Likes and tastes, pros and cons
Different headphones have different characteristics, so it’s important to find the right one for you.
´You can roughly divide the bluetooth headsets into two groups: Those that consist of two covers with a jumper between them and are designed like traditional headphones, and those that consist of two smaller separate earbuds that are stored in a case, so-called True Wireless.
The former group can be easily divided into two variants, on-ear and over-ear. Over-ear headphones have large covers that surround the entire ear, while on-ear headphones are a little smaller and more flexible, pressing against the ears rather than sitting around them. Over-ear headphones can often be more comfortable, the larger speaker elements that fit in the housings provide potentially better music sound, and the housings allow you to be enclosed in your own bubble, which is good in office environments and on the train but less good if you are cycling or jogging, although they normally have a hear-through mode where the microphones are used to take in the ambient sound. On-ear headphones are above all smaller and more flexible, and usually cheaper, and let in more of the surrounding sound.
For earbuds, True Wireless now dominates, which consists of two separate earbuds that are stored in a case that also serves as an extra battery when the headphones are not in use. There are also more traditional solutions, with a horseshoe-shaped brace worn around the neck, but this now only applies to special sports models. The battery life speaks against True Wireless and for the other variants, but it is relative. True Wireless often has a battery life of over 30 hours with the charge in the case.
The shape of the earpiece itself differs between different headsets. The two main types are partly the type that Apple used for its original Airpods, where the headset is hung in the ear without being clamped and a directional speaker directs the sound into the ear. The other variant consists of a rubber plug that is pushed into the ear canal. nowadays Apple also has Airpods Pro with rubber pads. The “original Airpods” variant pretty much always has a stick, while the rubber ones can come with or without a stick. The stick is a poor indicator of how good the call sound is, but it can be easier to handle and control a headset with a stick.
As with on-ear versus over-ear, the original Airpods variant is open and lets in ambient sound while rubber pads block out the environment. Open earbuds are often more comfortable, but if you’re unlucky, it’s hard to direct the sound so music sounds really good. For the variant with rubber pads, it usually comes with pads in different sizes and it is important to choose the right size for the headset to sit properly and sound well.
There is thus no right or wrong when it comes to different headset types, but is more a matter of taste.
This is an excerpt from a longer text where we go through in a buying guide how to choose the right wireless headphones and what is important to consider. The entire article has previously been published exclusively for Plus members on Mobil.se. Here you can become a Plus member and thus get direct access to all articles on Mobil.se. As a plus member, you get collected tips and many other in-depth, guiding articles. You can find the entire original article here.