this post was submitted on 15 Feb 2024
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It's primarily for safety, like walking outside so you're aware of your surroundings. As for critical listening, an open soundstage is more accurate to the original sound than closed headphones.
People keep saying that, but wearing earphones while walking outside is a niche usage. It's mostly an excuse because no one knows how to do total noise cancellation. Being able to work in quiet while others are yammering around you is priceless.
There’s a difference between using closed-back noise-cancelling headphones in an office or plane and using open-back headphones or bone-conduction while riding a bike or running so you can hear vehicles and other runners/cyclists around you.
Open-back headphones are not just niche usage. They are also used for music production, watching movies at home (feels like you’re listening to speakers in the room with you instead of small headphones), and gaming (open soundstage makes pinpointing sound around you like footsteps more accurate).
Yes, it's walking around outside while listening to music that is a niche usage. I know that some people do it and can't live without it, but I tend to feel that is unusual. It's annoying to see "these earphones let you keep hearing other people's conversations around you" as if that was a desirable feature, which it almost never is.
You tend to feel? Mate, it's not unusual, it's been done for decades by lots of people. Go outside and look.
The Walkman, introduced in the 80's, would like a word. As would the first electronic handheld radios in the 60's.
Niche? You keep using that word. I do not think that word means what you think it means.
Many people outside do not have headphones on. But most people who are walking/running/cycling do have them on.
Yup. I used to bike with headphones hanging around my neck so i could hear some music but also the world. Its much better now with passthrough, I can put them in my ears to hear both the audio and world normally.
These look even better than the active passthrough, as they would use way less power for the same benefit. Im exactly the market for these "open" headphones.
For what it’s worth, I’ve quite enjoyed my aftershokz, on my second pair. The one downside I have is that the wind going over them makes a noise in my ear, and the furry things you clip to your bike helmet straps don’t help enough. don’t get me wrong, you have the wind noise in your ears regardless, but the aftershocks make it worse.
On the plus side, I don’t have to worry about them ever falling off, unlike these, strapped underneath my helmet like they are.
Well, this is exactly what I use earbuds for. I have nice cans with ANC for indoor usage.
That said, no shot I'm ever going to drop $300 on something I might lose because my hood brushes my ear a little wrong.
And they make headphones for that.
But if you're out walking around in the city you absolutely want to be aware of whats around you, and it's absolutely not a niche usage. That's why the airpods, and lots of other headphone offer both. Transparency for when you want to be aware, noise cancelation for when you don't.
Hmm ok, I do see some that no longer advertise outside sound as a feature, and I haven't tried the latest ones, but I've never tried any so far that work as well as acoustic hearing protectors from the hardware store. If you have a model to recommend I might check it out.
Full blown hearing protection and headphones with ANC are completely different beasts. Unless that hearing pro also has Active Noise Cancelation.
Hearing protection reduces the audio level by X decibels. They're great for if you're at a job sight with a lot of loud shit, or the shooting range where there's extremely loud things that will destroy you hearing.
ANC tries to actively cancel it out so if done right you don't hear anything at all. Airpods pro with well fitting ear tips work extremely well for blocking out office noises. They're not so great for sudden super loud noises. My friend swears by the comply foam tips. Just know you'll need to replace them often because the foam absorbs ear wax like crazy.
I haven't experienced any ANC headphones that block noise as well as hearing protectors do, but I haven't tried the newest ones, and it's hard to test them in a relatively quiet environment (office level rather than retail store level). I wonder if it's possible to try Airpods Pro. Do you have suggestions of over the ear ANC headphones that block out office noise? I prefer those to sticking things in my ear. It is possible that this stuff has gotten better since last time I looked into it.
Reducing the audio by X decibels is exactly what I want, if I can get X=100. The best I've been able to find is around X=30. That helps but if there are ANC devices with higher X, then I'd like to try them. Thanks.
Eh
Dude, there are people with earbuds EVERYWHERE on the street. It's actually a problem on the bike lanes because the ones that are noise cancelling can't hear when someone is right behind them ringing a bike bell.
How big is this niche? Whenever I'm out walking or riding my bike with my earphones, more than half the people I see walking or biking are wearing earphones. Maybe you live in car land but over here such activities are common.
Niche?? Shit man, go outside some time.
Speak for yourself, I do it three or so hours a day.
Indoors or in a car... that's where I never wear earphones. I prefer speakers for that.