In the last couple of years, headphones have made the transition from just being a mundane audio accessory to a must-have style statement. With a wide selection of headphones available to meet your bespoke needs, the first thing that you need to do when you make the choice of buying a new pair of headphones is to determine whether you’d benefit from the in-ear, over-ear or on-ear variety. Simply put, the choice of these headphone styles is really a lifestyle choice based on comfort, portability and performance.

Over-ear Headphones

The choice of on-ear vs over-ear and in-ear headphones is bound to settle in favour of over-ear headphones, if you are an audiophile and if performance pips every other aspect for you. As their name suggests, they rest over your ears and their large drivers can reproduce the widest range of frequencies. The added advantage with them is that they enclose your ears completely and offer noise isolation. 

At the World of PLAY, we offer the PLAYGO BH70 which is powered with 40 mm drivers that offer premium sound. The fact that it comes with active noise cancellation ensures that you can tune out the world around you and bask in the music. If an immersive music experience is what you are looking for, your search really ends here!

Over-ear headphones fare well in the comfort department too unless you go in for a very heavy pair, in which case you need to look for one with a padded headband. The only disadvantage with the over-ear variety lies in the fact that they are rather large and clunky and if you want to listen to music on the go, they do not really lend themselves to portability. 

What are On-ear Headphones?

Unlike their over-ear counterparts, on-ear headphones rest directly against your ears. Simply put, what you have with on-ear headphones is a perfect middle ground between the portability of in-ear headphones and the sound quality of over-ear headphones. The difference between on-ear and over-ear headphones also lies in the fact that on-ear headphones are made especially  for the portability aspect. So it is that perfect companion that keeps you company during that long commute or when you are pumping iron!

In-ear Headphones

If travelling light is your mantra and you would rather have a headphone that you can slip into your pocket as you head out, you don’t need to look beyond in-ear headphones. Also called earphones or earbuds, they sit inside the ear canal creating a good seal. Go for the ones with silicone ear tips, which fit your ear perfectly. 

While typically their small driver size isn’t associated with a very high-quality sound, there are always exceptions. At World of PLAY, for example, we have the PLAYGO T44, the lightest bud in the category, that comes with a 10mm Enhanced Bass Extra Loud driver that offers captivating sound with no compromise on quality. So go ahead and decide which headphone styles work for your lifestyle and comfort. For the rest, there’s always PLAYGO!