Let's pick a fight with those fundamentalist musical purists who place sound quality ahead of aesthetics, convenience, price and, well, everything. Sound quality shouldn't be your prime consideration when choosing headphones.

The big one is comfort. Whether you're buying headphones for detailed listening at home, for the train trip to work or for a flight to Europe, they'll be useless if you can't forget you're wearing them. If your ears begin to feel tired and achy, your scalp sweats under the headband and the cord starts annoying you, you've bought the wrong ones.

Headphones should feel light and airy, and impose no undue pressure on or in your ears. Your movement should remain unrestricted. Get these things right and then start listening for the kind of sound you like.

Full-sized headphones come in two types: those that sit directly on your ears and those that entirely surround the ears. On-ear headphones are more compact, a handy point for travellers, but many find that after an hour or two the pressure on the ears is annoying, even painful. The tightness of the headband is the critical factor here.

Larger enclosed headphones impose no load on the ear itself, pressure being distributed evenly around the pads that surround each ear. They're a much better comfort prospect, although after several hours the lack of ventilation can become an issue.