When I first met someone who listened to his phone in public, it was in a city bus and I was surprised for two reasons. First, the volume area on the phone was not only audible for the person sitting next to them. Our entire section of the bus could hear it. Second, it was a Facetime call, and neither the person on the bus nor your caller seemed to be the slightest hesitation to continue your conversation from the public. In fact, they seemed completely unsuspecting.
That was a few years ago. Since then, the problem has become much worse. I met it in grocery stores, airport lounges, cafes and even while walking on the sidewalk. And it’s not just telephone calls/FaceTime. Music, YouTube, Tiktok, Instagram – they call it. When it has an audio track, I heard that it booms from the loudspeaker of a phone. In a recent sequence of the excellent Tech podcast of the New York Times, Hard forkA listener described the problem as an epidemic, and I don’t think that’s exaggerated.
We all know the solution: Simply use a number of cable or wireless headphones or earphones. It’s so easy. Except, maybe it’s not like that.
I will give these people the advantage of doubt. Perhaps you have fallen victims of misinformation – myths about headphones and earphones – and that’s why you do what you do.
In this sense, they allow me to dispel some of the most common misunderstandings about headphones and earphones.
They are too expensive
When Apple started the first generation Airpods in 2016, wireless earphones were indeed expensive devices. That was almost a decade ago, and since then the market for wireless earphones and headphones has become strong. Yes, the largest brands still sell their best products for hundreds of dollars, but there is also an ocean of cheaper alternatives that can be preserved for only 20 US dollars.
The affordable products are not worth buying
Five or six years ago I would have approved this statement. It is no longer true today. Take moondrops space -earphones as an example. I have been using this 30 dollar radio earphone for a month and they are shockingly good for the basics. They are comfortable, they sound great and even offer a small amount of active noise suppression (ANC). It is also good for calls as long as it is not too windy or loud.
Sure, you lack many extras that you can find with more expensive buds such as wireless charging, multi-point and wear sensors. Your battery life is similarly easy with just four hours per load (a total of 12 if you lock your funky, transparent block of a loadfall). But the point is that you do what we need for every row of earphones, and you cost less than an average meal for a family of four of McDonalds.
Even if you spend less than 30 US dollars, the chances are good that you will at least sound properly. They don’t like to knock you around, but the days really terrible sound are behind us.
Here is a list of the best wireless earphones and headphones below 100 US dollars.
I have an iPhone, so I need Airpods
I am sure Apple would love it if this were true, but no. Each series of Bluetooth earphones or headphones work with every iPhone. I have tested hundreds of these products and have never found one that does not connect to my iPhone. I heard that it said -even those who should know better -that if you are an iPhone owner, you should use AirPods because the connection is more reliable. I don’t know any studies that show this and my own experience does not support this belief.
However Is If the connection problems arise, they are more common with the design and engineering of earphones/headphones than to the phone. And since Apple’s AirPods – whether you like them or not – are very well developed for the connection quality, they may be more reliable than fewer products.
I can’t wear earphones. They are painful or they simply fail
This is not a myth. Many people find it difficult or impossible to keep earphones in their ears just because their anatomy is shaped. The good news is that there are now more options than ever, including the latest category of earphones known as open-ear earphones.
As a rule, earphones are half open, which means that they sit in front of their ear canal (but do not seal with silicone tips). Both guys rely on contact with the concha of their ears to stay. If you have a tiny concha or an irregularly shaped concha, these types of earphones just don’t fit properly, no matter what you do.
However, open-ear earphones are different. They come in two main styles: Earhook and ear clip. Both position their speakers directly outside the ear canal, which eliminates all discomfort that is connected to an object against this area. As the name suggests, wrap yourself on your ear (and offer a very secure fit), while the ear clips wrap around the side. If you ever had problems to match traditional wireless earphones, open-ohe-ears are an excellent alternative. Take a look at our list of the best open-ear earphones for some proposed models.
Just think about it, open ears are open: you cannot block external noises. This can be helpful to stay aware of your surroundings, to have conversations with others, and you are excellent for calls because you can hear your own voice naturally. But there will be times when these external noises are annoying – it is just the nature of the animal.
Alternatively, most people find wireless headphones very comfortable.
I prefer wired earphones/headphones, but my phone has no headphone jack
It is true. You will find it difficult to find smartphones with headphones, unless you choose a niche product like the Sony Xperia 1 VII or the Moondrop Miad01, which does not have one but two sockets. However, this does not mean that you cannot connect a lot of wired earphones or headphones. In fact, they have several options.
By far the easiest and the most affordable path is with a USB-C-to-3.5 mm adapter. These tiny and inexpensive accessories are in the loading connection of your phone and transform them into headphone sockets. Inside, each of these adapters has a digital analog converter (DAC), which carries out the entire severe lifting of the digital music of your phone in something that your headphones can reproduce as a sound. These DACs are often fundamental and rarely exceed 24-bit/48 kHz, but for most people this is more than enough quality.
If you are still rocking an iPhone with a flash connection, don’t worry – there are also many adapters for your phone. Apple makes you who is only 10 US dollars.
The only thing you can check when buying is whether the adapter supports two-way audio or not, so that you can continue to use the inline microphone for voice calls with earphones or headphones.
A step upwards from the simple adapter is a dedicated external DAC/AMP. These devices are aimed at people who take care of the audio quality and can be between 50 and 450 US dollars and upwards in the price. Their biggest advantage is that you can process hi-res audio at the highest level (usually up to 24-bit/192 kHz or higher). Many of them are designed in such a way that they work with earphones and headphones for audiophile boundaries that often require more tension for the best of its best (this is the AMP part). It is rare for these devices to support two-way audio. So check the specifications if this is important.
If you do not yet have cable earphones or headphones, you should search for something that is delivered with a USB-C plug. These are becoming increasingly popular and basically gluing a DAC with a USB-C plug at the end of their wire. Apart from this one feature, the same cable products that we have access to for years are and often contain an inline microphone and distant key.
I wish I could say that I am confident that this round of myth-busting will convince all those who listen loudly to change their ways-I am unlikely. What I may Share this brilliant scene from 1986 Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home As a reminder that this is not a new problem.