Best Earphones
Whether you’re looking for replacement earphones for your iPhone or Ipod, wireless phones for running or exercise, or noise cancelling earbuds for those long trips in a plane, you have many choices. In fact the shear number of products available makes narrowing down your choice difficult. Listed below is a summary of the various types of earbuds and earphones.
There are actually several styles of headphones/earphones and there can be confusion about the nomenclature because different terms have different meanings, depending on the individual. Listed below is a summary of the various classes of earphones.
Earbuds
Earbuds generally refer to the small cushiony tipped devices that either fit at the opening of the ear canal, or in some cases inside the ear canal.
Earbud Headphones
Just another name for earbuds
Headphones
Generally refers to the style of headphones where the two speakers are attached to a common strap that fit over the head when worn. The speakers themselves fit entirely over the ear in the traditional DJ headphone style configuration.
Earphones
I have found that this term is tossed around rather loosely and can either refer to earbuds or headphones.
Types of Earbuds/Headphones
Noise cancelling is a specific technology where external noise is sensed and then an opposite signal is generated, thus cancelling the noise. This feature obviously involves more circuitry than the standard headphones; a power supply is needed for the active circuitry, a sensor to puck up the noise and a signal generator to make the ‘opposite” sound. In reality this technology works well if the noise is somewhat constant like the hum of a plane cabin, and is less effective when the external sound is dynamic in nature. Obviously, in order to implement this technology well, there is significant cost involved. This is why we always recommend the passive option of the noise isolating type earbuds described below first.
The idea behind noise isolating earbuds and earphones is to simply block the ambient noise from entering the ear canal. This is achieved by creating an acoustically tight seal between the listening device and the ear canal in the case of earbuds, and the between the speaker and the ear in the case of earphones. Some have difficulty with the sensation of pressure that these tight fitting design rely on to work properly.
Wireless earbuds or sometimes called Bluetooth earbuds are just as they sound-wireless. These are often preferred by listeners that are physically active such as in a gym environment are jogging. Success with these units is mixed, depending on the product and the intended use. If you are interested in this type of earbuds, it pays to thoroughly read reviews of buyers and benefit from their experience.
Many owners of iPods and mp3 players are very pleased with the quality of their players, but feel the default phones fall short of the mark. For as little as $20, it is possible to find a number of headphone sets that will greatly enhance both the listening experience and comfort. In fact there are number of cheap earphones in the marketplace that deliver excellent sound quality.