Earphones Question for the hard-of-shopping

September 21, 2017 11:18 PM

There are SO many choices. I've tested big over-the-earphones and on-ear phones but you can't try the in-ear styles because, you know. I want them for some long (14+hours) flights coming up and also to be able to listen to podcasts and music in the house and outside walking the dog. Appreciate your advice and recommendations!

I'm overwhelmed with research (Consumer Reports, Lifehacker, blogs, blablabla) and am asking for your personal recommendations here. I think I'd like wireless ones. I'm 67, no audiophile, wear glasses and have very little earphone experience but am open to ideas. Don't particularly want to spend $300 but would like to get some good quality ones.

I've heard different things about noise-cancelling models. Some say they help with jet-lag and others say they're disorienting. You?

posted by lois1950 to Technology (16 answers total)

I'm overwhelmed with

everybody's ears are different.
what you want is a store that is invested in you finding what works for you.
I recently discovered this place* in Vancouver (Canada).
There must be something similar local to you.

* there were absurdly expensive options available, but also a bunch of genuinely good (ie: well filtered by the proprietor) cheap options
posted by philip-random at 11:51 PM on September 21, 2017 [1 favorite]

Best answer: You don't have to spend $300. Especially if you're just walking the dog and stuff. I'm very similar to you, wear glasses most of the time too (except I am an audiophile), but one thing I've realized over the years is that you need separate earphones for separate jobs. I don't wear expensive earphones to walk my dog because you need to be aware of your surroundings and noise-cancelling earphones prevent that. If something startles the dog and s/he yanks the leash, I don't want to have to worry about losing them. Same with airplanes and hotels. If I do take an expensive pair with me out of the house, I'm very methodical about putting them back in their case in a special pocket in my purse, every time, so I don't have to worry about where I left them.

If you're just listening to podcasts, the bitrate is usually not great anyway, so don't bother with your expensive earphones or earplugs unless it's more comfortable for you. For listening to vinyl, I prefer an excellent pair of the over the ear headphones because it's more immersive and you can hear all the nuanced details of the music that are sometimes drowned out by ambient noise. Everything else, I don't really care as long as they're comfortable. I have a mid-priced set of over the ear headphones on my desk, cheapish Sony earplugs for exercising, the gym, and traveling, and everything else I try to listen to with my bare ears. Both earplugs and headphones are not good for your hearing in the long term, so I try to use them as little as possible. This is one of the reasons I think that I can still hear those annoying Mosquito pitches that teenagers complain about even though I'm over 40. I'm also super diligent about using ear protection when going to concerts.

I also have ridiculously tiny ears and earholes, which makes most earphones and earplugs super uncomfortable after about an hour, so there's that. I recommend trying on several different brands and styles while you're out shopping and bring your flanges. I like these conical ones so you can get just the right fit. (Get assorted sizes, not necessarily the pair I linked to.) Apple earplugs are murder on my ears and I hate them with a passion. If you can't switch out the flanges when testing them, don't even bother. Your ears will thank you later. I'm sorry I can't offer specific makes and models; they change so frequently and mine are years old, but still work great.

Good luck in your search! Remember: comfort first, fidelity second, and style and price last! Because you shouldn't be wearing them for too long anyway.
posted by LuckySeven~ at 11:59 PM on September 21, 2017 [1 favorite]

I want them for some long (14+hours) flights coming up and also to be able to listen to podcasts and music in the house and outside walking the dog. Appreciate your advice and recommendations!


Setting aside noise-cancelling, I'd rather have over-ear for a long flight, to muffle it and make it quieter.

And then have something non-muffling while dog-walking so as to hear the car that's trying to kill you.

On review: better said above.
posted by sebastienbailard at 1:00 AM on September 22, 2017 [1 favorite]

everybody's ears are different.

This, quite literally. Not all ear buds fit all ears. I have very small ear canals and the smallest size of any standard round ear buds that are designed to sit inside the first bit of your ear canal barely fit into my ears and don't stay put. Ever.

The old style round iphone earbuds (which just sat in front of your ear canal) worked a bit better because they were designed to just sit there but they also fell out a fair bit when moving. The newer earpod shape fell out so much that they were useless.

So for the last 2-3 years now I've been using these Bose ones. These are wired because I've had them for a while. Key here is the combination of sitting nicely at the opening of the ear canal (but not inside) and the little 'wing' that stops them falling out even if I have the audacity to move. The wing is extremely soft and not at all irritating to wear.

