily. If you’re buying headphones online, you must check whether the packaging has a barcode or not since sony fake headphones will often lack this essential feature.
2. Different Colors And Packaging
Because most fake bluetooth headphones are manufactured in China, they are pretty well-known for replicating popular brands and products. Brands such as JBL, Beats by Dr. Dre, and sony headphones original vs fake have been replicated by these manufacturers so closely that it is hard to tell the difference from real ones.
You can also tell the difference between fake and real headphones by checking the packaging or even looking at the color of the headphone. Real headphone product packaging will have a barcode on it, and some companies also use “real” color for their wholesale packaging.
3. Scent
You can tell if the headphone you are buying is real by smelling them. The original headphones from famous brands will have a new and original plastic or vinyl smell when you take them out of the box; on the other hand, fake headphones usually don’t have such a smell (except for some low-quality plastic material).
4. Check For The Product Serial Number
The best way to tell a fake from real headphones is by checking for the product serial number. This can be found on the side of the original packaging if you have real headphones and want to check if they are authentic.
Real beats headphones will have a serial number below it all the all numbers available on the internet. However, if you have fake bluetooth headphones, there is no serial number, or part of it is wrong, like when some numbers are missing or different.
Also Read: Our Favorite Wireless Headphones Are available reasonable price
5. Suspiciously Low Price
Another way to tell if a JBL headphones original vs fake is that the price of an original headphone is always quite high, even though there are many similar fake headphones. This is because the real beats headphones are made with a lot of effort and are sold at high prices.
If you see suspiciously low-priced headphones, then be sure that it’s not real because there are only a few cases in which the retail price will be the same as the wholesale price.
However, these products can’t be recognized by just looking at them; for example, you can easily differentiate between authentic Beats Solo HD and fake Beats Solo HD simply by checking their prices.
6. High Quality Of The Sound
You can tell if a headphone is real or fake by checking the sound quality. First of all, fake headphones will not sound as good as a real one because the original ones use high-quality materials for their manufacturing.
Also, the fake ones will have low bass and low frequencies, which are very noticeable when you compare them to authentic headphones.
Check for any subtle difference in volume level between authentic and fake headphones.
7. Overall Quality
If you have been searching for original headphones from well-known brands like Bose or Beats by Dr. Dre, but you can’t find them without paying a high price, you should know that you are buying a fake headphone.
The best way to tell if the headphones you are purchasing are authentic is simply by checking their packaging and condition while they are being shown to you.
Fake headphones tend to look worn out when they are still new; they will also have a few parts are broken or some material missing. If your headphones don’t look like the real ones, be sure that what you got is fake.
Also Read: The Best Headphones for Sensitive Ears (Reviewed & Tested)
8. Design
You can tell if the headphone you are buying is real bluetooth headphones or fake by looking at their design. Original from well-known brands have their original logo and design on them, and when you compare them with a fake, you will see quite a difference between the two.
Fake headphones usually have the same design with a few changes on them to look like the original ones. So, be careful when you make the comparison.
9. Intentional Mistakes In The Title
You will be able to tell if you are buying fake headphones or not because when you purchase them, you can see some mistakes or errors in the product’s title, such as: “Powerful bass,” “wave design,” and so on.
However, you cannot check the parts written in the description. This doesn’t mean that the headphone is real.
You should also be careful when you see the model of the product or manufacturer title other than the one in the title because you may be getting a fake headphone.
Whenever you buy a headphone, be sure to check if the product has any of these mistakes: “cheap,” “made by sony,” “import product,” and so on. If it doesn’t, then it is probably fake.
Also Read: Best Gaming Headphones For Every Budget 2022
10. Oversupply of advertising information on packaging
You can also tell if you are buying fake headphones by checking the amount of information or writing on the packaging.
It is evident that most of the original products from famous brands like Bose, Beats by Dr. Dre, Skullcandy, and so on will have much more information about them in their packaging than a fake headphone because usually there is a lot of information about it on the official website or in other material for the product.
In contrast, a fake one usually has less information than an authentic one. For example, real bluetooth headphones will have more details and contain much more detailed pictures. Compared to fake headphones, real ones will be much easier to spot.
If you see products written in the title with misspelled words, it is more likely that they will be fakes because the original ones will have their design very detailed in all their products and won’t have any mistakes or errors.
How To Distinguish Fake From The Original BoAt Headphones?
