Earphones vs. Headphones: Which one is safer?

Have you ever wondered if accessories can lead to hearing loss?

Lately, I have been thinking a lot about the difference between earphones and headsets, and if they negatively affect the user’s sense of hearing. I decided to do some research on this topic to find out about the differences between both and how it can cause damage to the ear drums.

So What is the actual difference between earphones and headphones?

Earbuds – also Known as earphones. Wikimedia commons by Rekeylee

Earphones are commonly known as earbuds. They are less expensive to manufacture compared to headsets, less bulky, and more portable as well. They are usually inserted into the ear canal.

Headphones are often called headsets, which rests on our outer part of ear. Although, headsets are quite expensive, they are capable of producing good sound quality, especially when it comes to bass. There are two different kind of headphones: on-ear headphones and full-size headphones.

On-ear headphones are also known as earpad headphones. They are comfortable and less likely to cause overheating ears. Although they are easy to transport, the bass quality and noise-isolating feature is not as great as full-size headphones.

Full-size headphones are also known as over-the-ear headphones. The earcups in the headphones cover the ears fully. Some advantages include powerful bass, excellent sound quality, and complete outside noise cancelling. On the downside, these headphones are not very portable and can interfere with glasses, earrings and some hairstyles due to their size. Thus, it is considered best for home use rather than portable use. 

Headsets: on-ear headphones. Wikimedia commons by PJ

Headsets also known as over-the-ear headphones. Wikimedia commons by Pertsaboy

So which one causes hearing loss?

It is important to know a few things about the anatomy of ear before we find out what type of accessory is responsible for hearing loss. The following YouTube video by Brandon Pletsch describes about the anatomy of the ear and how the sound waves travel through different parts of the ear and transfers its signal to the Brain. 

 Sound pressure is measured in decibels (dB). On average, human ear can hear sounds down to 0 dB. However, sound that reaches 85 dB or stronger can lead to permanent damage to our hearing. Earphones and headsets have the ability to produce sound up to a maximum of 100 dB. In that case, a person’s hearing can be permanently damaged after using them for just 15 minutes per day. 

In addition to that, earphones naturally add about 9 dB of sound due to the fact that it sits close to our ear canal. Also, it does not isolate any outside noise which causes us to increase the volume even higher, which is considered as unsafe. In contrast, Over-the-ear headphones covers the ear fully and blocks the outside noise which decreases the chances of us increasing the volume higher. Due to these reasons, doctors recommend over-the-ear headphones rather than earphones to preserve our hearing. 

– Shayini Kanageswaran