Has anybody tried neck speakers?

Kyrian007

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I honestly can't speak to how good these might be. But just conceptionally, I don't understand the need for such a product. Headphones are worn for 2 reasons, portability and being inoffensive. Basically, you want to walk around with them but not annoy others with whatever it is you are listening to. These neck speakers are only a solution for ONE of those issues. We've already invented headphones in a variety of different kinds. This is just a functionally inferior product to headphones. I would imagine that most of the reason someone might buy an item like this is either A: aesthetics (vanity, you think you look dumb with headphones or earbuds) or B: portability is your only concern (selfishness, you don't care if you are noise polluting everyone around you.)
 
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Xprimentyl

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I honestly can't speak to how good these might be. But just conceptionally, I don't understand the need for such a product. Headphones are worn for 2 reasons, portability and being inoffensive. Basically, you want to walk around with them but not annoy others with whatever it is you are listening to. These neck speakers are only a solution for ONE of those issues. We've already invented headphones in a variety of different kinds. This is just a functionally inferior product to headphones. I would imagine that most of the reason someone might buy an item like this is either A: aesthetics (vanity, you think you look dumb with headphones or earbuds) or B: portability is your only concern (selfishness, you don't care if you are noise polluting everyone around you.)
^THIS. The cycle of solving problems with solutions that were the problem absolutely baffles me.

This has got to be my favorite example. Earbuds went wireless, then they went completely cordless. But people kept losing one or both of the buds, so what do we do? Add an "anti-lost" strap, of course! Next, it'll be an anti-lost plug-in to your preferred device so you don't lose both of your buds attached via the anti-lost strap. Fuck me...

1658239111351.png
 

Kyrian007

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I guess the neck speakers wouldn't be completely useless. I have a portable (hand sized) bluetooth speaker. It has better audio than my phone, so I use it to listen to podcasts in my kitchen while I am cooking. These neck speakers would be better for carrying around if I wanted to take my speaker out and about... but I never do, so I guess I COULD do that a little easier.

It is just such a specific use item... I just can't see many people thinking they couldn't live without it. Even my bluetooth speaker, it was just swag from work. I wouldn't have spent actual money on it. Before that I'd just use my phone, or bluetooth connect to my stereo system... and just turn it WAY down. I guess that's the category the neck speakers are in. I wouldn't buy them, but if given them... I might find some kind of niche use for them.
 

Xprimentyl

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I guess the neck speakers wouldn't be completely useless. I have a portable (hand sized) bluetooth speaker. It has better audio than my phone, so I use it to listen to podcasts in my kitchen while I am cooking. These neck speakers would be better for carrying around if I wanted to take my speaker out and about... but I never do, so I guess I COULD do that a little easier.

It is just such a specific use item... I just can't see many people thinking they couldn't live without it. Even my bluetooth speaker, it was just swag from work. I wouldn't have spent actual money on it. Before that I'd just use my phone, or bluetooth connect to my stereo system... and just turn it WAY down. I guess that's the category the neck speakers are in. I wouldn't buy them, but if given them... I might find some kind of niche use for them.
Yeah, I guess most of these type of products have their utility, but if ever one were to stop and think about it, one would realize how specific said utility actually is and wonder if it's worth the investment. The neck speaker, I just don't get. About the only convenience I see is being able to listen to your music and still engage with people around, but then you have to wonder what jackass needs to hear their personal music in a social atmosphere?

Also reminds me of the new "silent disco" trend. Everyone in attendance wears a set of headphones and turns it to a channel of their choosing, so you end up with a room full of people dancing to different tunes with no audible, ambient music. Ridiculous.
 
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gorfias

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I guess the neck speakers wouldn't be completely useless. I have a portable (hand sized) bluetooth speaker. It has better audio than my phone, so I use it to listen to podcasts in my kitchen while I am cooking. These neck speakers would be better for carrying around if I wanted to take my speaker out and about... but I never do, so I guess I COULD do that a little easier.

It is just such a specific use item... I just can't see many people thinking they couldn't live without it. Even my bluetooth speaker, it was just swag from work. I wouldn't have spent actual money on it. Before that I'd just use my phone, or bluetooth connect to my stereo system... and just turn it WAY down. I guess that's the category the neck speakers are in. I wouldn't buy them, but if given them... I might find some kind of niche use for them.
I'd guess they are less aggravating to others than other non-earbud/headphone options as the sound should be directed toward the user's ears. I have an Oculus that has amazing sound without covering my ears at all. Good mike as online play is very clear and without static. I'm wondering if this is as good.

