Headphones or Earphones ?

[esumitkumar]

Ok .....so my mighty question goes to all ipod/ iriver music,metal ,rock etc fanatic junta here ..which would u prefer and why while listening ? HEADPHONES or EAR phones ? some more qs :

1. are headphones (HP) more effective than earphones (EP) in noise cancellation ?

2. do HP fit more comfortably or EP on your ears ?

3. Will you prefer wearing HP in Public

Reply plz and yes please also suggest which HP and EP is best

Rgds
Sumit

[krazzy]

Headphones for indoor use, earphones for outdoors.

1. Not necessarily.

2. For most people, yes.

3. Absolutely not.

[ax3]

headphones DAMAGES ur ear ........

[krazzy]

Originally Posted by ax3

headphones DAMAGES ur ear ........

Only if you keep pumping the music at insane volume at extended durations. Otherwise they are safe.

Also technically earphones cause more damage to the ears than the headphones as they are much closer to the ear. Because of greater distance between the diaphragm and the ear drum, even if the volume were to suddenly rise it would still be tolerable. But in case of earphones, especially in-ear monitors, sudden rise in volume can cause severe damage to the ears.

Also over extended listening, headphones are more comfortable to the ear drums than earphones. Thus you can continue to listen for a longer duration without fatigue setting in.

[esumitkumar]

that means krazzy.... HP > EP in terms of comfort for long hours movie viewing or music listening ? how about sound quality comparison of both ?

[krazzy]

Originally Posted by esumitkumar

that means krazzy.... HP > EP in terms of comfort for long hours movie viewing or music listening ? how about sound quality comparison of both ?

Yes. Headphones are more comfortable than earphones, but for the inner ear, i.e. the ear drum. The ear drum experiences less fatigue over longer duration with headphones compared to the earphones. The external ear, i.e. the pinna might not always be comfortable with headphones though, especially if the headphones don't fit the ear properly.

Sound quality depends largely on the quality of the drivers in the headphones/earphones. But there are some minor differences. E.g. supra-aural headphones sound much more roomier than standard circumaural headphones or earphones. This extra room widens the sound stage and makes you feel as if you are part of the sound. These type of headphones usually don't offer much isolation from ambient sounds though.

For noise isolation, circumaural headphones and in-ear headphones are the best as they passively block out the external noise, which lets you hear minute details in the music, which otherwise would be drowned in the external noise. Most headphones also suffer from sound leakage, i.e. the sound of the speakers could be heard by others near you. This is not a problem in earphones as the drivers are small and can only be heard if they are very close to the ears.

So as you see both have their advantages and disadvantages. Headphones generally can be used with both music and movies, but they are best used indoors (unless they are of the compact circumaural variety) whereas earphones are only good for music but they can be used outdoors as well as they are more discrete and don't make you look like a freak.

[esumitkumar]

^^^ thats a KRAZZZY answer

jokes apart ..damn gud ...answer to my question..Hats off to u ......

I mostly listen to metal and hindi songs ..I dont want to miss any small sound of Rammstein metal songs..can u suggest me best in ear phones costing around max 30-35 $ in US ?

Thnxx

[krazzy]

Well the best in-ear headphones that can fall under your budget are Creative's EP 630. But if I have to suggest something better, I'd suggest the Sennheiser HD 202. They are circumaural type headphones and have great sound quality, better than that of the EP 630. Noise isolation isn't as good though, but they are still very good and are great value for money. They sell for 1.4k in India and fall under your budget.

[karmanya]

the Ep630 in my view are over-rated. You'd be better off buying a pair of Senn CX 300's(2.4-3k) or the HD202. If you're looking for a really basic pair, try the MX500. The HD202's tend to be a little bulky so I'd extend my budget to the PX100.
Generally, Headphones tend to be better than earphones, in terms of sound quality and comfort.
Frankly speaking, there's nothing wrong with wearing HP's in public, only thing is they are a little easier to break if you take them to school(like i do)

[esumitkumar]

Generally, Headphones tend to be better than earphones, in terms of sound quality and comfort.

totally konfused ? krazzzy says EP is gud in sound quality and u say HP is gud ... ?

