In order to pick a satisfying in-ear
headset, buyer should consider the comfort and the handiness of every product.
The headset market more and more varies in
models, brands and quality thus choosing a favorable model is not easy. Here
are some tips to distinguish and choose your own kind of headset.
Earbud
Earbud is the most common headset among
in-ear models in the market. This type comes with quite large design, placed
inside the helix and contact earhole’s outer part. This model is cheap and
user-friendly. However, earbud has its own disadvantages. Particularly, due to
the design that only contact the earhole’s outer part, its noise elimination is
nearly low. Besides, not all of models fits user’s ear perfectly.
Earbub
EarPod (left) accompanied with iPod Touch Nano and iPhone 5 from Apple deliver nice
sound yet it is not as suitable for sport activities as Yurbuds Inspire
These headset models’ sound quality also
varies, depending on the price. Overall, reproduced sound is still limited in
term of bass and details. Some models costing from $25 to $50 from Sennheiser
or Sony feature good quality, relative to their prices.
IEM
Looking around the headset market, user
will find a lot of products showing the term “Dynamic drive IEM”. Simply, these
are in-ear monitor (IEM) designed to be inserted deep into user’s ear. These
products are also equipped with drivers which are similar to Dynamic drivers in
earbud mentioned above, costing from dozens to hundreds of dollars.
Shure
SE215 (left) delivers good sound with detail and warm bass. Especially, Monster
Miles Davis Trumpet focuses on bass
The differences between earbud and IEM
headsets are the size and the design. IEM comes in smaller size to be inserted
deep into user’s ear. This design narrows down the distance between the
earphone and the eardrum, thus IEM models has better noise elimination as well
as sound reproduction than other earbuds. For branded IEM, sound quality is
said to be detailed and bass-rich. User should also note that some IEM models
focuses on bass while the audio quality is in direct portion to the price.
IEM equipped with Balanced armature driver
If audio quality is the top factor, IEM
headset equipped with Balanced armature driver would be an idea option. Basically,
this series is still the common IEM type. However, instead if using the regular
Dynamic driver, these products are equipped with one or many new-generation
membranes which is miniature, lying inside the driver. Typical ones are
Logitech UE 900 with an equipment of up to 4 Balanced armature drivers, or UE
Triple.Fi 10 and Shure SE535 that own 3 Balanced armature drivers in each bud.
IEM
models equipped with only one Balanced armature driver deliver hi-fi sound
quality yet its bass is not impressive
IEM models equipped with Balanced armature
driver is able to not only powerfully eliminate noise but also offer hi-fi
audio quality, frequency range and sound space are larger, depending on the
amount of Balanced armature drivers inside each product’s bud. However, this
product line will also have some downsides; for instance, some model featuring
only one Balanced armature driver will not have bass much enhanced. To have the
best sound quality, audiences must use hi-quality music content and relatively
supported software. The most important is that these models are very pricy.
Some notes for using in-ear headset
Adjust the volume at a tolerant level and
don’t listen to it for hours
Choosing headsets that fits ear’s size perfectly
not only comforts users but also stabilize sound quality. For in-ear models, hygiene
must be taken into account, in order to keep the rubber cushion clean and take
full advantage of accessories if available.
To obtain goo sound quality, user must use
hi-fi source whose bit rate is 256Kbps and above or lossless formats. Though
IEM models equipped with Dynamic drivers can deliver a good quality when
connected directly to the computer but in case of desiring better experience,
you should invest in a separate amplifier setup designed for your specific
headphone.
