The past year or so has seen a resurgence of open ear headphones. For those who have been around when these were still shackled by wires back in the day, it’s brought about a funny sense of deja vu. But for those who are experiencing these types of personal audio products for the first time, it is just a matter of time before the question inevitably resurfaces – am I bothering others with the sound that leaks from these headphones?
It’s also an even more pertinent question to ask today than it was before. Back then, in-ear earbuds were not as ubiquitous as today, nor were easily binged content as effortlessly available. It was an age when audiophiles-to-be went out of their way to prepare their playlists in advance, and get gear that kept their music to themselves. Encounters with “that guy” who had their phones on full blast while watching who-knows-what in public transport were uncommon, which could be down to content simply being less accessible.
These days though, while “that guy” is no less common or rare compared to before, the return of open-ear headphones may also turn some of the more socially conscious people into “that guy”. This is especially with those who are made without specific design languages that either direct sound straight into the wearer’s ear canals, or that use ANC tech on the outside to counteract sound leakage, or indeed both.
Which got me thinking: What amount of sound leakage is acceptable? Or indeed too much? Where does one draw the line between the two? At what point do you transition from being a considerate member of the public to being “that guy”?
If you have even a passing interest in the field of mental health, you’ll likely have come across the idea of self-confidence, or the idea of being aware of your worth and not being too concerned with what others think of you. But if you think that sounds quite a bit like “that guy”, you’re not wrong. Of course, as with many things in life, there’s a fine line between the two, and context would determine where the scales tip.
The short answer is, though, if you don’t care about what others think of you, but what you do negatively affects others, you’re “that guy”. And in the context of open ear headphones, if the leakage can be heard by others around you, then you’re at risk of being “that guy”. So if you don’t like the idea of being “that guy”, you’ll ideally want conventional buds, or closed cans. Failing that, you’ll need open ear headphones with really good audio beamforming, workable outward ANC, or preferably both.
Testing this out is also very straightforward and intuitive – simply hold out the open ear headphones you’re trying out at arm’s length to simulate it being worn by someone next to you on, say, public transport. Flip it around as well for good measure if you want to. Then imagine you’re in a quiet bus or train, and hearing what you hear coming from said headphones, and decide if you’re comfortable with that.
At this point you’re probably thinking “thanks Captain Obvious, now can I have the 30 seconds I spent reading those two paragraphs back?”. And you’d think so, understandably. But it’s worth repeating as not all open ear headphones are made equal, or at least with public listening in mind. Some of these open ear headphones are not made with the aforementioned audio beamforming tech in mind, or indeed outward ANC to counter leakage.
It’s also entirely possible that these wireless headphones have the tech, but they’re just not implemented well. As such, you may end up wearing something meant for a solo jog around the neighbourhood to a crowded charity run, mistakenly thinking “heh, no one knew I was listening to my favourite tracks this whole time”.
In other words, you’ve just become “that guy”. All while thinking you’re not.
Where I would normally end on that bombshell, I thought since I’m already going on this rant, I might as well try to make another tangential point. In the capitalist society that we live in, brands make their money by selling products that cater to customers’ needs and wants. But with the product categories for individual needs become saturated, new wants that are more specific will be discovered – or indeed manufactured – so that more things can be sold. Fashion and prestige are good examples.
Now, I’m not one to judge whether open ear headphones are here to solve a real or manufactured need. All I’m saying is that everyone should be a discerning customer that gets something that meets their specific needs, rather than a consumer that buys things without paying attention to what sort of wants that a product is supposed to cater to. But you know what they say about attention span these days.
And on THAT bombshell…
