The ideal world of headphones would be to have one type of headphone for a certain type of activity, as there are strengths and weaknesses in each of the architectures. However, many people end up having only one headset to use on a daily basis in all activities, which can raise doubts as to whether a particular model is suitable for, for example, playing a game on the PC or console. This text will serve to unravel a little of this mystery that surrounds the main headphones that people use nowadays, which are the in-ears (in-ears or IEMs or in-ear monitors) and the headphones (cincunaural or over-ears ).
Comfort to listen for hours
The comfort aspect will depend a lot on the model used, as there are both uncomfortable in-ear headphones and uncomfortable headphones. The reason for discomfort can vary, ranging from a bad fit or non-anatomical shape of an in-ear earphone to excessive pressure from the headphone arch on the head and ears.
The first thing we have to analyze in an in-ear is the question of the shape of the house (body of the earphone) and see if it follows the shell of our ears to rest without disturbing and not end up causing pain in the ears. The best formats tend to be those that are more rounded, with the shape of an olive, and those that have a cylindrical shape, which is simply a straight tube. Also, another point that I find interesting is to observe that the cable goes over the ear, as this aspect can give the cable more stability, comfort for us and less generation of feedback (the noise it makes when the cable hits a surface). .
As for headphones, we have to pay attention to the pressure exerted by the arch (to find out, just ask or read the opinions of those who have already owned the headphones) and the quality of the pads (cushions) in terms of finish, type of fabric and foam. used. Remembering that it is interesting to have the possibility of removing the pads (and cables), as they are items that wear out naturally over time.
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Technologies used
In recent years, we have had innovations in the world of in-ear headphones with the emergence of technologies that had previously only been seen in headphones. These are planar magnetic drivers (example headphones: Tin Hifi P1, Audeze iSine 10) and electrostatic drivers (example headphones: Shure KSE1500). The implementation of these technologies in a miniaturized form brought great advances at different price levels, giving more possibilities for tuning the sound of headphones.
In headphones, there were some improvements in the drivers used, but it was not the same change experienced by the IEMs. Here we have larger drivers that can give a greater sense of spaciousness compared to in-ears. However, the level of detail obtained by the little ones, through the use of hybrid solutions (more than one technology in the same earphone) or different materials and structures in single drivers, sometimes manage to offer more than over-ears for a price lower.
I don’t know if we can call it a limitation, but until today we haven’t had good results from circumaural headphones that used more than one type of driver technology. One hypothesis would be the need for a large space to place more than one type of driver and at the same time have a good capacity to move the air and generate a good sound (which is obtained in in-ear headphones that do not need to move a large amount of air due to its shape).
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Differences in sound
Usually in in-ear headphones we find a level of detail more easily, but with the sounds distributed very close to each other. The big difference between headphones and in-ear headphones is the illusion of a considerably larger sound stage in over-ears, in which there is more “air” between instruments and voices and it is easier to distinguish the nuances of each one. However, that’s not to say there’s no way to distinguish the direction of sounds in IEMs, one of the features that PC and console gamers most crave.
Good in-ear headphones manage to have a good distinction of the direction of the sounds, but for this it is important to have a tonal balance (without excessive bass, mid and high frequencies) and good control of each band of the spectrum as the sound develops. expand. Evidently, it is difficult to find a headphone that perfectly meets these requirements, but it is possible to come close and for that it is important to know how to analyze the characteristics of the sounds and hear the opinion of others about the desired model.
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Conclusion
Both types of headphones, in-ears and headphones, have their strengths. It will be up to you to decide which one will fit best according to your tastes and uses. For this, it is important to analyze each of the points mentioned above and decide which characteristics will weigh more for you.
