Sound, Music, and/or Audio is a very integral part of everyday life. Imagine a movie without any audio whatsoever, imagine if songs were not created, imagine if sound was completely erased from our very existence. Films would not be a thing, songs would not be invented, Global Music Festivals, which are a yearly social thing that one should experience at least once in life (read more about it on Slingo.com), would not be a thing. Life would be very different. There are several devices that can deliver that sweet audio directly to our ears, but sometimes the average person does not know the difference between these devices and use their terms interchangeably.
These audio devices are incredibly beneficial to listeners. It helps with listening to music hands-free while doing tasks at hand, exercising, playing games, monitoring things, taking notes while on a call, and the like. These audio devices give listeners a chance to deviate from the outside world and immerse ourselves in the artform that is music. It lets listeners to closely focus on sounds that would not be heard on speakers and gives an intimate listening experience. Headphones have been a valuable part of everyday modern life and perhaps can be considered as an important invention that would be a part of culture for the rest of time.
Terms
Terms like headphones, headsets, and earphones are commonly used interchangeably, all these devices are quite similar in form and function but there are slight differences to the definition of these terms that are worth knowing. There is another addition to the mix which are devices to also deliver audio wirelessly which are called “earbuds”. Here is a guide to know the difference between each term to help you decide which device will be perfectly suited for you and your needs.
Headphones
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Headphones have been around since 1890. With more than a hundred years of existence it has still kept its basic function which is to deliver audio directly to the ears and nothing else. Headphones are basically just speakers that are attached to a band. This provides a personal and immersive audio experience which delivers audio to the user’s ears. It’s, in a sense, the forebearer of all the devices in this list.
Headphones, because of its design, create a more confined and personalized sound stage. They offer noise cancellation that are usually better than other devices. And because of the earmuffs surrounding the speakers, it can easily block other noises from the background.
Some quality headphone brands that you need to check out are:
Bose, Marshall, Sony, Beats by Dre, Audio-Technica, and Sennheiser.
Headset
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The headset is very similar to the headphone with its form and function but with one slight difference: It has a microphone attached to it. That’s all there is to it. The microphone attached to the headset can be an in-line microphone or a boom microphone. It has actually been designed for convenience and is often used in taking in and/or making calls.
Headsets are ideal for and more commonly used on phone systems. The convenience of not having to buy a separate microphone to your set-up can do wonders depending on your daily life. It brings the capabilities of the headphones and the microphone together seamlessly, although some people may dislike the design and prefer them as separate devices, the headset can do wonders if your line of work requires a lot of making and taking calls.
Some quality headset brands that you need to check out are:
Jabra, Sennheiser, Logitech, and Plantronics
Earphones
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Earphones are basically the successor to the headphones. One disadvantage of the aforementioned headphones is its bulk. People have a hard time carrying it as it consumes too much space. Also, in contrast to the headphones, earphones ditched the earmuff design to a much more purpose-driven and streamlined design. Earphones are inserted into the ear canal, moving less air than headphones, providing a much more direct connection to the audio.
This is an ideal choice for people on the go. With the advancement of technology, music can now be stored in several devices like MP3 players, Phones, Tablets, and basically everything. But despite this, some people might still find the in-ear design to be uncomfortable since it needs to be inserted in the ears. The cord is also a struggle for some as it can get tangled in the daily.
Some quality earphone brands that you need to check out are:
Which brings us to the final item and the recent addition to the list:
True Wireless Earbuds
True Wireless Earbuds, TWS, or just “Earbuds” are very similar, yet very different to earphones. Both deliver audios in a similar way. They both are inserted on the ear canals of the user, but the name difference of the two devices is the absence of wires on the TWS. The TWS utilizes bluetooth technology, which in recent years have been accessible to virtually any smartphone or device in the market, with the fact that even recent smartphone brands are eliminating the headphone jack because of this capability.
If flexibility and portability are your top priority and if you hate untangling cords every 5 minutes. The earbuds are the best choice for your everyday audio activities.
Some quality earbud brands that you need to check out are:
Sony, Apple, Cambridge Audio Melomania, Sennheiser, Lypertek, and Grado
Conclusion
Your audio experience is personal and really depends on what you do on a daily basis.
If overall sound-quality is important to you, and you don’t need to move around to listen to music, Headphones are the best choice.
If voice input is as important to you as output, and you have to make and take calls on a daily basis, Headsets are perfect for you.
If portability and flexibility is your top priority, both the earphones and earpods are great choices. It just depends on your budget and your smartphone/device.
So, which one are you going to get?