For long flights I agree over ear noise cancellation is probably best.
posted by koahiatamadl at 1:22 AM on September 22, 2017 [2 favorites]

Airplane noise is the thing that noise-canceling headphones work best on - they will cut, I don't know, about 20dB from the ambient noise?
posted by thelonius at 2:02 AM on September 22, 2017

I like the Skullcandy Hesh 2 headphones I bought online - they are kind of like big faux leather earmuffs, have good sound quality, still work fine after nearly a year and I usually charge them just once a week. I use them mostly for podcasts and audiobooks. I bought them for $80 USD last Black Friday, but looks like they are only $70 now. I love wireless, so much less hassle than having a cord to snag on things or get yanked out.
posted by OrderOctopoda at 6:15 AM on September 22, 2017

Memory foam ear bud tips are wonderful things that changed my life. I have little bits of extra cartilage in my ears that eject normal ear buds, so no ear buds ever came close to working until someone here recommended them.
posted by Dashy at 6:21 AM on September 22, 2017

Best answer: asking for your personal recommendations here

OK, without a lot of preamble:

I have these inexpensive Anker bluetooth earbuds and have been very happy with them. They are the most comfortable I have owned (and I have owned lots!) even when I have them in all day at work. I'm a sort-of audiophile, and they sound great. They also fit snugly enough to muffle outside sound, but not so tightly as to feel isolated and unaware of your surroundings. (You might want to also buy a power bank to make sure you can re-charge them on your long flight. I have this one but there are smaller ones.)

I also have a pair of wired, over-the-ear headphones. (Specifically, these from House of Marley.) They sound fantastic and are not expensive.

As someone else said, it's nice to have a couple options for different circumstances.
posted by The Deej at 7:02 AM on September 22, 2017 [1 favorite]

Best answer: Whenever I have a question like this, I turn to the Wirecutter. They've never steered me wrong. For exmple: The Best Earbuds Under $50, The Best Earbuds Under $100, The Best Earbuds Overall. Here are all the Headphones they've tested.
posted by Cobalt at 7:51 AM on September 22, 2017 [1 favorite]

When they were on sale (for about $40), I took a gamble on these 1More Triple-driver earphones at Costco. Best headphones I've ever had - they are 'noise isolating' so outside noise is far less noticeable. They also have a relatively tangle-proof cloth-covered cord, and a nice black hard-shell case (still pretty compact) that protects them in my bag.
Wirecutter seems to like them as well.
posted by dbmcd at 8:20 AM on September 22, 2017 [1 favorite]

I have a pair of Sennheiser over-the-ear headphones. They are several years old, so the exact model isn't relevant, and other brands are also well-reviewed. They cost about $100, and cut the background noise level by about 10 DB, which is a lot but not the same as making it go away. It makes a big difference listening to just about anything when on a plane. I would not spend more than about $20 without getting noise canceling.

I have no experience with in-ear noise canceling. Try to find a review.

One of the reasons it's difficult to choose is there are too many lookalike products. I would stay away from anything endorsed by a celebrity. One feature that I don't see but would like is having the two sides be prominently color-coded so l didn't have to peek at a miniscule letter to tell left from right.
posted by SemiSalt at 8:38 AM on September 22, 2017

I can say that noise-cancelling is great for air planes and other noisy environments. I use my regular iPhone earbuds for around the house, but I have good noise-cancelling headphones (in-ear Bose, which were a gift) for commuting, because I basically can't listen to a podcast or audiobook on the bus or subway otherwise, because speech is too quiet and missing a couple words too problematic (compared to music, say). I sometimes leave those in at work, but they are so muffling even when the cancellation is turned off that it's a bit isolating (and also can make my ears ring, even when I'm not listening to anything), so I usually go back to the earbuds in the course of the day.

I got to try the Bose in an airport audiostore, so I knew they were very comfortable in my ears -- I had some cheaper ones that worked before that, but the controls weren't quite as nice, nor the fit. I can't speak to your experience, but I find that on-ear and especially over-ear headphones make my ears (the exterior parts) ache over extended use, so I couldn't wear them for a full day like you're anticipating, but that could differ for different folks.
posted by acm at 9:05 AM on September 22, 2017

Best answer: I have a lot of experience here, as I'm afflicted with audio-nerd-ism plus I spent many years as a road warrior.

