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. 

Coloud Pop: Is it good?

Coloud Pop, is a hip and tacky earphone, but does it deliver? I've been using coloud pops for almost 3 years now, and I a fan of it's good music quality. I bought mine for around Php 800+ ($17). Here are 2 of my coloud pops: 

What can it do?

• Tangle free design for the cables. Its unique locking design using the 3.5 mm jack and the flat cable design makes it easy to store and avoids tangling.
• Music Control. It has a control button with the following actions: 1 click: pause/play/answer call. 2 clicks: skip track 3 clicks: previous track
• Extra ear rubber fitting for better fit in 3 sizes.

Locking design for the 3.5 mm jack

All black coloud pop 

Black and Red Coloud Pop

Good ear fit with many rubber fitting sizes.

What's not to like:

• Apparently all wired earphones don't last to long. This one lasted me 8 months of heavy daily usage. The usual problem is the lost of sound on one side.
• The L shaped connector tends to get easily dislodged on my pocket compared to straight connectors. 

Should you buy it?

Considering it's price and performance, it is a good deal for the sound quality it can deliver. It is easy and convenient to store due to its tangle free system. Don't expect it to last a lifetime though as wear and tear can have its toll on this product.

To rate it from 1-5 stars:

Design: 4
Ease of use: 4
Durability: 3.5
Features: 3.5

Doss Asimom 3: Is it worth it?

In terms of Bluetooth speakers, Doss Asimom 3 is a neat device that can deliver good sound quality. 

I used mine for a couple of months and sadly this device is not a very durable one. In general you're better off using wired audio speakers for long term use.

Here are some reasons you should buy it:

• It is a neat device that can easily be stored for travel use.
• Wireless charging: the wireless charger can double as a wireless charger for your phone
• Charger power bank : you can use the wireless charger as a powerbank to charge your phone via a micro USB cable. Although it doesn't have that much juice, somehow it helps.
• Sound Quality is good. Good enough for a Bluetooth Speaker.
• NFC: you can also use NFC pairing. This device was way ahead of its time when it was released.

Here are some reasons you should probably consider buying other Bluetooth speakers:

• Wireless Charging battery expansion: In the long run, the battery on the wireless charger starts to expand. There is a simple fix to this problem though, here is the video of my repair tutorial:
• No alternative for charging if the wireless charger is destroyed unless you have a spare
• Wireless charger micro USB port can easily be damaged. I had mine repaired by a technician for about (Php 600 or $13)
• Dropping it can damage the device easily unlike the hurricane model which is design durable use. 
• It has 2.5 mm audio jack on the speaker, which means you need to find an adapter if the supplied cable is damaged. 

I had great time using this audio device. It was convenient and easy to use however its durability was in question and its greatest flaw was the wireless charging feature. 

To rate it from 1-5 stars:

Design: 4
Ease of use: 4.5
Durability: 3
Features: 4.5

Have you tried using this device? Leave a comment about your experience on this product. 

Bluedio Hurricane H Turbine: Practical Price, Great Performance

Bluetooth headsets are great gadgets for audiophiles. The Bluedio Hurricane H Turbine in particular is the cheapest Bluetooth headset you can buy that can really deliver. I bought mine from Lazada at Php 1895 ($41) but amazon has a cheaper price at $29.

What are it's features:

• It uses Bluetooth 4.1 technology which is much more efficient that the previous versions.
• Equalizer app. This is a must download for Bluedio users which allows you to maximize the device. Download the app here: http://wap.bluedio.com/t2.html .Click the Andriod Icon to download the APP.
• 3.5 mm jack: If you run out of battery simply connect the 3.5 mm jack cable or if you want to share music to another headphone/headset or even a speaker simply connect it to the port.
• 40 hrs of music playtime. This device packs serious juice. It even came charged with 70% battery and it took almost a week of playtime to drain it. This puts you at ease when you travel.
• Audio sharing: be it another Bluetooth headset or another wired headset.
• Comfortable fit. 

The package comes with a neat box with the Bluedio serial to verify its authenticity on their website. 

Package Box

Package contents: Micro USB Cable, 3.5 mm Jack cable

and Bluedio Hurricane H Turbine Headphone

Dislikes:

• Long time use can strain your ears. 
• Really loud sound that leaks if you put it on max volume. Don't use it when someone is seating near you as it might inconvenience him/her
• Fragile plastic design: Do not seat on it or drop it. It's connection at the adjustment portion is made of plastic unlike the T2 model which is metal, this makes it brittle.

 Likes:

• All the feature mentioned above
• Excellent music quality. Use the equalizer app to fully maximize the device.
• 3.5 mm jack: It means I get to use it even without power.
• 57 mm driver: packs a powerful base

 Overall this is a great product worthy of recognition at it's price point. A good mid range headphone that can really deliver.

To rate it from 1-5 stars:

Design: 4
Ease of use: 5
Durability: 3.5
Features: 5