6 ms·

I may be getting old but over-ear headphones still look weird to me outside. Besides the look I do not like not be be aware about the world around me.

by rimliu 6y ago

corobo 6y ago
If I pay 500 quid for a pair of headphones I don't plan on removing them haha
ghaff 6y ago
>I do not like not be be aware about the world around me I don't even like wearing earbuds on a forest path. I really can't imagine over the ear headphones around a city, even sitting in public transit.
- jen20 6y ago
  For those even remotely hard of hearing, the “transparency” mode on the Airpod Pro model _improves_ awareness of surroundings.
  - ghaff 6y ago
    I admit I just got a pair but haven't really tried them out yet. I imagine it would take a lot of habit breaking for me to get comfortable with them walking around. If you're actually listening to music etc.--i.e. actually have a reason to have them in your ear--I think I'd still find it isolating.
  - loudmax 6y ago
    Mythbuster Adam Savage has spoken about the improvement to his quality of life that hearing aids brought him: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D-Ptuq85R8Y https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D-Ptuq85R8Y Not Airpods, but I wouldn't be surprised if Airpods offered similar qualities.
    - ogre_codes 6y ago
      AirPods which have transparency mode can work as low end hearing aids. Not a suitable replacement for people who require hearing aids, but for people who have light to moderate hearing loss they help. https://hearinghealthmatters.org/hearingnewswatch/2020/airpods-amplification-hearing-ios14/ https://hearinghealthmatters.org/hearingnewswatch/2020/airpo...
  - mgkimsal 6y ago
    Similar to the Bose QC20. I have both, and am starting to prefer the APP, but batteries don't last as long. I keep using the QC20 wired some each week too. In both cases those 'transparency modes' do filter out a bit of useless noise, and I do feel a bit more 'aware' of things/people outside me with that mode on. I've often thought that's also at least partially because I intentionally switch to that mode for a reason (then switch back to full noise cancelling when done).
- alex_anglin 6y ago
  To each their own, but over the ear headphones with noise cancellation make public transit much more enjoyable for me.
  - vanilla_nut 6y ago
    Same. The cacophony of NYC's subway system was starting to feel painful to me before I started wearing my QC35 IIs on the train every day. It's also healthy for your ears, since active noise cancellation literally blocks those loud noises from ever hitting your eardrums.
- prionassembly 6y ago
  There are many consumer headphones with an “open air” design that let street noise in. I live in a busy hipster neighborhood that’s also a major traffic hub... and I like it. I’m a city rat. The music is supposed to come with the roar of cars at a green light and the dozens of half heard conversations on busy sidewalks. I have the-cheapest-model Sennheiser open airs and a with-mic-for-Zoom-calls JBL. The JBL absolutely isolates the environment mechanically. This is good for a meeting (except for the fact that you hear your voice from your skull, but heck.)
Technically 6y ago
Earpods look weird, too. People still use them.
ineedasername 6y ago
Yes, I'm still very "get off my lawn!" about it myself. Though I've gotten used to the sight of earbuds and myself wear (non Apple) earbuds.
vmception 6y ago
Over-ear headphones are older than earbuds, how do you relate this preference with getting old?
- wpietri 6y ago
  The wearing of them isn't, though. People were not hauling around their 70s hi-fi systems on roller carts to listen to music in their large headphones. The original Walkman came with headphones [1], but they were light and fluffy. For a long time after, the trend was toward lighter, smaller. People wearing large headphones out and about are definitely a later wave. [1] https://www.theverge.com/2014/7/1/5861062/sony-walkman-at-35 https://www.theverge.com/2014/7/1/5861062/sony-walkman-at-35
  - _ph_ 6y ago
    I was just about to write the same thing. Big headphones were of course the way most headphones were made initially. And it didn't matter until Sony released the Walkman allowing to have good audio in a mobile environment. For years though, they tried to make the headphones smaller, though being far away from todays in-ear phones. I really think it was Beats what made people wear large headphones in the public.
  - Someone 6y ago
    If you’re old enough (and of the right subculture), you may have been hauling your 70s hi-fi system around, but not on roller-carts: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Boombox#/media/File%3AChicago_Pride_Parade_1985_033.jpg https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Boombox#/media/File%3AChicago_... (also stops any complaints about these being too large :-) )
  - taneq 6y ago
    There was a trend for a while in the 90s of people using Walkmans with big DJ style over-ear headphones. Maybe that's what they're talking about?
- JohnBooty 6y ago
  on-ear != over-ear People have worn on-ear headphones since the early days of Sony Walkmans. Y'know, this kind: https://retrospekt.com/products/retro-orange-headphones https://retrospekt.com/products/retro-orange-headphones Wearing over-ear headphones in public wasn't really a thing until Beats and such came into fashion in the last 15 years or so.
heelix 6y ago
One of the more unexpected things on a good pair of noise canceling headphones was hearing conversations on airplanes that folks thought were private. Eliminating some of the background hum almost feels like a super power at times. (And occasionally an unwanted one)
racl101 6y ago
Very true. I would never wear these things outside given that their overpriced and, currently, many young people in a year like this are unemployed. It's like begging to get robbed.
NikolaNovak 6y ago
"Over-the-ear" does not necessarily mean lack of awareness. Basically you have two axis: Size/Fit: Earbuds and myriad variations; Supra-aural (on ear), circumaural (over the ear) Isolation: Circumaural/over-the-ear can be open-back or closed-back; and they can have various degrees of noise isolation and cancellation. As for the look and age, it's really a subjective perspective - I personally feel I'm old enough not to care about wearing over-the-ear outside :D
seanmcdirmid 6y ago
Bone conductive headphones are great if you want awareness. They don’t go in your ears, so no ear canal irritation either. Conversely, they are horrible at filtering out surrounding noises.
navbaker 6y ago
I'm not bothered by seeing people just out and about wearing big, probably expensive headphones, but seeing folks exercising even remotely strenuously in them is what I don't understand. I just can't deal with the thought of all that sweat soaking into the various soft parts of a nice pair of headphones.
corobo 6y ago
Airpods looked daft when they first came out too. Apple makes fashion products

