This headphone guide explains the differences in size and sound quality among these 3 types of headphones. Then we explain whether you should get an in-ear, on-ear, and over-ear headphones to meet your needs (and comfort).
When buying a new headphone, the first question you need to ask yourself is what “size” of the headphone should be.
In the market, there are roughly 3 types of headphones based on their sizes (both wired headphones and Bluetooth headphones):
The differences among in-ear, on-ear and over-ear headphones are NOT just about the size.
Quite often, a certain type of headphone may be better than others for a special group of users (e.g. people with glass), or better for special occasions (e.g., for running).
So, it is important to know the differences among in-ear, on-ear and over-ear headphones to get the headphone that is most suitable for you when you plan to get a new headphone.
In-ear headphone, aka earbud or earphone, is the smallest among the three. For example, Samsung Galaxy Buds, AirPods, AirPods Pro, Jabra Elite Sport are all in-ear wireless earbuds.
Because of the small driver (aka transducer), a unit that converts an electrical signal into sound (air pressure), in-ear headphone is small enough to fit inside your ears.
The on-ear headphone usually uses larger drivers. But the padding is not large enough to cover your ears. Instead, the headphone sits on your ears without fully covering them.
The over-ear headphone has a large enough padding to cover your ear. Manufactures can put larger drivers in over-ear headphones thanks to the additional space.
When sound quality is concerned, size is NOT the major factor.
Many headphone buyers have the wrong impression: the bigger driver means better sound quality. This is wrong.
Large drivers generally can boost high volume (louder) with higher capacity for the bass. But unlike the volume or bass, the sound quality (audio quality) is NOT simply determined by the driver size.
For all headphones, sound quality (audio quality) is mainly determined by:
In short, driver size only affects the loudness; while different types of driver, quality of the driver, and acoustic design usually are critical for sound quality.
In-ear headphones (and earbuds) are always smaller than over-ear and on-ear headphones, and therefore you may consider to get or use in-ear headphone:
Please note, the in-ear headphone can have comparable audio quality compared to over-ear and on-ear headphones.
But there are so many poor quality in-ear headphones in the market. You need to do some homework before buying one.
You may follow this in-ear headphone buyer guide if you need help to decide the best in-ear headphone based on your budget.
Although driver size is not a deciding factor for the sound quality of a headphone, you may find there are more options when you buy an over-ear headphone.
The big cap in over-ear headphones allows manufacturers to fit more components, and optimize the acoustic design.
You may consider an over-ear headphone:
You will have more choices for over-ear headphones compared to in-ear and on-ear headphones.
So, it is easier to find the desired over-ear headphone within your budget.
On-ear headphone lies between in-ear and over-ear headphones in size.
In the market, demand for the on-ear headphone is not high, but steady.
You may consider using an on-ear headphone :
Please note, on-ear headphones are not good for sports. It is hard to keep an on-ear headphone in position during workouts.
If you have any questions on the differences among in-ear, on-ear and over-ear headphones, or if you have any questions on choosing one of them, please let us know in the comment box below.
The Headphone Guide Pro community will help you find the answer.
This post was last modified on May 23, 2021
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