Headphones or Earbuds?

Hmm, a little different topic, but still technology-related!

Do you guys wear headphones and/or ear buds at all? Do you prefer headphones over earbuds, or prefer earbuds over headphones?

How about at your computer though? Do you guys use headphones/earbuds when using your computer/laptop, or do you use speakers?

I use these rather nice Panasonic stereo earbuds everywhere I go. IMO headphones are rather cumbersome and I'd only buy a pair if they were Beats by Dr. Dre, because those tend to be rather good and seem to be "in".

I've stuck with earbuds as they keep things covert in a school environment where I need not be noticed, plus the ones that seal into your ear give a level of bass I'd only be able to get otherwise with a subwoofer. I need my bass wherever I go, if you understand.

When I'm on the go, I prefer earbuds. They're thin, making them very easy to carry. Plus, they don't reduce much outside noise, so you're always aware of your surroundings. If I'm at home, though, then I'd mostly use my headphones. I usually keep my door locked and it prevents me to hear someone knocking, but... oh well, that doesn't really upset anybody; they get back to me once I'm available. :P Currently, I've Beats Studio, and it's amazing; it has the best sound quality ever, if you ask me. I simply love it, haha.

Headphones for me, I tried earbuds before but for me they are way to hard to put on and keep on (they keep falling down on me, despite family members showing me how to use them).

Headphones everywhere I go, otherwise speakers

As much as I used to love my noise-canceling headphones, I've had earbuds for the last two or three years, and while sometimes they don't stay in super well, I prefer them because they're less clunky.

For either one, it depends on the quality of the pair you own, IMO.

I prefer wearing earbuds for two main reasons: First, they're much more portable than headphones--I can easily carry them in my purse. Second, I've found earbuds have lasted for me longer than headphones have. That's probably due to portability reasons, too, as I would have to keep my headphones in larger bags and they'd end up being knocked around a lot whereas my earbuds stay snug around my iPod or in the bag and don't hit a lot of things.

Earbuds -- they're lighter and more portable. But if I'm at home watching a film on my laptop I'd rather use Beats headphones.

I always use earbuds, I have a pair of headphones but they're just too noise-cancelling for me, even at home, can't hear the phone ring or people talking to me. Even with earbuds I usually only wear one side.

I go through earbuds really fast though, they usually break after 1-3 months. The pair that lived the longest was the Lady GaGa "Heartbeats" by Dre, and I think they actually lasted 3 years. They were a gift though, I can't really bring myself to spend so much money on earbuds. At the moment I'm just using Apple earbuds that came with my dad's iPhone, since he doesn't listen to music (or if he does he just blasts it for everyone else to hear), but they're starting to break, too.

I've never been that fussy for sound quality, so earbuds are always fine for me (for both portable listening and at my computer). I always make sure that I take good care of them, so I can usually get a $10 pair of earbuds to last me half a year or so before I replace them.

Cans all the way. I guess it's partially because I seem to be a developing audiophile, but I've always preferred big, comfy over the ear headphones over any and all earbuds (sitting here with a $200 pair of imported headphones on my head...) I have some over-ears that are slightly portable, but I never take them out with me often anyway. Maybe to the library on rare occasions.

And FYI; in the audio community it seems like Beats by Dre are seen as almost nothing more than a fashion accessory.

Yuri Lowell said:

For either one, it depends on the quality of the pair you own, IMO.

Click to expand...

This, basically. You can get thousand dollar earbuds, same as you can with headphones. I got a pair of RHA MA750 recently and they sound amazing, far better than a lot of headphones. Obviously cheap earbuds will break easily, it's actually better to pay for a decent pair that will last you years rather than having to replace crappy ones every 6 months.

I prefer headphones (good ones) when I'm at home though, just coz it's a little more engaging to me to having sound over the ear rather than in the ear. After you've listened to a pair of 100 dollar headphones (not beats) you can't go back to using cruddy ones. And again, they aren't going to break so easily.

Speakers are amazing and my first choice to use them whenever I can, no amount of audiophile gear can beat cranking up the volume on a speaker set. But obviously it's not always possible... neighbours, family etc.

I've been using my Sennheiser HD439 as my primary set of headphones since late last year. I also have a set of Philips ear buds for when I'm out and about, and I need my music fix.

The ear buds are decent for what they are - cheap and cheerful, but still makes mincemeat of most phone speakers. The headphones, on the other hand, is on its own territory. It handles most music with aplomb and sounds pretty balanced (despite the marketing blurb) - nothing too muddy, nothing too shrill. Things are just... mostly perfect.

However, after I got a bundled Asus ROG Orion gaming headset with my new Asus laptop, I ended up switching between headphones as I see fit while in my room. Since both are easily driven by just about everything, I end up using the ROG Orion for most games, and using the HD439 for turn-based RPGs and multimedia (think music, videos, and movies) in general. I like to use things based on their strengths. (Bass output and positional audio accuracy comes in play when you're playing an action game, for example.)

I am a huge fan of Apple's earphones. The quality from these earphones are just simply amaaaaaazing. I had to leave my generic headphones I had bought from Wal-Mart behind so I can use these instead.

In general, I do prefer earphones. They are portable, versatile, and they require little room.

I prefer headphones. I struggle to keep earbuds in my ear. xD It just gets annoying after a while.

It both for me I love Skullcandy brand of headphones and ear buds. And plus it just depend on the day if I'm at work I usually have my XL brand by Skullcandy ear buds with me. At home its Skullcandy headphones all the way, best friend during working at the gym.

I use my Apple earbuds while I'm out and traveling to school as if I happen to lose them for whatever reason they aren't a huge loss.

At home I prefer using my AKG 451 headphones becuase they offer better sound and are more comfortable over long periods.

I've always preferred earphones because headphones, although they have much better sound quality, do not look appealing on my head :c I've been sticking with Apple earbuds for the last few years since they come with the iPhone, but they've been pretty solid in terms, in my opinion or maybe I just have low standards. The ones I'm using at the moment is both for my iPhone, and the computer.

At home I try to use headphones over earbuds. They're more comfortable (most of the time) and the sound quality is normally better as well. Though when I'm on the go I try to stick with earbuds because they're easier to carry around. Headphones usually last longer when I keep them strictly to home use as well since they're not being banged around by anything. And also because normally it also functions as a headset so it's used for skype calls something I only do at home.

I've heard that earbuds hurt your ear more than headphones, which worries me because I use earbuds all the time! I just haven't found any headphones in my price range with good enough design + sound quality. Earbuds are much more convenient anyways.