I may be getting old but over-ear headphones still look weird to me outside. Besides the look I do not like not be be aware about the world around me.

by rimliu 6y ago

I may be getting old but over-ear headphones still look weird to me outside. Besides the look I do not like not be be aware about the world around me.

corobo 6y ago

If I pay 500 quid for a pair of headphones I don't plan on removing them haha

ghaff 6y ago

>I do not like not be be aware about the world around me I don't even like wearing earbuds on a forest path. I really can't imagine over the ear headphones around a city, even sitting in public transit.

jen20 6y ago
For those even remotely hard of hearing, the “transparency” mode on the Airpod Pro model _improves_ awareness of surroundings.
- ghaff 6y ago
  I admit I just got a pair but haven't really tried them out yet. I imagine it would take a lot of habit breaking for me to get comfortable with them walking around. If you're actually listening to music etc.--i.e. actually have a reason to have them in your ear--I think I'd still find it isolating.
- loudmax 6y ago
  Mythbuster Adam Savage has spoken about the improvement to his quality of life that hearing aids brought him: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D-Ptuq85R8Y https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D-Ptuq85R8Y Not Airpods, but I wouldn't be surprised if Airpods offered similar qualities.
  - ogre_codes 6y ago
    AirPods which have transparency mode can work as low end hearing aids. Not a suitable replacement for people who require hearing aids, but for people who have light to moderate hearing loss they help. https://hearinghealthmatters.org/hearingnewswatch/2020/airpods-amplification-hearing-ios14/ https://hearinghealthmatters.org/hearingnewswatch/2020/airpo...
- mgkimsal 6y ago
  Similar to the Bose QC20. I have both, and am starting to prefer the APP, but batteries don't last as long. I keep using the QC20 wired some each week too. In both cases those 'transparency modes' do filter out a bit of useless noise, and I do feel a bit more 'aware' of things/people outside me with that mode on. I've often thought that's also at least partially because I intentionally switch to that mode for a reason (then switch back to full noise cancelling when done).
alex_anglin 6y ago
To each their own, but over the ear headphones with noise cancellation make public transit much more enjoyable for me.
- vanilla_nut 6y ago
  Same. The cacophony of NYC's subway system was starting to feel painful to me before I started wearing my QC35 IIs on the train every day. It's also healthy for your ears, since active noise cancellation literally blocks those loud noises from ever hitting your eardrums.
prionassembly 6y ago
There are many consumer headphones with an “open air” design that let street noise in. I live in a busy hipster neighborhood that’s also a major traffic hub... and I like it. I’m a city rat. The music is supposed to come with the roar of cars at a green light and the dozens of half heard conversations on busy sidewalks. I have the-cheapest-model Sennheiser open airs and a with-mic-for-Zoom-calls JBL. The JBL absolutely isolates the environment mechanically. This is good for a meeting (except for the fact that you hear your voice from your skull, but heck.)