Both solutions (my VR and neck speakers) should make you more aware of outside sounds (like when my wife is calling for me on another floor of my house). Earbuds do fatigue the ears and may fall out easier during jogging. Head phones can be cumbersome. I often wear a pair with one ear uncovered, which is not optimal as I'm not getting stereo but sound in only one ear.

This isn't a must have for me, but it is on my radar.
 

Gordon_4

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^THIS. The cycle of solving problems with solutions that were the problem absolutely baffles me.

This has got to be my favorite example. Earbuds went wireless, then they went completely cordless. But people kept losing one or both of the buds, so what do we do? Add an "anti-lost" strap, of course! Next, it'll be an anti-lost plug-in to your preferred device so you don't lose both of your buds attached via the anti-lost strap. Fuck me...

View attachment 6604
These seem like they serve the purpose of being able to secure the buds to you when you are doing something like running or any number of physical activities that will jostle around the buds but keep them reasonably connected to you the wearer, but not have a cord trailing down to the device. Which in the few times I tried to run with my smartphone, was a huge pain in the fuckin' arse. And that assumed the cabled earbuds were long enough to reach your hip/hip pocket without straining; which in Apple's case they were universally not.
 
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Xprimentyl

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These seem like they serve the purpose of being able to secure the buds to you when you are doing something like running or any number of physical activities that will jostle around the buds but keep them reasonably connected to you the wearer, but not have a cord trailing down to the device. Which in the few times I tried to run with my smartphone, was a huge pain in the fuckin' arse. And that assumed the cabled earbuds were long enough to reach your hip/hip pocket without straining; which in Apple's case they were universally not.
Yes, but we had such corded, wireless earbuds already, i.e.: the ear buds are connected to each other but only connected to your device via Bluetooth. AirPods were supposed to be the next evolution by eliminating that connecting cord because "Apple." If they fall out during normal use like jogging or yard work and require you purchase the cord they were meant to outdate, then I say they have a poor design and make they're own "convenience" and existence superfluous. Unless it states strictly in the manual that they're only meant to be used when the user is entirely sedentary, y'know, like almost NOBODY is when using earbuds?
 

Elvis Starburst

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One use I could see them being good for: Biking. Having headphones on while biking is a very, very bad idea, but some people might want music while they bike (like me).
Boom, neck speakers
 
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Xprimentyl

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One use I could see them being good for: Biking. Having headphones on while biking is a very, very bad idea, but some people might want music while they bike (like me).
Boom, neck speakers
That's about the only reasonable use I can imagine, having music in a appropriate situation where obstructing your hearing with buds or cup headphones might be dangerous.
 

bluegate

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One use I could see them being good for: Biking. Having headphones on while biking is a very, very bad idea, but some people might want music while they bike (like me).
Boom, neck speakers
There are also glasses with speakers near the ear that would perform a similar function, with less sound bleeding into the world to be a nuisance to other people.

Although personally I wouldn't use them as I want to hear everything around me when on my bike and participating in traffic.
 
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twistedmic

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One use I could see them being good for: Biking. Having headphones on while biking is a very, very bad idea, but some people might want music while they bike (like me).
Boom, neck speakers
I use open ear/bone induction headphones. Partly so I can listen to music while biking and still hear other stuff, and partly because earbuds end up giving me headaches and earaches.
 

Dirty Hipsters

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I honestly can't speak to how good these might be. But just conceptionally, I don't understand the need for such a product. Headphones are worn for 2 reasons, portability and being inoffensive. Basically, you want to walk around with them but not annoy others with whatever it is you are listening to. These neck speakers are only a solution for ONE of those issues. We've already invented headphones in a variety of different kinds. This is just a functionally inferior product to headphones. I would imagine that most of the reason someone might buy an item like this is either A: aesthetics (vanity, you think you look dumb with headphones or earbuds) or B: portability is your only concern (selfishness, you don't care if you are noise polluting everyone around you.)
I can see the appeal for something like cycling. You don't want to have headphones in because you need more awareness of your surroundings and headphones block too much sound. In that situation this isn't any different than listening to music while driving with your windows down. You also won't annoy people with your music for very long because you'll probably speed right past them.

If you take something like this when you're out hiking or running then you're an annoying piece of shit though.

There's another product I saw recently though, which were tiny speakers that you clip to your glasses or sunglasses. Essentially you're able to listen to music almost like you're wearing headphones (but with worse quality), but are still able to hear things around you.

Now obviously headphones with "transparency mode" exist, that have mics that will pipe outside noise though your headphones so that you can hear things around you while listening to music, but those tend to be quite a bit more expensive.