When smart phone and tablet PC become more and more popular, everybody needs at least one set headphones or earbuds, no matter Bluetooth wireless or wired, to enjoy music/podcast everywhere or take a hand-free calling. For most people, it’s still a big challenge to choose the proper headphones/earbuds for his applications? After reading this series of articles prepared by Audiovance, you can make smart choice better than before.
Factors necessary for outdoor walking, hiking and driving
As we said in Article-9, we choose headphones based on our main requirements, because not any type of headphones can fit all using situations. To meet the requirements of outdoor walking or hiking, the headphones must meet three factors.
- Awareness of ambient sound for safety
- Secure fit
- Comfortable fit
- Sweet resistant
Types not good
Based on above four criteria, among 8 popular types (please ref. Article-8), we’ll remove four types of headphones from consideration due to below reasons.
- Over-Ear Headphones
Too heavy to achieve comfort-fit.
Poor awareness of ambient sound due to their good noise-isolation.
- On-Ear Headphones
Similar to over-ear headphones.
- In Ear Pods
Poor awareness of ambient sound due to their good noise-isolation.
Feel annoying thumping noise in walking or jogging.
- In Ear Buds: Normal
Similar to in ear pods.
Types for consideration
- Half In-Ear Pods
It is the first kind of earbuds with stem. It’s well-known that Apple Airpods 1st, 2nd, 3rd generations are representatives of this type. Without soft ear tips designed in, your ear canals will not be blocked entirely so that you can be aware of ambient sound.
Pros
- Comfortable fit
- Portable and lightweight
- Safer listening with awareness of environment sound
Cons
- Some people may not achieve secure fit.
- Not as great sound quality as in ear pods/buds.
- In Ear Buds with Earhooks
From sound quality view, this type is close to in ear pods or buds.
Pros
- Secure fit comparing to half in ear pods and other earbuds, good for sports and running.
- Comfortable fit comparing to in ear pods and normal in ear buds.
Cons
- Regarding awareness of ambient sound, not as good as other three types.
- They are bigger than other earbuds and obvious to be seen.
- Long time wearing may let skin of back-ear uncomfortable.
Remark: this type is not good for driving because of its poor awareness of ambient sound.
- Air Conduction Open Ear Headphones
OpenComfy 201 from Audiovance belongs to this type. It provides very comfortable fit as half-in-ear pods like Airpods. It also provides very secure fit for sports/running as earbuds with hooks like Powerbeats Pro.
Pros
- Lightweight and comfortable fit for long time listening
- Secure fit for sports and running
- Open-ear for awareness of ambient sound, so that safer for outdoor activities.
Cons
- They are bigger than other earbuds and obvious to be seen.
- Open-ear brings less noise isolation.
- Bone Conduction Open Ear Headphones
They are another kind of open ear headphones, different from air conduction headphones.
Pros
- Good for people with hearing loss
- Secure fit for sports and running
- Open-ear for awareness of ambient sound, safer for outdoor activities.
- Able to provide the best waterproof for swimming
Cons
- Long time wearing may let face and cheek uncomfortable.
- Sound quality may not as good as air conduction.
- They are bigger than other earbuds and obvious to be seen.
- Open-ear brings less noise isolation.
After comparing above four types, it’s easy to understand which type can meet your requirements the best. For example, if you’re looking for the best comfort-fit, secure-fit and awareness of ambient sound, open ear air conduction headphones can be your choice. If you want to use them in the office with good looking, half in ear pods can be your choice.
After deciding the proper type, you can go to the next step for brand and model. In this step, you can take brand reputation, budget, battery life, controls and more factors into consideration.
If you're interested in exploring Audiovance's diverse range of headphones, you can check out the following places for an exciting shopping experience:
Visit Audiovance Homepage: http://www.Audiovance.com
Visit Audiovance Amazon Store: https://www.amazon.com/audiovance
To learn more about headphones and earbuds, please read other articles as below.
- How to Choose Headphones/Earbuds-1: Normal Terms
- How to Choose Headphones/Earbuds-2: Wireless vs Wired
- How to Choose Headphones/Earbuds-3: Over Ear, on Ear, in Ear and open Ear
- How to Choose Headphones/Earbuds-4: Noise Cancelling
- How to Choose Headphones/Earbuds-5: Sound Quality
- How to Choose Headphones/Earbuds-6: Ear Pods vs Ear Buds
- How to Choose Headphones/Earbuds-7: Bone Conduction vs Air Conduction @ Open Ear
- How to Choose Headphones/Earbuds-8: Eight Popular Types Comparison
- How to Choose Headphones/Earbuds-9: How to Make Your Right Choice
- How to Choose Headphones/Earbuds-10: Choose for Sports Running Workout
- How to Choose Headphones/Earbuds-11: Choose for Outdoor Walking/Hiking/Driving
- How to Choose Headphones/Earbuds-12: Choose for Office Use
- How to Choose Headphones/Earbuds-13: Choose for Audiophile’s Music Appreciation
- How to Choose Headphones/Earbuds-14: Choose for Gaming or Watching TV
- How to Choose Headphones/Earbuds-15: Choose for Travel or Commute
- How to Choose Headphones/Earbuds-16: Choose an All-round Headphones
- How to Choose Headphones/Earbuds-17: Helpful Tips
- How to Choose Headphones/Earbuds-18: Market and Technology Trend
