How to Choose a Better Ear Phone
here are several types of this little sound sources, and this is the first thing you should do after buying a PMP, mp3 Player or any Mobile device that has an earphone jack.
Lets get the basics sorted
Where to Start
There are actually two main types, In-ear and On-ear (or over-ear). Some even classify them either as Earphone or Headphone, the latter being held to your head. There are varying comfort factors in every type, but the points would be that In-ear buds are more discreet and portable while Over-ear “Headphones” are larger and costs more. Although some in-ear definitely costs an arm-and-a-leg, Studio-Quality Headphones are more expensive still. Headphones usually sound better too. Although the in-ear types allow less ambient sound to pass through since it’s plugged to your ears.
I don’t want wires
If you’re an audiophile, nothing really sounds better than the sound current traveling through a wire. Let’s hope they do invent a wired can with fiber optic cables…
Why then so many wireless models
Remember the mobile phone? It’s better to talk hands-free right? However, they are designed more for speech purposes than for audio-listening. If you want “Cool” than functional for listening to audio music then go for it.
Noise Isolating vs. Noise canceling, whats the deal?
When the earphone is plugged inside your ear canal, it eliminates all the external sounds from your ear, it is therefore imperative that they fit tightly. These are Noise-isolating earphones, that’s why the higher end models supply a custom wax model for your ear so it can fit really well in your ear.
Noise-Canceling Cans require a bit of magic (electronics really…), they have several patented anti-noise systems for every make or model for different brands. Usually though, most of them has a tiny microphone on the circuit that captures all sound, the system filters out this sound through their own “technology”, some even claim intelligence since they can decide which is noise and which is voice for auto-leveling ones where the volume automatically adjusts down when someone is talking to you.
Can they actually hurt my ears?
Buy cheap ones and knock-offs, they can get your ears hurt pretty badly simply by looking bad, seriously though prolonged periods of high-volume listening can hurt your ears as well. Professionals suggest to limit your listening to one hour a day at 60% of the maximum volume. If your figuring out how to do this with your car audio, you’re reading the wrong topic.
