Why do people even use in ear/earbuds?

just tried the free earphones with my s10, sounds HORRIBLE compared to my 13 year old dirty af over ears headphones thats supposed to be inside my bin 5 years ago, cant even hear some music clearly, sounds like radio quality voice vs real voice when compared to a good over ear. i know its bundled so cant be good but i doubt the highest end earbud is that much better. pretty sure there's a limit on how good such a small device can be, e.g. they cant generate waves with longer wavelength than their size so terrible bass. i couldnt even hear fast pace music clearly, why are they so popular and people arent buying over ear? i feel perfectly fine walking/train with over ears, they just hard to carry.

Comments

  • in ear are cheaper, easier to hide at work/school, people can't pull them off your head nd run away like they do with wireless.

  • +17

    I'm really not an audiophile, but many of the things you've said are so wrong on a basic physics level.

    just tried the free earphones with my s10, sounds HORRIBLE

    You got them for free, why would you expect they sound anything but horrible?

    i know its bundled so cant be good but i doubt the highest end earbud is that much better

    Wrong, you are basing an entire opinion on one sample?

    pretty sure there's a limit on how good such a small device can be

    Again, wrong - they have smaller drivers, but they have other benefits such as being deeper in your ear canal, forming a seal…etc.

    they cant generate waves with longer wavelength than their size so terrible bass.

    This is wrong from a physics standpoint, they cannot generate the bass as loud as over ear headphones, but because they are deeper in your ear canal and have a pretty airtight seal, they do not have to generate the bass as loud. In other words, it's not a matter of frequency (or wavelength, as you say), but amplitude.

    i couldnt even hear fast pace music clearly, why are they so popular and people arent buying over ear? i feel perfectly fine walking/train with over ears, they just hard to carry.

    I don't know why you bother with over ears man, just get yourself a pair of studio reference monitors and carry them with a portable power supply, they'll blow your over ears out of the water. Everyone on the train can enjoy your music too.

  • +7

    you tried probably some of the crappiest pairs you could get your hands on and judged from that?
    that'd be like judging over-ears on some $10 pc headset from kmart
    the ones that come with phones generally sound like garbage

    good ones can be kinda expensive, although there are cheap things coming out of china that people rave about
    main thing is that fit is also more of an issue with in-ears. if you dont get a good seal or they aren't in properly, they can sound amazingly crap
    you could probably just change the size of the tips on those crap ones you tried and already start to see some improvement. i recently found a set of cheap foam tips completely transformed some earphones that come with the worst quality tips ive ever used

    dont let the size fool you, they can sound very good, and with a good seal they can be very bassy. I still remember a pair of koss in-ears from 15 years ago being some of the bassiest things ive ever listened to, because they were literally earplugs with sound being piped through them.
    but even then, if they werent in properly, you lose all bass, all quality.

  • They fit in my back pocket when I go out and want something to listen to on the bus ride home.

  • +1

    Very bad sample size you have there.

  • why do people even use in ear/earbuds?
    just tried the free earphones with my s10, sounds HORRIBLE compared to my 13 year old dirty af over ears headphones thats supposed to be inside my bin 5 years ago, cant even hear some music clearly, sounds like radio quality voice vs real voice when compared to a good over ear. i know its bundled so cant be good but i doubt the highest end earbud is that much better. pretty sure there's a limit on how good such a small device can be, e.g. they cant generate waves with longer wavelength than their size so terrible bass. i couldnt even hear fast pace music clearly, why are they so popular and people arent buying over ear?i feel perfectly fine walking/train with over ears, they just hard to carry.

  • Ear buds sit outside the ear eg. Apple Air pods.

    IEMs/Canalphones are inserted into the ear and are intended to create an airtight seal.

    It's important to distinguish the two because you're right about ear buds but not IEMs (when they fit properly because they have to be sealed.

    IEMs can offer very good sound compared to ear buds.

  • Jogging

  • Don't use them much, but I prefer a decent set of headphones.

  • -1

    So this is the latest troll post, ‘cause if you are being serious you need to review your clear thinking skills.

  • It's ridiculous that you are even asking this question. But to entertain your clear lack of critical thinking skills: I personally only use them for swimming, and under earmuffs when using power tools because there's no other option.

    Also, if you've ever met your average person/sheep you would know that they don't actually care about music or how it sounds, it's just background noise to them, which is why the absolute trash that's 'popular' on the charts gets listened to at all.

  • I’ve tried both on-ear, and in-ear. I’ve got a pair of earmuffs with an AUX input, and it gets HOT. If I’m working in the garden, in the shed, or just around the house any over-ear or on-ear headphones make me sweat a lot more than any in-ears I’ve ever used. When I used to run, I found in-ears the only way to go because over/on-ears would slide around and then fall off of my head. If I’m working in the garden, bending down, leaning over, weeding on/over-ears get really sweaty, and they fall off, and it’s also less practicable to wear safety glasses, dust masks/respirators, and on/over-ears also get caught in tree branches, leaves etc and get pulled off.

    So for me, there’s a whole load of reasons I use only in-ears.

  • P1 ama summed it up fairly well.

    Its safe to say I've got more than a fair sample size of headphones and yes some are complete garbage I can say that for most things I got for free! doesn't stop at headphones.

    If your point was "I got these headphones with my S10 and they sound like garbage to me is there better options without blowing budget, you might actually get some helpful responses.

    The device and file quality is also a factor, since you mention wavelength shit in = shit out. no use moaning about headphones if you're using compressed audio files that are highly unlikely to be full lossless tracks….

    You should try some of the Shure or Westone ear buds even entry level are a major step up, and would probably convert your thoughts about sound quality from ear buds right there, however not everyone likes earbuds so each to their own, and personal preference is one thing nobody can knock you on.

    I've got a pair of shure ear buds that will blow anything you could buy over the ear for under a couple of thousand out of the water, which also proves you know nothing of technology behind the equipment. if it's something really sweet and I've got the space to relax I'll crack out my Grado Labs over ear.

    My shure's actually out perform them the Grado's just have a different sound and feel to them which I prefer for some things.

  • pretty sure there's a limit on how good such a small device can be, e.g. they cant generate waves with longer wavelength than their size so terrible bass.

    I don't think you have any idea what you're talking about. There are plenty of IEMs out there that are great for music.

  • Get memory foam tips and makes a big difference. I got triple drivers THX certified earbuds and I didn't likr using ear buds or ear phones before. Now commute to work is great.

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