How Do I Choose the Best Earbud Headphones?

In-ear headphones, also known as in-ear headphones, in-ear headphones, or in-ear monitors (ie, IEM's English name: In-Ear-Monitor), are earphones that are used inside the human hearing organ. Can seal the ear canal of the user during use.

earbuds

In-ear

In-ear headphones are based on ordinary headphones, with a gel plug

Because of excellent portability, high-quality sound performance and excellent sound insulation, special customized canalphone (usually customized for customers)

In-ear headphones are sometimes referred to as

Compared with in-ear headphones, although active noise-cancelling headphones are larger, they still do not provide better

In-ear headphones usually see three types of earmuffs: soft plastic sleeves (also known as "hat-style", "slip-on" styles, often made of silicone and polyvinyl chloride), sponge sleeves, and hard acrylic made of custom eardrums Custom eardrums also come in soft plastic and hard / soft membranes, but are not very common). The soft plastic sleeve is divided into two versions: universal type and different size types. General-purpose earmuffs, such as the three-segment earphones and some two-segment earphones by Intemet, they allow users to choose the depth of the ear canal. They are usually inserted deeper to enhance the sound insulation effect. "Foreign body sex". Different sizes of earmuffs, such as Shure's soft earmuffs, come in three sizes: small, medium and large. Users choose these earmuffs based on the comfort they prefer after wearing them well.

In addition to custom earmuffs, sponge covers are often considered to be the most comfortable and soundproof earmuffs. Compared with the soft plastic sleeve, the sealed environment formed by the sponge sleeve close to the ear canal will bring a warmer, fuller, and sometimes even more pleasant listening experience to the user. There are also two versions of the sponge cover: universal type (such as Shure's yellow sponge), and different sizes (shuer's black sponge). Most sponge covers are not washable and require replacement every few weeks (see: "Cleaning Your In-Ear Headphones and Ear Covers" section).

Comply's sponge cover is often considered the most comfortable. Comply also produces different types of sponge covers for different in-ear headphones. Unlike the soft plastic sleeve, the sponge sleeve is usually fixed in diameter, so it cannot be used on in-ear headphones with different catheter diameters (unless it is modified).

Shure's black sponges are the most popular sponge covers on the market because they are quite comfortable and have a cleanable design (see: "Cleaning Your In-Ear Headphones and Ear Covers"). They will be marked with dots at the bottom of the earmuffs: 1 point = small, 2 points = medium, 3 points = large. Specific dimensions, see

For best results, moisten the third sleeve before inserting it.

Use your right hand to hold the appropriate part of the headset.

Pull the corresponding auricle with your left hand to straighten the ear canal. Carefully insert the appropriate headset and go a little deeper while maintaining comfort.

Repeat the above action to insert another headset and slowly rotate to remove the headset, and slowly open this sealed environment.

Sponge cover

When inserting, make sure that the shiny side of the sponge cover faces the eardrum.

Rub / pinch with one finger before inserting to compress the sponge.

Using your other hand, pull the pinna back and up until the ear canal becomes straight.

Carefully insert a sponge cover into the ear canal. After inserting, continue to pinch the headset with your hand until the sponge is fully expanded to close the ear canal. ^[1]

The right habit of in-ear headphones

Set the volume of the audio source to minimum.

Insert the 3.5mm plug of the in-ear headphones into the headphone jack.

Adjust the volume to a comfortable position. In-ear headphones are not recommended for driving motorcycles, bicycles, operating machines, and jogging, as this may affect your judgment of potential dangers.

Do not turn the volume too high (for more information see: In-Ear Headphones and Health)

Do not pull the headset out of the jack or ear by pulling the wire. (Translator's Note: From the front, when pulling the plug of the headphone, you should pinch the hard plastic wrapped part of the rear end of the plug and gently pull it out, instead of pulling it out directly through the wire)

Avoid excessive bending of the wire for a long time.

Cleaning and maintenance of in-ear headphones

Keeping the earmuffs clean makes your headphones tighter. And most importantly, there is no better way to keep the earmuffs clean than regular ear cleaning!

Universal In-Ear Headphones: Once the tube of the earmuff and the tube of the earphone are loose, discard the earmuff, then clean the tube and replace it with a new one. If neither or both sides of the earphones make any sound or the volume becomes low, you should replace the filter (see Note 1) or clean the catheter with the specified tools. Custom in-ear headphones: Clean the acrylic plastic case with a tissue and make sure that the catheter is not blocked by earwax after each use.

Clean earmuffs and wires when necessary (at least once a month). If you use in-ear headphones often, you need to clean the wires and earmuffs more frequently, especially the part of the wire that will contact your skin. In this way, the effect of sebum on the wire is reduced, and the service life of the wire is therefore guaranteed.

Do not use alcohol-based cleaners or products containing bleach. A piece of nylon cloth and a piece of soap are enough.

