Audio is an important part of our experience when using a gadget. Whether listening to music, watching movies, or even playing games, clarity in audio is a key factor.
Headphones and headsets are two devices that we frequently use to enhance our audio experience. While both devices are identical in shape, they serve different purposes.
The question is: which one should you use, headphones or headsets?
Knowing their differences will help you pick the right device, while possibly saving you some money. In this article we will point out details about both devices, and help you pick the one suitable for you.
Headphones
What are Headphones?
In simple terms, headphones are a pair of speakers connected over a band that will go across the user’s head. Both speakers will be attached directly to the user’s ear, giving them audio experience like nothing else.
With the ability to adjust the volume, the user can personalize and immerse themselves in the perfect sound experience.
Both ends of the speaker are designed to create a confined space between our ears and the speaker. They have different capabilities to cancel surrounding sounds depending on the quality.
Cushioned on both ends, the headphones are like a personal speaker exclusive only for the user.
Read further: 10 Best Soundbars for a Small Room
Headphones Pros and Cons
Headphones of different price points may offer different features, but one thing they all provide in common for the user is privacy. Using headphones allows us to blast our favorite songs without disturbing people around us.
While earphones serve similar purposes, the space within headphones prevents direct impact between the user’s ear and the speaker. Not only does this provide more comfort for longer use, it is also friendlier for our ear.
Despite these obvious benefits, carrying headphones can be quite a hassle. Unlike earphones, we cannot carry it in our pockets.
Moreover, while headphones may protect our ears better, they cannot nullify it. Using headphones for too long can damage our ears.
Every device has different prices depending on quality. However, at the same quality, headphones are relatively more expensive. Especially when you compare them to other hearing devices like earphones.
Pros
- less damaging to the ears
- provides privacy
- comfortable designs
Cons
- larger than earphones
- cannot nullify impact on our ears
- more expensive than earphones
Headsets
What are Headsets?
Headsets are basically headphones paired with a microphone. There are 2 different types of microphones connected to the headset.
A boom microphone is more flexible as users can adjust the position depending on their liking. On the other hand, an in-line microphone is attached through a cord connecting the headsets and the gadget.
Headsets are suitable for various purposes, as the microphone enables users to feedback their voices to their gadget. Online games, video conferencing, studio recording, or a simple call can be enhanced using a pair of headsets.
Headphones Pros and Cons
Possessing all features of headphones, headsets are also designed for comfort and uses ear space to minimize impact. The microphone is an additional feature that holds the headset above headphones.
While people can still input their voice using headphones, the quality is incomparable. This is because distance between our voice and the microphone is crucial and holding our gadget manually may be uncomfortable.
Fortunately, the built-in microphone in a headset is designed to be close to our lips. The microphone will not move and allows the user to move around without disrupting sound quality. Headsets will record voices with higher clarity compared to the microphones on our gadget.
Just like headphones, headsets are relatively large and may be a hassle to carry around, especially with the additional microphone attached. While they may be more comprehensive than headphones, they still cannot nullify the impact to our ears.
Finally, the microphone built within the headset comes with a price. Headsets of the same quality may be even more expensive than headphones.
Pros
- comfortable like headphones
- built-in microphone
Cons
- even larger than headphones
- cannot nullify impact on our ears
- more expensive than headphones
Conclusion
The only difference between headphones and headsets is the microphone feature. Both devices are manufactured with different levels of qualities according to prices. Additional features such as wireless connection are also available for both devices.
We recommend getting headphones if you are only looking to enhance the quality of the sound. But if you are looking for a device to also record better audio, we would definitely recommend buying a headset.