First, you might want to acclimate yourself to the idea of having more than one pair. The in-ear models that are GREAT for air travel work so well in that situation because they're incredibly isolating (better even than "noise cancelling" models). That same isolation makes them a terrible choice for walking or running, because when you're out moving in the world you need to be able to hear the world around you.

I have a fairly fancy pair of in-ear headphones from Etymotic; I think I paid $150 or so 4 or 5 years ago. This is probably the current model closest to what I have. They're AWESOME, but they're only awesome for situations where you want to block the world around you entirely. This is great for critical listening on your couch, or for use on an airplane or other noisy transit, or for blocking chatter when you're trying to work in a shared space. Note that these are NOT active noise-cancelling headphones, but if I put them in I can't really hear the plane, my chatty seatmate, or the upset toddler 2 rows away. They're that good.

If I'm walking the dog (note: I do not have a dog; assume a hypothetical canine), I use the "earbud" style headphones that came with my phone. I can hear the music fine, but I can also hear cars and people and whatnot. They don't sound as good, but they get the job done, and they can be had cheaply. In that situation, it's not so important to have perfect fidelity, and isolation is contraindicated, so they're fine.

NOW: some people can't tolerate in-ear headphones, either at all or for hours at a time. I'm not one of those people, but it's a real thing. You can get less-perfect isolation from the over-ear style. Over-ear means the headphone has a "muff" style that completely surrounds your ear and resets on your skull. If you're looking for air travel with these, you probably want the active noise cancellation, because they don't provide the level of isolation that you can get with the in-ear models for reasons of anatomy and physics.

What you probably do NOT want for air travel is any model described as ON-ear. These are the smaller earmuff styles where the headphone rests on the cartilage of your outer ear. Because, again, of anatomy and physics, you'll get pretty poor isolation from the world around you with these models, even with noise cancellation, but they'd be fine for dog-walking or riding mass transit or whatever (and you see them a lot in that mode).

(Also, note that "noise cancelling" really only works against constant droning noise, not so much voices. This makes them popular on planes or trains, but not so great if you're trying to block out crying babies or chatty seatmates. Again, because physics.)
posted by uberchet at 10:00 AM on September 22, 2017

Response by poster: Thanks for all your responses. It had not occurred to me that I should have TWO pairs for different purposes; a liberating idea. I hear you.
posted by lois1950 at 5:54 PM on September 22, 2017

I have a friend who works for a headphone repair company, so he gets to listen to a vast variety of headphones. He told me that if you are not a audiophile, don't bother buying expensive headphones.
I have both in-ear and over-the-ear headphones. I just went to amazon and chose the ones with best reviews. I spent less than $100 on both. I only use the in-ear headphones when I do sports or mow the lawn. For everything else, I use the over-the-ear ones.
posted by michael_scott at 2:27 PM on September 24, 2017

Chiming in late to say that I have a pair of over-ear noise-cancelling headphones and they work really nicely on flights when I'm awake. But if I put any pressure on the headphones themselves that "breaks the seal" (say, by falling asleep and letting my head rest on my shoulder) they actually sound worse and more distracting than no headphones at all. If you're set on noise canceling, those Bose in-ear headphones are quite nice, but Bose has a short warranty and they consider the non-replaceable rechargeable battery (which now comes on both the in-ear and the over-ear headphones,) to be outside of it, which is why I didn't buy them. For what it's worth, many people suggest that $20 construction worker's earmuffs paired with earbuds work better than noise canceling headphones, especially for higher-pitched environments.

I also have a pair of Trekz Titanium bone-conducting headphones, which I find to be the perfect balance for quite a lot of settings. They fit over your ear, and "play" the vibrations against your jawbone just in front of it--so no ambient noise is blocked at all, which is perfect for walking the dog. Add in a pair of 50¢ earplugs and the sound gets much, much richer. The only weird drawback is that if you turn the volume up too high, they vibrate--I'm not sure what, maybe just the cilia in my ears that aren't used to so much vibration? And it's physically eerie, to make an inadvertent bad pun. But otherwise I recommend them for their incredible versatility. Plus they're tiny, and the battery life seems to be ten hours right out of the box. The onboard mic makes me sound like a submarine calling from Mars, so they're not all good; c'est la vie.
posted by tapir-whorf at 7:35 AM on September 25, 2017