For a long time, earbuds were the most popular headphones in the world. The reason is quite banal - they came bundled with cassette and CD players. Here it is worth delving a little deeper into terminology, as earbuds are often confused with in-ear headphones, although in fact, they are fundamentally different things. The feature of earbuds is their compact and anatomical shape, and the earbud itself is fixed in the ear at the beginning of the ear canal. This is what differentiates them from in-ear models, which have a long sound tube that is inserted directly into the ear canal, closer to the eardrum. Some of the downsides of earbuds include poorer passive sound isolation and less emphasis on low frequencies. In contrast, they demonstrate a balanced and light sound, and put less strain on hearing. If you open the catalog of earbuds today: https://soundmag.ua/ru/catalog/headphones/?headp_tip_naushnikov=46, you can see dozens of models in a fairly wide price range. In this material, we will examine their key features and try to answer the question of who should choose earbuds and for whom in-ear or over-ear models would be the optimal choice.
Who Should Choose Earbuds
The renaissance of earbuds began with Apple and their first TWS headphones, AirPods. At that time, the world was captivated by the absence of cables, elegant design, and additional functionality, and somehow almost overlooked the fact that the headphones were presented in the earbud design. It is clear that where there is demand, there is supply, so in a few years, the market was flooded with analogues from various companies. This leads us to the first and main question that should be answered: what type of connection to choose. Classic wired earbuds can still offer their owners quality sound with notes of nostalgia, but if you plan to use them with a phone, then you should still look towards wireless models. They are equipped with several important features that can significantly enhance the user experience.
First, let’s note the controls on the headphones themselves. Usually, these are touch panels that recognize gestures, less frequently physical buttons. Agree, it is much easier to skip a track, change the volume, or answer a phone call with a simple touch on the earbud without pulling the phone out of your pocket. The active noise cancellation technology (ANC) is also useful, which can cut out some of the surrounding noise, thus significantly improving your acoustic comfort. But consider two points. Due to the physical phenomenon known as 'bone conduction of sound,' earbuds are unable to provide the same level of noise cancellation as over-ear or on-ear models. Additionally, activating ANC slightly reduces the battery life of the headphones. Usually, it lasts 5-7 hours on a single charge, plus the case can provide up to three full charges. After that, you will have to look for an outlet or a power bank.
If you plan to use the headphones for sports, running, or cycling, choose special sports models with special ear hooks and protection against dust and water. And most importantly, try to fit the headphones before buying. This is especially relevant for earbuds, which do not have replaceable ear pads, and adjusting their fit with external means is almost impossible. Go to the store, try on different models, listen to your favorite tracks, compare them with competitors, and only after that take out your wallet. Trust your ears.