I am curious:
Are the only headphones suitable for public use (namely, in close proximity to other users, such as public transportation or waiting rooms) earbuds or the massive noice-cancelling earmuffs? I dislike earbuds because they are very destructive of hearing at certain volume levels, but I am not aware of an affordable alternative.
Ideas, and if so, recommendations of specific products in the sub-$60 range?
Nothing beats a pair of good quality earbuds i'm afraid!
I use them on my computer at home because my computer is in the lounge room and would disturb the TV. I use only one at a time while gaming and change from ear to ear due to some irritation occuring after a while. When i listen to music, it can be damaging to my ears, especially when i click on the first song which opens windows media player and i realise the volume is too high and get sucked in because i try to turn the volume down in windows media player but get blocked by the thinking hour glass because it just opened, but the music starts playing almost immediately!!
I used to go with earbuds, but I find that the big earmuffs sound just as good and aren't that much more of nuisance.
search "headphones" on amazon. i think they might have what youre looking for.
Sorry, it is not possible big earmuffs can possibly sound just as good as earbuds (not withstanding brand quality issues) - Earbuds have a serious positional advantage inside your ear if worn correctly, there is no getting around that fact.
I've never found comfotrable (I cant spell) earbuds, I use good quality 'normal' headphones. Just wait for a good discount on a good pair and you can nab some nice ones for like $90-120.
You might want to give these a try
http://www.airdrives.com/
I hear they are pretty good, and help to not cause hearing loss
Yea, that is the problem with earbuds, even comfortable ones can begin to irritate the ear after a while, well that is what i find anyway. But the sound quality is unquestionably superior, so when i listen to my favourite songs, earbuds are what i use!
$90 to $120 dollars is allot of money! If there were earbuds in existance for that kind of money they would be so well engineered they could probably let you fly!!
I think earbuds are just LOUDER, imo. Good headphones gives you a nice sound, especially hooked up to an ok soundcard...
I couldn't live without my V-moda Vibe IIs. And yes they cost around $100 give or take where you get them. It'd be difficult to find good quality earbuds for under $100. Bose makes some good earbuds too, as does Shure. They range around $100 and up too though.
I can keep my Vibes in for hours and my ears aren't irritated. Very comfortable.
Bose and Shure. Those are two brands that have come through the years.
Bose has always had the best speaker systems. And Shure, once upon a time, had the best stylus (a 'needle' for playing phonographic records, for those of you under 40).
I had one of the first true 4-channel discrete quadraphonic audio systems, back in the mid 70's. I also had some pretty good headphones.
The change to digital from analog killed audio, big time. Too much is lost in the process, but the newer generations will never know the loss.
Ever wonder why big (and round) speakers are best for those low bass sounds? It's because they reproduce the sound more accurately.
So when you want to put something around your ears to hear the sound... bigger is generally better. Earbuds are tiny. And as such they can not give a true representation of truly low frequencies. They do well with the high end, but anything below a certain point will simply be a distortion of the true effect.
Analog sound, in its greatness, died with the computer age. And, it's a sad thing indeed. Because, most of you here will never hear the music as it was truly meant to be heard.
My main issue with earbuds is damage to hearing. Many young people will need hearing aids by the age of 50, according to some studies.
I've got a different problem myself, I'm somewhat hearing impaired (congenitally), and I would like some headphones. What should I buy?
It's not the fact that the earbud is inside your ear that causes hearing damage. It's how loud you listen. Having the bud actually in the ear means you don't (or shouldn't) need to crank the volume up as loud.
Noise cancelling headphones are great for this reason. People tend to turn up the volume as long as they can hear outside noise. I know I do sometimes anyway.
All headphones are potentially damaging to your ears if you have the volume too high. Smart listening habits will save your hearing for later in life.
I HIGHLY recommend the V-moda vibe headphones. As a matter of fact,I had a pair die on me and i just got another pair in last week. (I have 2 little kids lol) I liked them so much that I got a pair of the vibe II's for my wife and for my brother since they have iphones.
This is the best sub $100 pair of headphones that I have ever used. The sound is "almost" as good as shure's and other high end in ear buds that i've had. (I've had sony, bose, shure etc ete and those were a lot more expensive)
Moosetek13 is right but this is one of the few sub $100 earbuds that have excellent low end and they create a fantastic stereo image as well.
The sounds bleed isn't bad for close quarters and they have a port in them so they don't create a vacuum in your ear canal. This is necessary for me since my kids fav. pasttime is to yank on the chords.