- Genuine BoAt headphones are made from plastic, with a chrome frame and white, red, gray, or black plastic earpads. The fake boat headphones have a chrome frame but are made of cheap-looking plastic and do not come with earpads.
- Genuine BoAT headphones have a 1/4″ (6.3mm) stereo jack and are black. The fake boat headphones have a 1/8″ (3.5mm) stereo jack and are silver in color.
- Genuine BoAT headphones have the warranty card attached to the packaging box, while the fake ones do not.
Also Read: Best eco-friendly headphones In India {Tested & Reviews)
How Do You Distinguish Fake Sony MDR-NC750DJX Headphones From The Original Sony MDR-NC750DJX Headphones?
- Genuine Sony MDR-NC750DJX headphones have silver-colored earpads and “Sony” written on their headband in silver lettering for English and Chinese languages, respectively. The fake ones do not have this lettering because the fake ones were imported from China without proper authorization by Sony Japan. Also, if you hold the genuine one up against your ear or, better yet, put it on your head, you will see that there is no gap between your head and the headphone as there is on its counterparts (the fake ones). However, when you flip it over, you will see no rubberized cushion around the earcup area like its counterparts.
- The Genuine Sony MDR-NC750DJX headphone has a 1/4″ (6.3mm) stereo jack and is black. Fake BoAt headphones have a 1/8″ (3.5mm) stereo jack and are silver in color.
- The genuine Sony MDR-NC750DJX headphones come with the warranty card attached to the packaging box, while the fake ones do not.
How Do You Distinguish Fake From The Original Philips Headphones?
- The original Philips headphones are manufactured in the Netherlands. The fake ones are made in China and Taiwan.
- Original Philips headphones have a sticker on their box that says “Made in the Netherlands.” Fake ones do not have this sticker, but they usually say “Made in Taiwan” or “Made in China.”
How Do You Distinguish Fake From The Original Beats Headphones?
The first step in determining if you’re getting a real pair of Beats headphones or fake beats headphones india is to look at the packaging.
If someone is selling you counterfeit or fake Beats, they will most likely be using a fake box that looks identical to the original box. Be sure to check the box for any markings or stickers that would indicate it’s not authentic.
What’s on the outside of the box can also help you determine if you’re getting an authentic pair of Beats by Dre headphones.
For example, if someone is selling counterfeit or fake Beats, there’s a perfect chance they will not use “Beats By Dr. Dre” on their packaging. Instead, they may use something like “Beats By Dr. DRE.”
You might also notice that there is no mention of “Music by Dr. Dre” anywhere on their packaging.
An authentic pair of Beats headphones will have both words mentioned at least once, and most likely several times throughout their product listing and their sales page (like this one).
Fake beats headphones india won’t have these words anywhere on their website and/or product listing.
Also Read: Top 8 Best headphones on Amazon India 2022
How To Distinguish Fake From The Original JBL Headphones?
It can be difficult to spot a fake pair of JBL headphones, but there are some things you can look for to make sure you’re getting the real deal.
For JBL headphones original vs fake, first of all, JBL’s original headphones come in a plastic bag with the model and serial number. The fake ones will not have this information. If this is not present, the headphones are likely fake.
FAQs
Q: Is headphones burn in real?
A: Yes. Some people are born with sensitive ears, but their hearing can still be damaged from prolonged exposure to a specific frequency, regardless of the type of headphones they’re using. If you wear headphones for long periods, especially at a high volume, your ears will likely become conditioned to the sound after a few weeks or months.
Q: How to add rendered headphones in real photos?
A: First, you need to take a photo with good equipment. Second, you need to take a photo properly. Third, you need to choose software that has the function of adding rendered headphones to a real photo.
Q: How to identify my sony headphones is real?
A: When you buy a pair of headphones, it is always better to shop for something made by the same brand. This is because most headphone brands have a few models, and from those, only one or two models are made per year.
Q: How to identify fake JBL headphones?
A: JBL has very strict rules for fake products, so if you buy a pair of fake headphones from Amazon or eBay, consider yourself lucky if the only problem is the sound quality. There’s a high probability that the company will be able to take action against you for purchasing fake items.
Conclusion
The best way to find the perfect headphones is to read reviews from people who have used them. The most important thing is that you buy something that meets your needs, and there’s no need to spend a ton of money on something you’ll only use once in a while.
If you’re not satisfied with your purchase, return it for a full refund.
