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Comment by jib | Hacker News Reader

I'm on the other side I guess, but with the same conclusion.

I can tell from the design that I will never wear those ear buds. There is no way to create a decent seal in the ear using just hard plastic, so the sound will suffer for music, and that's the main reason I buy earbuds.

I'm not a snob about music stuff, but for around 100 USD I get a decent pair of earbuds that create a proper seal and gives me good music quality. I'd love the features, but I'm not going to sacrifice the main reason I use in-ear headphones in the first place - the ability to relatively cheaply have good quality sound.

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They can be a safety hazard. Pedestrians wearing them don’t pay attention to their surroundings at all. The fact they are in ear means it’s hard to notice when someone is wearing them. I view non isolating as a necessary feature for earphones generally used on the go. I know people swear by them for long train and subway commutes but I think it’s pretty stupid wearing them for walking about, just like wearing headphones while cycling.

Agreed - I'm into these earbuds specifically because they don't seal. I have nice headphones at home for "actual" listening.

When I'm out and about I have to balance sound quality with not getting hit by a bus. For me anything I wear outside needs to let in outside noise.

Sure. Personally, I have both. Sound-isolating earbuds for uses in cafes, trains, etc. And non-isolating ones for running. Alas, given that Google has removed the headphone jack, that solution works less well here.

I have a pair of Sony's noise cancelling headphones and they seem to only cancel out constant or piercing loud noise like HVAC or a power saw. They let voices through clearly without muffling it like you would expect a regular pair of headphones to do.

I haven't tried them outside, the sound of an approaching car seems like something they would filter out but they might have some smarts to them.

To help you in your future shopping: EarBUDS are hard plastic on-ear. EarPHONES are in-ear :)

One important difference besides the fit, is that earphones are more sound-isolating as well, allowing you to listen at lower volumes and save some of your hearing.

you got that backwards...

No I didn't.[1] Are you thinking of HEADphones?

[1]https://www.lifewire.com/earphones-vs-earbuds-2640208

fair enough, i was, thanks for the link.

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