Should I buy headphones or earbuds? — Price and practicality

From college students to professional athletes to gym-goers, different people with different lives utilize different technology to listen to their music. 

With the market of headphones and earbuds constantly growing, the options seem endless. Each new launch seems to have more impressive features than the last. As overwhelming as it may seem to find the ones that best fit your lifestyle, it all depends on two factors — price and practicality.

Apple’s In-Ear Headphones are one of the most loved and nostalgic forms of this technology. These wired headphones, launched in September 2008, had new revolutionary features for the time — like the volume rocker attached to the wires. These headphones may not be the flashiest or most modern, but they have gotten the job done for years. Though, it is frustrating to untangle the wires. 

As an alternative to AirPods, In-Ear Headphones may be more reliable for some. AirPods require charging to use them, which can be time-consuming. Sometimes AirPods die mid-day if not charged. Such a mood killer.

One of the most popular features of modern headphones and earbuds is noise cancellation. And tuning people out is a fair reason to spend more on a piece of technology. 

Brands like Apple, Bose and Beats offer noise-canceling headphones ranging from $149 to $549. 

Over-the-ear headphones are a bit pricier when it comes to noise-canceling technology, but all three companies have also revolutionized the technology to include earbuds. 

The Beats Studio Buds, comparable to Bose’s QuietComfort Earbuds and Apple’s AirPods Pro, offer the option to adjust the noise cancellation of the earbuds. Apple’s original AirPods do not offer an adjustable feature or noise-canceling. 

When it comes to over-the-ear headphones, like Bose’s QuietComfort model, Beats’ Studio3 and Apple’s AirPods Max, noise cancelation is just one of the cutting-edge technologies offered. With designs meant to fit comfortably around ears of all shapes and sizes, over-the-ear headphones are practical for many.

From studying to working out, some prefer the size and fit of larger headphones as opposed to earbuds. AirPods lack practicality when it comes to working out considering movement may shake the earbuds from one’s ear. For studying, the noise canceling adjustment and ability to block out surrounding sounds is the key feature that makes the AirPods Max an easy choice for many. 

The three most popular forms of technology used to listen to music, wired earbuds, wireless earbuds and over-the-ear headphones, all have pros and cons. Newer features like noise-canceling are practical for many but not all.Whether you are team wired headphones or team AirPods Max, music-listening technology is crucial to many aspects of our lives.