When cleaning the earmuffs, first remove them from the in-ear headphones. You can lower the earmuffs by holding the earmuffs with your thumb and forefinger and gently turning the earmuffs off the catheter. Do not pull or pull hard on the earmuffs as this may tear them.

Keep in mind that the wires of in-ear headphones, like all wires, end up being hard and cracked. Of course, the more you care about it, the longer it will last. However, the quality of the wire used by different manufacturers is not the same-some look weak but actually strong, while others look strong but easy to crack. In the long run, "replaceable" wire is better than "non-replaceable" wire, and sometimes changing the wire can change the sound quality performance.

Care should be taken when cleaning the greasy dirt on the casing of the in-ear headphones and the surface of the catheter. Do not allow any moisture to enter the catheter. If moisture does come in, this may prevent the headset from working properly. If the moisture does cause the volume of one or both of the earphones to drop, please remove the in-ear headphones from the container in which they are usually placed, and place them in a dry, ventilated place. Within 24-48 hours, the moisture will naturally evaporate. Already.

When the soft plastic sleeve becomes oily and dirty, it should be washed with warm water and soap. As for non-washable sponge covers, they should be discarded when they become dirty, harden, or become insufficiently deflated and become less elastic (see note 1). Shure's Black Sponge (considered as Shure's logo among enthusiasts and introduced by Shure in the spring of 2007) can be used to gently wipe off dirt on the surface of the earmuffs with a hot towel.

Whenever you put earphones on your earphones, make sure they are absolutely dry. When installing the earmuffs, install them all the way to the root of the catheter (if there is a buckle, attach it to the buckle).

Note 1: Ear burn test has been carried out, and the sponge cover is gently tilted in a medicinal peroxide (hydrogen) solution (that is, ear drops, which we usually use to melt radon and clean the ear canal) and leave it for a while (About 15 minutes), it can clean the sponge to a certain extent and prolong its service life. The same reason can also be used to clean the earwax solidified near the earphone filter (removable filter) and the catheter opening.

In-ear headphones electrostatic discharge

When wearing in-ear headphones, you may feel static electricity. Static electricity can threaten in-ear headphones. In cold and dry climates, people can easily be charged with static electricity. The sound signal wire is passed between the in-ear headphone plug and the earphone, and the inside is metal, and it is also a ground wire derived from static electricity. Although human ears touch the plastic part of the in-ear headphones, there are still metal parts inside. The static voltage is often high enough to enter the internal metal part of the in-ear headphones, and then enter the playback equipment, such as CD players and MP3 players, that generate audio signals from the wires. Although this self-dissipating voltage is not harmful, it still frightens people.

It is important to note that these static electricity must be "masterpieces of nature", which does not mean that your in-ear headphones have design flaws. Static electricity will not harm your headphones.

Pay attention to in-ear headphones

Is it necessary for in-ear headphones to "burn"?

Generally speaking, moving iron headsets do not improve much after they have burned. Some dynamic headsets have improved their sound quality after a period of time. If you want to know more, please search in Baidu. Some suggestions: If you really want to burn your in-ear headphones, playing music at normal volume for two days (about 50 hours) is enough for most in-ear headphones-this is the author's personal experience with multiple in-ear headphones.

Do in-ear headphones require an amp?

Some in-ear headphones do require an amp in order to make the highlights. Some in-ear headphones with low sensitivity, such as Etymotic's ER4S, usually require an amp to exert its full strength. However, most in-ear headphones on the market do not need any amps to reach their full potential, even if the amps will sometimes slightly improve their sound quality.

The easiest way to know if an in-ear headset requires an amp is to read the manual. The general rule is that in-ear headphones with an impedance of less than 50 ohms and a sensitivity of more than 98 decibels absolutely do not require an amp.

Stethoscope effect and bone conduction

For new users of in-ear headphones, two issues are their most criticized: the "stethoscope effect" (also known as "wire noise") and "bone conduction phenomenon." The stethoscope effect means that the earphone user can hear the noise (caused by the wire rubbing clothing or other things) conducted by the wire into the earphone. "Bone conduction phenomenon" refers to the passage of sound into the user's ear canal from the inside of the user's body so that the user hears noise (caused by sports activities such as eating and walking). Both of these phenomena are side effects caused by the closed ear canal This closed and quiet listening environment reinforces this noise.

The "stethoscope effect" can be avoided by wearing around ears or using clothespins. Some companies also offer better wire for reducing the "stethoscope effect". "Bone conduction phenomenon" can limit its effect by not walking while listening to music and walking gently (changing soft-soled shoes). In the end, most users will get used to these two issues and eventually forget them.