Technically 6y ago

Earpods look weird, too. People still use them.

ineedasername 6y ago

Yes, I'm still very "get off my lawn!" about it myself. Though I've gotten used to the sight of earbuds and myself wear (non Apple) earbuds.

vmception 6y ago

Over-ear headphones are older than earbuds, how do you relate this preference with getting old?

wpietri 6y ago
The wearing of them isn't, though. People were not hauling around their 70s hi-fi systems on roller carts to listen to music in their large headphones. The original Walkman came with headphones [1], but they were light and fluffy. For a long time after, the trend was toward lighter, smaller. People wearing large headphones out and about are definitely a later wave. [1] https://www.theverge.com/2014/7/1/5861062/sony-walkman-at-35 https://www.theverge.com/2014/7/1/5861062/sony-walkman-at-35
- _ph_ 6y ago
  I was just about to write the same thing. Big headphones were of course the way most headphones were made initially. And it didn't matter until Sony released the Walkman allowing to have good audio in a mobile environment. For years though, they tried to make the headphones smaller, though being far away from todays in-ear phones. I really think it was Beats what made people wear large headphones in the public.
- Someone 6y ago
  If you’re old enough (and of the right subculture), you may have been hauling your 70s hi-fi system around, but not on roller-carts: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Boombox#/media/File%3AChicago_Pride_Parade_1985_033.jpg https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Boombox#/media/File%3AChicago_... (also stops any complaints about these being too large :-) )
- taneq 6y ago
  There was a trend for a while in the 90s of people using Walkmans with big DJ style over-ear headphones. Maybe that's what they're talking about?
JohnBooty 6y ago
on-ear != over-ear People have worn on-ear headphones since the early days of Sony Walkmans. Y'know, this kind: https://retrospekt.com/products/retro-orange-headphones https://retrospekt.com/products/retro-orange-headphones Wearing over-ear headphones in public wasn't really a thing until Beats and such came into fashion in the last 15 years or so.

heelix 6y ago

One of the more unexpected things on a good pair of noise canceling headphones was hearing conversations on airplanes that folks thought were private. Eliminating some of the background hum almost feels like a super power at times. (And occasionally an unwanted one)

racl101 6y ago

Very true. I would never wear these things outside given that their overpriced and, currently, many young people in a year like this are unemployed. It's like begging to get robbed.

NikolaNovak 6y ago

"Over-the-ear" does not necessarily mean lack of awareness. Basically you have two axis: Size/Fit: Earbuds and myriad variations; Supra-aural (on ear), circumaural (over the ear) Isolation: Circumaural/over-the-ear can be open-back or closed-back; and they can have various degrees of noise isolation and cancellation. As for the look and age, it's really a subjective perspective - I personally feel I'm old enough not to care about wearing over-the-ear outside :D

seanmcdirmid 6y ago

Bone conductive headphones are great if you want awareness. They don’t go in your ears, so no ear canal irritation either. Conversely, they are horrible at filtering out surrounding noises.

navbaker 6y ago

I'm not bothered by seeing people just out and about wearing big, probably expensive headphones, but seeing folks exercising even remotely strenuously in them is what I don't understand. I just can't deal with the thought of all that sweat soaking into the various soft parts of a nice pair of headphones.

corobo 6y ago

Airpods looked daft when they first came out too. Apple makes fashion products