Currently the vibe's are $55 at amazon. Their price tends to range from $45 to $55 and typically changes regularly.
I know you don't necesarily want earbuds but as long as you keep your volume amplitude and duration in control you'll be fine. I use mine daily for long commutes and i wish i had a bit more hearing loss lol. (i am married after all)
They are also comfortable for long periods of time and come with extra silicon covers in a few sizes.
No i dont work with / for v-moda at all lol
j
Perhaps I was misinformed on the dangers of earbuds.
According to some studies I have found, sound-isolating earbuds may be less dangerous to hearing than open ear designs when used in loud environments, as users with open ear headphones tend to increase the volume to dangerous levels (> 85 dB) in order to drown out background noise.
I would like to share my conclusions on how to find affordable headphones for different uses:
There you have it. Thanks folks!
As a person who records music, and uses phones for monitoring mixes, I think earbuds are inferior to headphones. As before mentioned buds damage more easily, and have poor low ends. The driver style buds are better than standard ones (I have a pair cost about $90).
For complete silence for people near you (in a Library or near angry Dads) closed headphones are the best! They have less dynamics than open headphones.... for example the Sennheiser HD480 will give near naught out (that is to others near you) and are good for you to hear your music if you're in a noisy place (like a train station..) These cost about $200-$300 pair.
As far as anything below $60 goes, go to your nearest hi-fi store or like, and get ones that the padded part presses on your head, not the ear. That's the closest you'll get for sound quality and also not disrupting others.
Alternatively. use ANY type of head/earphone you like, just TURN IT DOWN (like your dad is probably nagging you to do). It's best for your hearing and not bothering others. If you're wearing any kind of earphone and others can distinguish the music you're listening to from a few metres away, then you're probably damaging your hearing.
Yes, if you're in a loud environment, you'll turn headphones up louder to drown out background noise, thus risking damage. Earbuds are good to block out background noise, but deliver the sound much closer and more directly to the eardrum, therefore take not much turning up to be damaging.
BTW I have hearing damage due to firecrackers when a kid, and trust me, No music is cool enough to make it worth damaging your ears by turning it up too much. 24/7 ringing in the ears is nasty.
Well, my problem with most closed designs is that they hurt! They produce a lot of pressure around the ears or at the edge of the ears, which can give me a headache or make my ears sore. Are there any inexpensive models that are more forgiving? I may try the Sennheiser HD 202.
So why not just restrict yourself to listening to music in quiet environments (like in your own home)?
Why the 'need' to have a headphone wrapped around your head 24/7?
At best it is a distraction, at worst it damages your eardrums.
Both are not very wise, in most situations.
People even wear these things while driving. Is that wise? Personally, I depend on very subtle sounds when driving to warn me of impending problems, whether they be vehicle problems or otherwise - like the sound of skidding tires or other things that might require immediate attention. If you are so immersed in your music, how many lives do you put in danger? But I guess I am 'old school' in the regard that driving is more of a responsibility, and that the car I drive is really a deadly weapon at the hand of no one but myself.
The same goes for people that text while driving. I have been next to people, on the highway, that were texting while driving. They can barely stay in their own lane, and sometimes not even that. And how many crashes have been caused by these idiotic people in these past few months? People in cars, and even train operators, that were more concerned with their personal messages than with the lives they were entrusted with! !!!
Stupid is as stupid does, I guess. Trouble is, they usually kill someone else - instead of themself.
The two are related, because both use these techs to avoid perceiving the outside world.
I guess you don't listen to music on long trips? That has to suck.
If you don't mind the appearance of large over the ear phones, then check out the JVC HARX700. About $40 on Buy.com and they sound great with portable devices. Smaller and cheaper, the JVC HAS150 "Flats" can be gotten for under $10. Also a great sounding phone, but they don't isolate as well.
I just want to wear headphones on the train that don't leak sound and won't damage my hearing. Relax, man.
Doesn't all sound destroy your sense of hearing at certain levels? As long as you are responsible with the volume you shouldn't have any problems. (and if you aren't responsible with the volume, not using earbuds won't help)
Perhaps you could look for some earbuds that use thermoplastics, so the pressure will reduce as the earbud warms up due to your body temperature. I've got a pair hearing-protectors (for at concerts and the like), those employ thermoplastics, and after a while you won't even notice there there.
edit: I searched the web a bit, and found Lobies, it's like an ordinairy earbud, but with a plastic bit that fits more snugly in your ear. Look interisting.
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