Noise floor

Sometimes in-ear headphones users will hear the background noise of the current when the volume is very low, which sounds like "snoring" and "booing". Most in-ear headphones are very sensitive, so they can easily monitor the background noise of the current, while large headphones can ignore these details. There are few practical measures to solve this problem. Sometimes adding a resistance line seems to have some effect (it will increase the impedance of the headphones and reduce the sensitivity). At the same time, some devices (such as a micro hard disk used by IPOD) are generally considered to produce more noise floor.

Sometimes in-ear headphones raise the frequency band of 1KHz ~ 10KHz, which is also called "tooth sound" and "burr". The problem is that this kind of in-ear headphones will produce very sharp treble, which is usually very stimulating and uncomfortable for long listening, especially in the performance of female voices. Because everyone can hear different frequencies, the high frequencies of these glitches are suitable for some people. (Translator's Note: This involves the discussion of 4B and 4S again. The translator himself is Those who ca nt hear 4B are very bright and transparent. It sounds very sharp and very hairy to me. At the same time, I have too much love for amps that deliberately raise high frequencies). There is actually no way to really solve this problem. Adjusting EQ is probably one of the most effective methods, or it is to change the headset (mainly the catheter and the filter).

In- ear headphones and health

People often mistakenly believe that in-ear headphones can cause hearing loss and infect ear diseases. However, the truth is that in-ear headphones are safe when used properly.

First point: You need to know that no matter what kind of headphones (or speakers) you use, listening to music for a long time at high volume will damage your hearing. The advantage of using in-ear headphones is that you can turn the volume down, because you don't need to increase the volume to offset background noise. This smaller volume means that in noisy environments, using in-ear headphones will be safer than using headphones, non-in-ear earbuds. And don't think that in-ear headphones close to the eardrum can easily damage your hearing. Since the volume of in-ear headphones is low, it is at least as safe as ordinary headphones at the same volume. (Scientific basis: 1, 2)

Second point: When foreign objects are inserted into the ear canal, your ears will produce more wax. This is how the human body protects itself against moist and closed ear canals, prevents external objects, and prevents bacterial proliferation. Therefore, when using in-ear headphones, it is best to remove the headphones from time to time to allow air circulation to relax the ear canal (also allow your middle / deep ear canals to have a short rest under the constant bombardment of sound). Regular cleaning of the earwax is also recommended. However, before doing it yourself, ask your doctor how to clean the earwax safely. After accidentally entering the inner ear canal, earwax can cause blockage or even infection (if the earwax condensation hurts the eardrum). If you find an ear infection, stop using any headphones immediately and seek medical attention immediately.

It should also be noted that humans themselves cannot adapt to long-term noise environments, even with low sound pressure. A recent World Health Organization survey report shows that lower noise does not cause hearing loss, but still has a bad effect on the body. People who are in a noisy environment for a long time are more susceptible to serious diseases, both physically and psychologically. Although I haven't researched hard, my suggestion is that you still have to think carefully before you plan to listen to music for a long time, even at a lower volume. Granted, we all love music, but that doesn't mean we have to listen to it every moment.

In short, please listen at a lower volume when needed, and keep the ear canal and in-ear headphones clean, and don't keep listening for too long. Remember: the process of hearing loss is irreversible (it's difficult to recover from hearing loss), so please use this common sense to take care of yourself.

Frequency range of in-ear headphones

I would like to know why so many people will tell you that the in-ear headphones are cheerful and the details are good, but at the same time, even the best in-ear headphones do not have a frequency response above 16kHz? The reason is that although the human auditory frequency response is: 20Hz to 20000Hz, it is impossible (or difficult) for most people to hear sounds above 16kHz, especially after the age of 20. Don't worry about losing the "details" of high frequencies above 16kHz, because people think that the treble is in the 5kHz to 16kHz band, and most of the details are in the lower band.

A normal headphone can generate high frequencies in excess of 16kHz, 20kHz, and even 30kHz, but if you can't hear it, it won't matter how high it is. Unless you plan to share headphones with your dog. So why are headphone manufacturers willing to emphasize these frequency responses, even though they know that consumers can't hear that high. Because ordinary consumers do not know the truth, they only believe that the higher the index, the better, but they do not know that this is just a marketing strategy.

Maybe some of you have learned from other places that although humans cannot hear sounds exceeding 20KHz, they can still feel ultrasound (and the harmonic distortion caused by ultrasound), and this part of the high frequency does have a sound quality This is also positive for some positive effects (see note 2). However, for all CDs, lossy or lossless music, the upper limit of recording / encoding is only 20KHz. The above part can only be used on a 16-bit DAC, and it cannot guarantee its effective restoration. Therefore, we can safely conclude that for most of the music we listen to, it doesn't make any sense for general headphones or in-ear headphones to emit high frequencies above 20khz. If you want to hear high frequencies above 20KHz, you have to go back to the analog audio (LP) era, or buy a SACD, DVD-A, but I want to remind you that you need other equipment Show it frequently.