Hey everyone, John here. This may seem like an obvious topic, but there are a lot of differences between headphones and earphones… some of which are not as obvious as you may think.

Headphones

Starting with the shape and size. Headphones, as the name suggests, fit on your head, and have a headband that sits on top of your head. At either side of the headband, you have the speaker housings or earcups. The earcups hold the speaker drivers, and are designed in one of two ways: on-ear and over-ear. On-ear headphones have the earcups sitting on the ear and tend to be smaller in size, making them ideal for portable use. Over-ear headphones are larger and have the earcups completely surround the ear. Because of this, they tend to be used mainly indoors or where there isn’t much movement needed.

Earphones

Earphones are a lot smaller, and sit in the ear or in the ear canal. There are three main types of earphones:

Earpods / Earbuds

The older earphone design, or newer earpods, rest in the ear without going into the ear canal. This fit means that you are less likely to create a good seal between the earphone and your ear, resulting in an open sound that can tend to be a bit bass light. This fit also means that they will not isolate sound very well, meaning you are more likely to hear what is going on around you and people nearby will be able to listen to your music. Not ideal for public transport, but liked by sports users as it can be useful to hear your surroundings.

In Ear Earphones

In-ear isolating earphones have a deeper fit and will go into the ear canal, they also have eartips installed. This not only helps to keep the earphones in place, they also help create a good seal which improves isolation and sound quality, especially bass performance. In-ear earphones are the most common fit, and there are two ways of wearing them depending on the design. Cable straight down, and cable over the ear. The cable-over-the-ear design tends to provide a more secure fit and deeper insertion into the ear canal. This way, you will benefit from better isolation. Still, a lot of people prefer the cable-straight-down design as they are easier to use.

A quick note on bass performance. It is very important to make sure that you achieve a good seal when using in-ear isolating earphones. If you do not do this, the main effect to the sound will be a loss of bass… and nobody wants that. When this happens, the sound can come across very tinny and flat, so make sure you try all of the supplied eartips to ensure you’re getting the best sound possible from your new earphones.

Custom In Ears

Lastly, you have custom in-ears. These earphones are customised to fit your ear specifically. This is the best way of achieving a perfect seal, which hugely improves isolation and sound quality. This is done by having a mould of your ear taken, and then used to make an earphone that perfectly fits the shape of your ear. This is a more expensive option and is currently only offered by a small number of manufacturers.

Sound

There is also a big difference between how headphones and earphones sound. I wouldn’t say that one is better than the other. The overall experience is different and people will favour one over the other.

Headphones tend to deliver a more natural listening experience. What I mean by this is that with the speakers being away from the ears, sound is delivered in a more natural way. With our ears playing a part in capturing the sound, similar to how we hear day to day. Headphones can also deliver a bigger or wider sound due to the size of the drivers used and them being away from our ears.

With the speakers being so close to the ear, or even inside the ear canal, the experience from earphones is very different and can take a while for some people to get used to. Due to the fit being so close to the ear, and much smaller speakers being used, earphones are capable of delivering a very high amount of clarity and detail. Sometimes this can be overwhelming, especially for those who have never used earphones before. The close fit also means that sound can come across narrower and feel like it is coming from inside the head when compared to a headphone.

Conclusion

Ultimately, it comes down to taste and how you want to listen to your music. Both headphones and earphones can be used in a large number of situations, and whether you prefer using headphones or earphones – there will be a model out there for you.

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So many times have I seen people comment on lack of bass from models well known for their excellent bass response, the common factor is trying them out of the box with the tips that are pre-installed, and not trying any others. I beg you to try all the different tips to find the one that fits the best.

In-ear headphones will only work if properly sealed, as this will give you the optimal bass response, and also isolate the best from outside noises. If you think about it, if you have a bass speaker in a small room it will sound fuller than if it were in an open space. The same goes for in-ear headphones, if there is a break in the seal the bass will be the first thing you lose.

The bass response of this room is likely to be poor; lower frequencies are the first to disappear given the chance – and forget isolation!

Different headphones come with different types of tips, most come with only standard silicone tips, but some come with a pair of Comply memory foam tips, and also dual and triple flange tips. Using foam tips such as the Comply or Blackbird tips, the tips conform to your inner ear better than regular silicone tips, so it may be worth trying some of them out before making up your mind on the headphones. I also personally find foam tips to be more comfortable, and they isolate from outside noise better, but they do have a tendency to tone down the treble a little.

Everybody’s ears are different, and a good play around with the various sizes and types of tips will certainly be worthwhile. Also the placement of the tip within the ear can be experimented with; try a small tip which is inserted into the ear canal. Or perhaps a larger tip placed against the mouth of the ear canal might suit you better.

Personally, I’ve settled before on a small tip in my right ear and a medium one in my left; it is quite common for our ears to be slightly different sizes so feel free to mix n’ match.

The best way to fit your in-ear headphones, is to lift the top of your ear gently as you insert them, as this opens your ear canal a little. Once you let go they should seal fully, and then you can experience the best audio quality from your in-ear headphones.

It’s always a shame to receive a pair of in-ear headphones which has been returned by a customer, and to find that they haven’t been thorough with the eartips. So make sure you are getting a good seal to get the most out of your headphones. Lack of bass? Try some different tips.

The post The Importance of Getting a Good Seal with In-Ear Headphones appeared first on HiFiheadphones.