What's With Everyone Wearing Headphones Recently?

[Treblaine]

Dr Dre said inside the ear headphones have inferior quality. He spent millions of dollars in an ad campaign to say as such and it seems to have paid off.

Also, songs are being recorded in higher bitrates and artist talk more and more of quality and while yes you can get good quality with inside-the-ear headphones that tends to be at a much higher premium and the best inside-the-ear can never be as good as the best over-the-ear.

Plus, bass heavy type of songs like dubstep, the Bass is stronger with larger speakers like with over-the-ear headphones.

And one thing that I think is driving people to headphones are video games where there seems to be an encouragement to use headphones as with Ninja-pro (and similar perks) you get a distinct advantage if you can discernibly hear enemy footsteps and their rough direction. Same with gunfire and so on.

 

[Glademaster_v1legacy]

It is called a trend.

 

[Palademon]

I prefer headphones. They stick out a lot, but earphones just feel awkward to put and keep in.

 

[DannyJBeckett]

Eh, I think it's a fashion thing, really. I wear headphones, but that's because headphones deliver waayyyy better sound-quality than earbuds.

 

[neoontime]

Umm, well they are easier to wear when its cold outside and I have a hood on.

 

[Crazy_Dude]

I prefer headphones those earplugs always keep falling out and the sound quality is a lot better.

 

[MurderousToaster]

It's sad that the Beats and Skull Candy ones are so prevalent. From what I've heard, both of them are sort of shit and there are far cheaper and better alternatives.

I have no issues with people wearing headphones, but it can be somewhat obnoxious-looking and I see what you're getting at. There are good reasons to wear them, such as sound quality, but I would say that a lot of it is sort of a fashion trend; with the rise of the hipster subculture there's very little more retro for your portable audio needs than a pair of big, bulky headphones.

Personally, I don't really use portable music players (because the most recent one I have is a 512MB MP3 player from god knows how far back) but if I did I'd probably just use the earbuds. That's just personal preference regarding space usage, though. The only place I wear headphones is at a PC right now.

 

[Joshimodo]

Skullcandy and Dre headphones mean they're just a fashion accessory, a fad bit of apparel. They are absolute garbage.

I wear a pair of Sennheiser ones. My reasons?

-I want good quality audio & good quality headphones, ones that aren't flimsy.
-I can't wear bud earphones, due to having small ears. Wearing them hurts like hell. Plus, over-ear is more comfortable anyway. I wouldn't use bud ones even if I could.
-Over-ear headphones also double as noise-removers, which is helpful in some city areas.
-They also triple as earmuffs, which is helpful in Wales.


As for wearing them around the neck, as someone already posted - It's like having a small pair of personal speakers for when I want a subtle backdrop of music but want/need to hear people around me, or traffic, or the rain etc.

However, yes - It's also become a fashionable thing, for whatever reason. Trendy garbage headphones that are tinny, audacious and ugly, and not actually used much. Ridiculous.

 

[Brutal Peanut]

I only wear ear-buds when I am walking to the stores by myself. I'll also wear them inside the stores to avoid useless chatter about weather or awkward, "Oh sorry I bumped into you, lets have some awkward conversation about how narrow the aisles are" or something along those lines. But I'll take them out when I reach the cashier. I was thinking about making the switch from buds to headphones, just because I've always found them to be comfier. Wearing ear-buds also makes me think I'll be more likely to get an infection, not sure why....RAMBLE , RAMBLE!!

 

[Owyn_Merrilin]

most earbuds only last for about a year

And then only if you choose carefully and don't get one that's absolute crap. I've had them last anywhere from a month to three years depending on the pair and how I treated it, but the average seems to be six months to a year. That right there is why I don't understand people who drop more than $10 or $15 on a pair of earbuds. I mean, okay, it might be theoretically possible for an in ear pair to sound just as good as an over the ear pair of headphones of similar price, but there's no way they'd be as durable. For $10 you can get a pair of earbuds that sound better than headphones in the same price range. One you hit $30, I can't fathom anyone picking a pair of earbuds over a pair of headphones.

Edit: Also, enough with the bashing of Beats and Skullcandy. They're not the terrible pieces of crap everyone seems to think they are. They're decent mid-fi gear sold at exorbitant hi-fi prices, no different than Bose or Monster Cable. I have a pair of Skullcandy earbuds that I'm quite happy with, but then I paid $10 and change for them. If I had $100 to drop, you'd better believe I'd go for a better brand.

 

[Exocet]

Same here, suddenly, big, cumbersome headphones just sprung out of nowhere. All the same too!
These things.

It just became the thing to own, even if you don't use them, you wear them.

Honestly, I have no idea why. They take up a lot of space, and that particular model, while the audio quality can be amazing, has awful ergonomics. You can't even adjust the damn size. It's a 150euro fashion item.
I'll be sticking to my great 15 euro buds that deliver a great sound and nullify outside noise even better, with the added bonus of fitting inside my pocket, thank you very much.

Although now, I know how to explain how to look like an ultimate trendy French douche: I get a fake tank and sunglasses I wear everywhere, especially inside, buy those headphones, but never actually use them, and wear a brown jacket with fur at the neckline.
Use this knowledge wisely!

 

[ultimateownage]

Rich kids saw that they cost more. Beats and Skullcandy are stupid, they're both rip offs for the price. People just think they look pretty.

 

[dills2]

i dunno i prefer buds could be worse people could start buying boom boxes

 

[GamerKT]

I don't know, man. My favorite is the thin Sony one that goes around the back of your head. Great sound, stays on when you run, and you can just wear it around your neck when not in use. Huge ones would be good for home listening, but I ain't payin' for that.

 

[TilMorrow]

Dst. Dst. Dst. Dst. Sorry. What were you asking? I had my ridiculously large headphones on.

Yes, I've noticed the trend as well. All I can say is the Bass be droppin'. ALso Dr. Dre's are overpriced. Get Steelseries, much cheaper and just as good.

 

[iRevanchist]

~<1 year ago: Hey guys, everybody's got those little iPod headphones now, but they are just so lame and ugly and DULL. But hey look, the university technology store has got these awesome big headphones! Just like we used to have with our Walkmans! And they're so big and bright and sleek, we'll DEFINITELY make a statement with our headphones!

I first noticed headphones about late December to early January.

Specifically a "friend" (more acquaintance, really) at school with Skull Candy brand headphones.

Really? cuz here in europe they've been 'the big thing' (mostly the dr. dre kind) for over a year. huh.

 

[PureChaos]

was thinking that exact same thing the past few weeks. a lot of people are wearing HUGE headphones like they're the latest fashion. looks silly

 

[Double A]

I've been using them for about 5 years because the small ones are frikkin painful.