Over ear or in ear?

[Hobbit]

A few questions for you mighty forumites that use headphones. My 4th pair of Bose over ear, noise cancelling headphones are starting to fall apart. They probably get worn for +/- 3 hours a day - I rarely watch TV, or should I say I don’t watch things like the Masked Singer and Strictly Get Me Out Of Here On Ice. In the past I’ve ordered parts from Bose and, a bit like Trigger’s broom, made them last. Unfortunately, my current pair of Bose has been discontinued and getting parts is a problem - I bought Chinese copy parts but although they fitted fine, they did impact on performance.

I’ve had in ear before but got fed up of them falling out. How do those of you who use in ear headphones get on with yours? Are there any makes you would recommend or suggest I avoid? Should I stick with over ear?

Must be noise cancelling to drown out the TV without blowing my head off, and noise cancelling for when we’re flying.

 

[Lord Tyrion]

Can you get noise cancelling in ear headphones? I have a pair of Bose in ear headphones, wired, and they don't fall out. I think they call them sports headphones. A bit of a wiggle each time to get them in but once in, they stay in. They are great for most use but would not fit your flying brief. They are not noise cancelling and whilst they block out a good deal, they are not in the same league as proper noise cancelling ones.

My daughter bought these after Christmas, https://www.johnlewis.com/sony-wh-c...ar-headphones-with-mic-remote/blue/p110194491 She got them for £80 so if you hunt around maybe you can match that. She was willing to pay much more but read the reviews, went in shop to try them and went for them. I tried them, they were great, but don't know about longevity at this stage. They are Sony though, you would hope they are well built. Otherwise, go Bose again, they are quality.

 

[Orikoru]

I found both types uncomfortable so I use neither. Now I use a pair of bone-conducting ones: https://uk.shokz.com/products/openrun The most comfortable headphones I've ever had by far, and the sound quality is much better than I expected. Certainly not noise-cancelling though I'm afraid - but again, I'm surprised at how my brain easily blocks out the external sounds around me and focuses on what I'm listening to, unless I actively try and listen to those external sounds.

 

[Neilds]

Most of the top range in ear offerings from the likes of Apple and Beats claim to have noise cancelling but they come at a price

 

[RichA]

I've a set of Sony Bluetooth earbuds and use these memory foam tips on them...

INAIRS AIR1 (L) - 5 Pairs of Foam Tips - Upgrade your Earphones for Superior Sound & Noise Isolation https://amzn.eu/d/83FHhSs

They are extremely comfortable and don't fall out. Pinch them to insert then they expand to fill your ear hole. I use them on the London Underground. If they cancel out that racket they should be pretty effective in normal domestic surroundings without the need for electronic noise cancelling.

 

[Bdill93]

I have the JBL earbuds and the noise cancelling is really good. Cant hear a thing going on around me when they're both in!

Easy to use and set up, great audio quality and a very reasonable price.

 

[Robster59]

I don't tend to buy the big names as my hearing is such that I don't think I would get the benefit. For walking the dog, I have some Sennheiser over ears that I bought cheap refufbished, and in-ear I use Anker as they seem to give decent quality at a low price.
The foam ear pieces do help in getting a better fit and keeping out the noise. Not noice cancelling but do a fairly good job at keepit out external noises.
I have a pair of Tao-Technics over ears with noise cancelling and that does seem to work quite well.
I am waiting for my appoinment for hearing aids which I believe will be able to connect wirelessly to my phone so I'll see how that goes as well.
I don't know if anybody saw this, but might be interesting for the audiophiles.
The Secret Genius of Modern Life - Headphones

 

[CliveW]

I too used to use Bose noise cancelling over ear headphones but last year I purchased a set of Sony WF-1000XM4 wireless in ear, noise cancelling ear buds. They are extremely good at cancelling unwanted noise, comfortable to wear and the battery time is excellent.

 

[Jimaroid]

I’ve used AirPods Pro since available and have found them close to ideal for me. The noise cancelling is excellent but they do fall out occasionally. Truely I don’t think any in-ear device is immune from falling out unless by chance your ear is the right shape to prevent it. Another downside is they‘re not very good as general bluetooth device so using them with non-Apple devices is a horrendous experience best avoided. Even so, for my preferences and use cases - nothing has been better than the AirPods Pro yet.

I‘ve never liked ”the Bose sound” personally but I appreciate why and where people have enjoyed them and the long standing noise cancellation.

My recommendation would be to look at either of these Sony’s. I’ve had a shot of these and they’re really good but the in-ear Sony’s just don’t hold as well in my ear as the AirPods Pro do:

https://www.sony.co.uk/headphones/products/wf-1000xm5

https://www.sony.co.uk/electronics/headband-headphones/wh-1000xm5

I am still very tempted to get the headband xm5’s. Possibly the best noise cancelling headphones I’ve ever listened too. Better than the AirPods Max which are excellent but pricey and I couldn’t wear them in public.

 

[backwoodsman]

Another vote for Sony WF 1000XM4 - in ear headphones. Excellent sound quality and good noise cancelling. Superceded by the XM5's but no idea if the newer ones are any better.

The XM4 stay in the ear pretty well under most circumstances (but I do use cheap CF-500 when at the gym - but the sound quality is not in the same ballpark).

Not a fan over over-ear headphones so can't comment on them.

 

[Oddsocks]

I use the JLab epic noise cancelling which compared with others I have had an awesome. The think I like the most is they are in ear buds with the hook going over the ear similar to glasses. The app really allows you to tailor the controls to suit your requirements and the fact that you can use just the right one as a Bluetooth phone hands free is even better.

JLab Epic Air Sport ANC True Wireless Earbuds

JLab Epic Air Sport ANC True Wireless Earbuds awarded Best Headphones for Running 2022 & Best Budget Hook Earbuds for Running. Our true wireless earbuds hold 70+ hours of play time and can be charged with their charging case. They are perfect for working out and connect through bluetooth with a...

uk.jlab.com

 

[jim8flog]

Every pair of in the ear phones I have tried fall out so it is always in over the ear with a preference for fully over the ear.

Just bought some cheapies off ebay but yet to try them out fully (Baseus) initial impression being no where the sound quality of my wired Quarts.

I find fully over the hear cuts out most other sounds anyway.