The Pain of Longterm Headphone Use

Headphones are the best audio device to use when it comes to personal audio enjoyment. There best trait when it comes to delivering quality music is their powerful and big drivers that can really deliver crisp sound and powerful bass. Another trait is their ability to encircle your ears and cancel noises that can bother you and only feed your ears with sweet music.

There are 2 types of headphones according to connection. One is a wireless headphone that is usually connected via Bluetooth to your phone or audio device. It’s main advantage is that it eliminates the hassle of being limited by the wire and eliminates the accidental disconnections when the plug is pulled. Bluetooth headsets generally give you 10 meters of space from the connected device which is a long distance compared to wired headphones that give you at most 2 meters. On the other hand, wired audio devices can be connected to amplifiers that can totally elevate you to a whole other level compared to listening via Bluetooth.

Headphones usually comes with padding on the earpiece to provide comfort when you listen. However long term use of headphones can really put a strain on your ears because of the undue pressure exerted by the padding and the unbalanced distribution of forces into your ears.

So what should you look for when buying headphones and you intend to use them for longer duration but you want maximum comfort:

1. Check the padding. A really soft padding will be softer than your pillows. Although they are generally made of foam, the outside covering could also play a role regarding it’s softness. A soft leather will be much more comfortable compared to a regular synthetic leather.

Here’s a comparison between two types of padding and their leather coverings:

The soft padding is more compressible and is more comfortable to use over time.

This headphone has more resistance due to the synthetic leather cover for the padding.

2. Check the flexibility of the curve. A curve generally made of metal would be more rigid compared to that made of plastic. A rigid curvature will produce tension and it will be transmitted to your ears causing strain. So flex the headphones to examine it’s flexibility.

3. Ear coverage. Does it cover your ear totally or only some parts? A good over the ear headphones generally cover your ear and avoid causing strain on some parts while on the ear headphones can cause undue strain on some areas of contact.

In general it is always best to try on the headphones before buying one. Any sign of strain to your ears is already a red flag. Choose over the ear headphones and adjust the level of the headphones to the level that is comfortable to your ears. If you increase the level and the curve, the more comfortable it is in general.

What other tips can you give for buying or using comfortable headphones? Share it with me on the comments below.