But if I have to suggest something better, I'd suggest the Sennheiser HD 202

so wat shud i take to listen to Rammstein with iriver clix 2 ? best sound quality ?
EP630 or HD202 ? they shud also be gud for watching movies thru laptop

[krazzy]

^^ I said EP 630 are good, but HD 202 are better. It is recommended to go with the latter, especially now that you mention you'll also be watching movies.

[Psychosocial]

See.....under 1-1.2k, earphones rule as there are hardly any good VFM headphones in that price range. But if you go into expensive arena, headphones rule. Audiophile headphones just blow away earphones in terms of quality. For me, headphones are comfy coz they are big and there is a little distance between the internal ear and the drivers as compared to earphones. I have an iPod, one chinese copy of iPod and one Sony MP3 player and I use EP-630 on iPod and the bundled earphones (which suck) with the rest (coz I hardly use them). I have a Sony MDR-XD200 headphones which I use with my iPod at home and they offer good sound quality and bass plus they are comfy . I have one another pair of EP-630 which I use with my PSP but as PSP has it's own limits, the EP-630 is not able to show its full potential. If its buying decision, then I would suggest earphones for <1k budget (EP-630 costs 750bucks and are awesome VFM.) but if you plan to spend more than I support krazzy. HD202 are an awesome set of headphones. Grado Labs S80 are also a nice pair of headphones but will cost you much more than your budget. AudioTechnica A900 are a pair of audiophile headphones and are SUPERB! but it will cost you a fortune.

Its upto you now. I prefer headphones at home and earphones outdoors (schoolbus/car/etc).

[esumitkumar]

Thanks K ...at this early age ..u seem to be a tech wizard ...

Krazzy and K ..I m zeroing on on Senn CX 300's as suggested by karmanya because in outdoors HD202 will make me look like a cartoon

Price I am getting is 37 $ with shipping

[zyberboy]

Hd202 cost 2k, hd201 is at 1.3k

[Psychosocial]

Originally Posted by esumitkumar

Thanks K ...at this early age ..u seem to be a tech wizard ...

Krazzy and K ..I m zeroing on on Senn CX 300's as suggested by karmanya because in outdoors HD202 will make me look like a cartoon

Price I am getting is 37 $ with shipping

You cant got wrong with a Sennheiser .

[ajayritik]

^^Offtopic
What exactly does Noise Cancellation means in terms of headphones or earphones? Could somebody explain me this term?

[krazzy]

Originally Posted by zyberboy

Hd202 cost 2k, hd201 is at 1.3k

Nope. 201 is 1.2k while 202 is for 1.4k. Read the latters review on TechTree. They have mentioned the price at the end.

Sumit if you can get the CX 300 in your budget then good for you. I'd have suggested it to you earlier but had no idea it would fall under your budget.

Originally Posted by ajayritik

^^Offtopic
What exactly does Noise Cancellation means in terms of headphones or earphones? Could somebody explain me this term?

Noise cancelling does just what the name suggests. It blocks out external noise which lets you concentrate on your music instead, even if you are in noisy environments such as trains, buses, etc. There are two types of it- Passive and Active.

Passive noise cancelling uses physical methods to block out the externat sound. Headphones with thick earpads which cover the ears completely or in-ear headphones which uses rubber, silicon or foam tips to seal the ears are usually types of passive noise cancellation.

Active noise cancellation involves a microphone placed on the headphones or the cable. This microphone 'listens' to the external noise and then sends it to the digital circuitry which then produces sounds of the opposite wavelength of the external noise. This sound is then fed into the headphones through the speakers. This sound and the external sound being opposite to each other cancel each other, resulting in around 80-90 % reduction of external noise. Active noise cancelling headphones also use the previously mentioned passive methods to block even more noise. Some of the expensive noise cancelling headphones can make you completely oblivious to the surroundings.