With mainstream Apple products such as iPhones and iPods requiring sound introducing their iconic white ear buds, students must choose the earphones to fit their own preferences. The choice between the small and conveniently portable ear buds and the quality sound headphones offer can be a tough choice. Each has its own strengths and weaknesses which listeners choose them for.
“[I have] Monoprice 8320s. Pretty cheap, around $8, but the sound quality is terrific for the price, closer to that of $20-30 headphones,” junior Hussain Jaffery said. “Only complaint is that they were pretty uncomfortable for the first few weeks, but I got used to it.”
Style also plays a part in selecting the right type of earphones.
“I have headphones as of now, but I hate them because they are not even the cool ones,” sophomore Lekha Chowdhuri said.
The main pro for ear buds is their convenient size for travel. Easily slip one in a bag or around the neck or stuff it in a pocket. Noise cancellation is not offered in ear buds which can be a con but can also be seen as a pro in allowing a user to be aware of their surroundings which is helpful in traffic and other situations. Ear buds are also cheaper and prices can range anywhere from just around ten dollars up to a hundred.
“I personally prefer larger headsets that cover the ears, just for the better quality and more immersive experience, but that’s not really an option when I’m on the go,” Jaffery said.
Ear buds are shown to cause hearing problems and negative health effects. As sound is directly sent to the ear canals, this is particularly damaging and may result in permanent hearing loss. Hearing loss begins at the sound level of 85 decibels which is the sound level of a noisy city or cafeteria and a rock concert sound level goes up to 110 decibels.
“I think I agree with what parents or health experts say about becoming deaf with headphones because I have my headphones on twenty four seven and I think I am going deaf,” Chowdhuri said.
Many users turn up their volume to compensate for surrounding noise, up into decibel levels above the recommended level for safety. Listening to these sound levels for extended periods of time is where the hearing loss comes in.
“Well I listen to music really loud, so muted hearing is a possibility, and prolonged usage of ear buds causes discomfort in the ear canals from my experience at least,” junior Vincent Lin said.
An in-between version of the ear bud and headphone is called IEMS or In-Ear Monitors which also offers noise cancellation as in headphones, but are shaped to the contours of the ear and the wire is hooked around the back of the ear rather than in front like ear buds. Like headphones, they also offer noise cancelling features. However, on average their cost is also closer to headphones, from a hundred dollars to nearly five hundred; yet some are also sold for around twenty dollars.
“I don’t think it’s worth it to pay for expensive earphones because these ones I have work well and they were like 5 bucks,” Lin said.
Another option to be considered is using sports ear buds. Designed specifically for allowing full range of movement, the key aspect to sports ear buds is the shape or material used for this purpose. A wide range of designs exist with many unique shapes to accommodate motion. A second quality to sports ear buds is water-proof or water-resistance features, preventing moisture or perspiration which may be particularly damaging to regular earphones. Lastly, sports ear buds are often more sturdy than usual ear phones and durable for an active lifestyle.
“The two things I hate about ear buds are tangled cables and their horrible lack of bass,” Jaffery said.
Headphones offer the best quality of sound as well as isolation from noise cancellation features. Though bulkier and less flexible, the shape allows more to wear it as many people have trouble wearing ear buds due to shape of ear. Headphones are also significantly more expensive with a wide price range in the fifties to the hundreds depending on the quality.
Depending on the individual, the assortment of variations for earphones, each has their pros and cons which allow for a variety of choices to accommodate each user. From price to style, earphones offer a wide range of choices in aesthetic design, sound quality, durability, and brand names.
