Truly Wireless Earbuds & Headphones VS Bluetooth Earbuds & Headphones

EarBuds – Truly Wireless – Augmented Hearing – Hearables – What do they mean?

There is a world of new terms when it comes to headphones and listening to music that is creating confusion as to what they are and how do they differ.  This includes Earbuds, Truly Wireless, Augmented Hearing and Hearables.  Below we will go through and explain what each is and how they differ.  How do you know what is what, what is the difference between Bluetooth and Truly Wireless or Earbuds and AirPods?

Headphones

These are the traditional headphones we are familiar with.  They come at a variety of price ranges and plug into the audio jack of your smartphone, MP3 player or tablet. The higher price point headphones can include more advanced sound features including higher quality speakers, bass and high-quality mic.

Bluetooth Headphones

These have been out for a few years but it’s taken some improvements in Bluetooth to make them more reliable and to provide good sound quality for both sound and mic for phone calls.  These may not always be free of wires as some do include a larger base that sits around the neck with earbuds like traditional headphones that sit in the ear.  This provides you with controls and the Bluetooth connection.

Truly Wireless

A new phrase that has become more prominent in 2018 it refers to earbuds that have no wires what-so-ever.  Unlike the Bluetooth headphones which were typically including a wire that sits around the neck the “Truly Wireless” are simply just earbuds that sit in the ear and the most well known are AirPods that Apple launched with the iPhone 7 when they removed the audio jack.

Augmented Hearing

Some incredible advances in technology have allowed ‘Truly Wireless” to evolve to the next best thing which augments the wearer’s hearing through noise canceling, sound amplification, hearing loss adaption and other advanced features. These earbuds or headphones can improve hearing, amplify speech, improve music, cancel out loud noises and many other features.  They also come with a smartphone app for total customization.

How Do You Choose?

Simple headphones can cost as low as $14,99 and hearing augmenting truly wireless earbuds can cost upwards of $650.  How do you know which to choose and what justifies the cost?

The first consideration would be whether you want to be wire-free, which would then require at least a Bluetooth headset or truly wireless earbuds.  The next consideration is sound quality and lastly the more advanced hearing augmentation features.  What you pay is sometimes what you get.  Bose truly wireless can range upwards of $300 whereas AirPods are about $90.  The more expensive earbuds tend to include more advanced features like noise canceling which can improve sound quality drastically, especially if you travel, work or live in noisy environments.  Some like Nuheara, Audeara and BeHear include models that will assess your hearing challenges or hearing loss and adjust the sound to improve how you hear.  IQbuds Boost are so good they are considered by some who review it to be on the verge of a hearing aid and ideal for those with hearing loss who haven’t wanted to go the route of a hearing aid.

No matter the new term or style there is now something for everyone when it comes to listening to music and taking calls.