The headphone industry grew an entire 32 percent in 2012, and has been rising ever since. That’s because smartphones are becoming more and more prominent in our lives. We carry the means to listen to music, audiobooks, and videos with us wherever we go.
More than half of millennials have three or more pairs of headphones, and almost three-quarters of them admitted to having worn headphones to avoid certain social interactions.
So headphones are doubtlessly prominent in our lives. Find out what types of headphones you should be wearing for every type of situation.
What Types of Headphones You Need and When
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What do you think of when you think of headphones? Small earbuds? Headphone technology has come a long way since then and has a lot more option available for you.
Knowing the types of headphones you should be looking at for every occasion can be confusing. Know all the categories available before you make your choice.
In-Ear
In-ear headphones might be the ones you most commonly see for sale in regular department stores.
They’re small, lightweight, and can offer a surprisingly clear quality of sound for the size. These are the headphones you’re going to want to take with you while you’re exercising or traveling. They help block out ambient noise by fitting directly into your ear.
Some people, however, have a hard time fitting these headphones in your ears. They have options for a better fit with small earbuds, large earbuds, and customizable shapes if you’re experiencing this difficulty. Still, these aren’t always a comfortable choice for people who have trouble keeping them in their ears.
Earphone
Earphones are the classic option for listening to sound on your devices. These do not block out ambient noise as well as other options like in-ear or over-ear headphones, but they usually come at a cheaper price point.
What’s more is that earphones are known for their comfortable feel. If you have trouble finding headphones that fit well, earphones are the choice for you. They don’t feed directly into your ear canal, so they aren’t as intrusive as in-ear phones.
You can use them in essentially every situation. They’re great for exercising and travel. For studying, make sure that they don’t leak the noise of your music across whichever quiet area you’ve chosen to use them in.
On-Ear
On-ear headphones are also a comfortable choice for travel. Because they tend to be more heavy, though, they’re not as well suited for exercise as other options you might be able to choose from.
These headphones allow you to still hear ambient noise, so you won’t be completely blocked out from the world around you. This could be convenient for working in an office where you might need to hear something that someone says to you, even though you’re still concentrating on what you’re listening to.
Over-Ear
Over-ear and on-ear headphones are obviously fairly similar, but over-ear are even better for situations with lots of sounds that you want to block out.
They’re also great for situations in which you’re going to be using them for an extended amount of time, because the over-ear part of the headphone often has cushioning that’s been designed for maximum comfort.
Check out these over-ear headphones for a comprehensive review of a potential buying option for you.
Clip-On
These headphones are the ultimate choice for someone who does a lot of movement. They have an ear band that’s flexible, which helps them fit most anyone’s ear.
If you’re a runner or using your headphones for some kind of sport, clip-on is the way to go. You won’t ever have to worry about your headphones falling out because they’re clipped on and secure.
Clip-on headphones have a headphone head that are usually small and designed like a classic earphone or in-ear headphone. However, you can get clip-on headphones in many styles. Over-ear clip-on headphones are available for someone who might want to travel, have their headphones stay secure, and still have great sound.
Behind Neck
Behind-neck headphones offer the ability for increased sound quality while still allowing you to move comfortably and freely. Because of this, they’re perfect for someone who doesn’t want to sacrifice sound quality but still wants to stay on the move without feeling like their headphones are going to fall off.
These headphones are most likely going to be wireless. If you’re using behind neck headphones and you had to deal with a wire, it almost defeats the purpose of this highly functional type of headphone.
Bluetooth
Bluetooth headphones allow you to listen to your music as conveniently as possible. Why are they so convenient? Because they’re hands-free.
You can get Bluetooth headphones in any of the styles that are listed above. Choose your favorite, and get ready to use them without a cord.
When you hear Bluetooth, though, you might think that you’re looking at something very expensive. That doesn’t always have to be the case.
Headphonesaddict has compiled all the best Bluetooth earbuds under $50 for you to choose from, so you don’t have to do an endless amount of Googling to make your choice. All the options are right there for you to select from.
Keep Your Ears to the Ground
So you’ve listened up to what types of headphones you should be earing. Hopefully, you’ve made your choice by now. But now that you’ve worked on your headphone decision, there are all kinds of other decisions out there for you to make regarding technology.
Doing your research takes time. And we get it. You don’t have a lot of time.
Have all your research done for you in one place at Tech Favicon. We bring the most pressing technology news right to you, so you don’t have to go searching for it. And when you need to know which choice to make, we’ve got all the information on that, too.
Don’t go around being an uninformed consumer. Stay on top of the research, so you can always make an informed decision.