What's With Everyone Wearing Headphones Recently?

[masticina]

Dre E's... ah yes those not the best sound really. Oh sure they sound good but to say worth the price. Nah!

I guess it is hip to wear them.. makes you feel old. Mmm well you could dig up an old pair of Sennheisers and use that instead, see that has better sound quality

Seriously those headsets, you pay more for the brand then the sound quality.

 

[darkorion69]

People in high school likely prefer their own private world within their chosen music over dealing with the unsatisfying social atmosphere that is high school. Plus hipsters/juggalos/twilight kids can compare music and pretend that different musical tastes make them cooler than the people that tease them. People love imaging that they are cooler than someone else, that keeps them from dealing with their real problems.

 

[SuperSuperSuperGuy]

I dunno. I wear them, but I have a specific reason to: I suffer from social anxiety, and the headphones help me isolate myself so I feel more comfortable. Of course, not everyone has this reason, so I have no idea why they're wearing them other than the fact that they sound way better than earbuds. Those things are painful to listen to, man!

 

[Davey Woo]

I started wearing the big headphones a few years ago, and then everyone else started wearing them as well. This was before Skullcandy and Beats were popular.

So basically everyone is copying me.
I think in the UK at least you can get a free pair of headphones with mobile phone contracts or when you buy laptops or something, so that might be why they're getting so common.

 

[4RM3D]

but for the price I could have gotten much better

Yup, that's how the economy works. I haven't tried Beats or Skull Candy, so I can't say how good they are. But I know some brands are just too expensive for what you are getting.

 

[Naeo]

I dunno. But I've seen dozens of people with Beats headphones all over my college. Lots of people with earbuds, too, but still a lot of people with headphones. Maybe it's that in college you get a wider variety of backgrounds and so more people have the money they're willing to shell out on something like Beats (or higher-quality headphones). Or maybe it's that audiophilia is making a comeback, or that hipster-dom (which is funnily enough becoming mainstream ("ironically mainstream" as a hipster who does not know what irony is might way)) is making a comeback and with it, the "original" or "older" stuff in terms of technology. That would mean headphones (and especially big, bulky ones) rather than earbuds. Or maybe it's just one of those random changes in style that is sweeping the nation. Really anything I say would just be speculation.

 

[Olas]

Reasons why I traded my earbuds for a pair of great big headphones.

1. Headphones are sturdy, earbuds rarely last longer than 18 months before one or both sides go bad.

2. Headphones don't get tangled; I shudder to think how much total time I've spent trying to untangle the mess of wires that my earbuds inevitably turn into while being stored away

3. Headphones provide a better sound experience; earbuds do an okay job, the inner-ear ones even block outside noise pretty well, but none of them can top a pear of high end headphones.

4. Headphones stay in place; a lot of the time I listen to music is when I'm running or doing some other physically demanding activity. Anyone else who's tried this using earbuds can attest that those suckers have a bad habit of falling/getting yanked out.

5. Headphones are 1 size fits all; while inner ear earbuds often come with multiple sized rubber ends for people with different sized ears, they almost never fit perfectly and therefore either wiggle around too much or are uncomfortably snug.

6. Headphones don't irritate your ear; wearing earbuds too much can lead to soreness within my ear, add this to the fact that I'm prone to ear infections and things can get nasty.

7. Headphones keep your ears warm(er); earbuds provide no insulation from the cold, and even if you wear a hood or something else to keep your head warm, headphones can always add a welcome layer of protection for your ears.

I didn't even notice until real recently that other people were wearing headphones more also. I think maybe as a culture we've gotten over the hype of portability and decided to embrace quality instead.

 

[Wintermoot]

judging by the SK,s/Beats they are no audiophiles
maybe they are fashionista,s (they weir them the same reason most hipsters wear thick rimmed glasses)
I wear my headphones (Sony) to listen to anime/music in private.
I used to wear earphones but they kept breaking and hurt my ear channel (not the ear itself.)

 

[rob_simple]

I used to have a pair of big chunky motherfuckers, not brand-name or anything just the cheapest I could find, because I couldn't find any normal headphones that fit my stupid ears. Even the hook-around ones would fall out if I started walking.

The sound on the big ones wasn't even that great, but they were loud and that's all I really needed.

 

[Wintermoot]

but for the price I could have gotten much better

Yup, that's how the economy works. I haven't tried Beats or Skull Candy, so I can't say how good they are. But I know some brands are just too expensive for what you are getting.

considering 9/10 4chan,s tech board gives good advice (excluding the Gentoo advice) I would say don,t bother with SK or Beats.

 

[AngelOfBlueRoses]

I've ALWAYS worn headphones, ever since my first walkman. I wear headphones because those shitty little nub earphones are shit and constantly fall out, unless I want to pierce my ear bud by shoving them in too far to make sure they'll stay and even then they'll fall out if I so much as take a wrong step.

Headphones have been the way to go, always.

 

[ChildofGallifrey]

Also, a quick note: Beats by Dre are terribly overpriced. I have a pair of Sony headphones that have a comparable bass and overall sound output and they only cost about half - at worst - as much as a pair of Beats headphones.

This. Dear, sweet the Jesus, a thousand times this. If I had a dollar for every person I see wearing those things then I would never work again. But it's a brand thing. Since it has Dre's name on it's just the hip thing to get. A fashion statement as well as headphones. It's comparable to Ciroc Vodka: No better than umpteen other brands of vodka, but despite being ridiculously overpriced it sells 4x as much as any other brand because it's marketed by...Usher, I think.

 

[Hectix777]

That argument is simple. With ear-buds you shove little plastic shells in your ears, the speaker is barely a millimeter away from your eardrum, and they practically shove and move around your ear structure to make them fit and you don't really get the same amount of privacy you would as headphones (and they make me feel cool when i wear them around my neck). Headphones give more space between ear and sound, better sense of privacy or a greater symbol of ,"I can't talk right now,", they generally perform better than earbuds, they're bigger (Yep, i'm that guy, go ahead and hate me), plus it's a good design for listening to music.

 

[Adam Jensen_v1legacy]

I wear headphones since the 90's. As far as I can tell, it took headphones long enough to catch on. I don't care.

 

[Rule Britannia]

Loads of people at my school do it, they just wear the headphones around their necks, not once have I seen them listening to music ¬.¬.

I use my Razer moray earbuds, great quality and I don't look like a twat.

 

[RagnarokHybrid]

Headphones have drastically better sound quality than earbuds. Especially the big name ones like Bose, Skullcandy, and the Beats.

At least, that's my reason for wearing them.

 

[TerribleAssassin]

I don't know what the big deal is.

Bass heavy music has always sort of been relatively big in my school, but I have no idea what the Beats hype is, and I'm a bass-heavy music producer!

 

[tehroc]

I'm part of this 'fad', I must say. I noticed the trend too, but I quite like the big headphones.

I enjoy wearing them when I'm out as I don't get annoying background music. Wearing them on the high street means I don't get people working for charities or beggers asking me for money.

Big headphones also marks you as a target. It says you have money and are not fully aware of your surroundings. I would never walk through the city without being able to hear any incoming potential threats.

 

[ToxicOranges]

Well, I wear them because, as someone earlier rightfully pointed out, dubstep is popular and honestly, sounds pretty terrible without decent headphones.

Buds are uncomfortable, break easily, can be lost, broken blah blah. Sure big headphones stand out, but sometimes it feels nice to break out a bit and make a statement...

Personally I think Beats by Dre are overpriced. Nice headphones, but not £300 standard. I personally use and recommend the V-Moda Crossfade LP. Gorgeous headphones...