Compare in-ear earbuds to earbuds and bone conduction earbuds
Compare in-ear earbuds, earbuds, and bone conduction earbuds
| In-ear | Earbuds | Bone conduction | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Wearing method | In your ears | In your ear cup | On your cheekbones |
| Ambient sound | Barely audible | Fairly audible | Properly audible |
| Bass reproduction | Strong | Mediocre | Weak |
Wearing method
In-ear: in your ears
With a rotating motion, you can push the in-ear earbuds into your ear canal. The right size earbuds ensures that they stay firmly in place. With an ear hook with your in-ear earbuds, you can ensure extra firmness. This is especially useful while working out.
Earbuds: in your ear cup
Earbuds don't go directly into your ear canal, but rest in the round part of your ear cup. The fit of this wearing method is universal, so you're sure they fit into your ears.
Bone conduction
With bone conduction earbuds, your ears are skipped completely. You place these 2 speakers on your cheekbones, after which vibrations send the audio to your brain via your auditory nerve. Your eardrums are skipped entirely this way. This wearing method always has a neckband, which is why it's less suitable for people who wear glasses.
Ambient sound
In-ear: environment less audible
In-ear earbuds go directly into your ear canal, which is why you'll hear less of your surroundings. Thanks to this, you'll be bothered with ambient noise less than with earbuds and bone conduction earbuds. This is less safe in traffic.
Earbuds: environment fairly audible
Because earbuds rest in your ear cup and don't go directly into your ear canal, you're surroundings will be fairly audible. This keeps you alert on what's happening around you and you can safely participate in traffic.
Bone conduction: environment properly audible
Because your eardrums are skipped completely with bone conduction and your ears aren't closed off, you'll hear everything around you. This makes bone conduction earbuds the ideal for running. You'll have no problem hearing the car behind you or the cyclist that wants to pass without a problem.
Bass reproduction
In-ear: strong bass reproduction
The bass reproduction with in-ear earbuds is good. Because the earbuds close off your ear canal, the low frequencies are properly audible too. This makes in-ear earbuds the ideal choice if you like music with an intense bass.
Earbuds: mediocre bass reproduction
The bass reproduction with earbuds is mediocre. The bass isn't as powerful, because your ears aren't closed off.
Bone conduction: weak bass reproduction
Bone conduction earbuds offer a weak bass reproduction. These earbuds aren't suitable for long, detailed listening sessions. These earbuds are mainly useful for audio books or to listen to music while working out outdoors.
Conclusion
Each wearing method has its advantages and disadvantages for every situation. In-ear earbuds are suitable for you if you don't want to hear as much ambient noise and value the bass. Earbuds and bone conduction earbuds are better suitable for you if you don't value the bass reproduction as much and want to hear more of your surroundings.
