Headphones & Earbuds: Thoughts 2024

 

I did an X post on the huge number of earbuds lost at JR stations in Japan and it may have been the most liked and shared thing I have ever put on that hell site.  I assume many have had the problem, but were unaware of the extent of the problem. So something that isn't incredibly trivial (e.g. How dark do you like your toast?) CAN get more than 10 views. 

This comic contains that info and other recent thoughts on headphones and earbuds.  

Open earbuds are "THE NEW THING" at the moment. In one sense, it means selling another set to everyone, but it really depends what your life style is.   If I am not listening to what is going on around me, I am likely to get run into by one of the many bicycles racing on the footpath while walking around outside where I live now. A slight step to the left as you walk along to miss something on the footpath and you are likely to get hit.  The chance of that when I lived in Sydney Australia was zero.  

So open while walking around outside, then noise cancelling or closed back to ride a train, visit a shopping center or cafe.

Even open earbuds for just sitting in the lounge room, where my wife  will start talking about something, and I need to be present, is a good idea.

Update: 2024/4/24

Since writing this comic, I have bought SHOKZ OpenFit, wireless headphones too. And used them for about a week. They do sound great, better than the 1/10 priced Resolve, but I have to use them with my phone's music player.

The first time I went for a walk with them to the shops and back, when I went to take off my mask, the right one briefly disappeared under a seat in our entrance hall. So glad I was home when that happened.  Some black cotton thread has since stopped that from happening twice! Don't know how often the thread will need replacing though or the failure mode.

I wear glasses, so that puts a bit more pressure on them, and they do get a bit uncomfortable on the top of my Tragus.  

They have touch controls to stop/play/ next song back/forward (that you can change in the App), and I find the double tap for stop/ play is detected right about 50% of the time. The sound I use them with gets completely drowned out in the local supermarket.  

If SHOKZ had a wired OpenFit, that would be better for me. That they can get knocked off your ear is a worry, even if less likely than for an Airpod.

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