Open-back headphones are comfortable to wear for long periods of time

□ Popular Science Times reporter Chen Jie

As short videos, live broadcasts and other applications dominate mobile phone screens, people's requirements for the comfort of wearing headphones for a long time are also increasing. Recently, Xiaomi's first open-ear headphones were launched. The price of 649 yuan, coupled with the characteristics of not slipping off during exercise and not hurting the ears when worn for a long time, are sought after by young people.

Since 2023, from marathon king Kipchoge, NBA star Lillard, sports and fitness blogger Zhou Liuye, to young people on the sports field... open-back headphones can be seen almost everywhere in the sports field. According to IDC data, the sales volume of the domestic open-back headphone market reached 6.52 million units in 2023, a year-on-year increase of 130.2%, becoming the "new favorite" of the headphone consumer market.

What are open-back headphones?

Since Nasser Baldwin handmade the first modern headphones at home in 1910, headphone technology has experienced a leap in wireless and digital development over the past century, with products such as Bluetooth headphones, noise-canceling headphones, true wireless headphones, and open headphones coming out one after another.

The open-ear headphones that have become popular recently, as the name suggests, are a type of headphone product that does not need to be inserted into or block the ear canal. They mainly use two technologies: bone conduction and air conduction. Bone conduction conducts sound through the vibration of the skull. Sound can be heard without the vibration of the eardrum, and it is not affected even if you cover your ears with your hands. The principle of air conduction is the same as that of traditional in-ear headphones. Sound is transmitted to the middle ear through the auricle and external auditory canal through air vibrations, and then to the inner ear through the ossicular chain. In terms of wearing method, bone conduction headphones generally use an integrated ear hook or ear clip style, while air conduction headphones use a split ear hook design. Both types of products can basically be used by hanging them on the ears.

At present, there are many brands of open-back headphones on the market. Before Xiaomi, Sony, Shokz, Bose, Cleer, Huawei, Baseus and others have all released open-back headphone products, with prices ranging from a few hundred yuan to thousands of yuan.

"The biggest feature of open-back headphones is that they have a more natural sound field and sense of air. They sound relatively spacious and can also reduce ear pressure, making them very suitable for long-term comfortable wear." Wang Chao, a researcher at Wenyuan Think Tank, told Science Times that the bone conduction headphones and air conduction headphones currently on the market are typical open-back headphones. Whether they are clip-on or ear-hook open-back headphones, they are inevitable under the dual influence of user demand and technological development trends.

Of course, open-back headphones, with many advantages, also have disadvantages, namely, poor sound insulation. External noise can easily penetrate the headphones and enter the ears. At the same time, the sound played by the headphones will also leak into the surrounding environment. They are not suitable for use in occasions that require sound insulation or privacy.

Why is it popular among young people?

After the Xiaomi open-ear headphones were launched, the reporter's friend Jia Yang, who loves running, bought one as soon as possible. "The high cost-performance ratio is one reason, but the most important thing is that the open-ear headphones can really meet my needs in specific scenarios, such as long-distance running and playing games. Wearing open-ear headphones that are 'like not wearing anything' is more comfortable," said Jia Yang.

At present, mainstream in-ear headphones generally have the problem of long-term wearing causing ear discomfort. According to the "Audio Product Usage Status Survey Report 2023" released by Qualcomm, more than 37% of respondents believe that "ear discomfort" when wearing is the biggest pain point of in-ear headphones.
A salesperson at an offline Xiaomi store told reporters that since the launch of the open-ear headphones, the vast majority of people who come to the store to inquire and place orders are young people.

As for the disadvantage of open-type headphones, which have poor sound insulation, Jia Yang believes that this is actually an advantage in sports scenarios. "When doing outdoor sports such as running, cycling, and playing ball, open-type headphones have the dual capabilities of listening to music and ambient sound, which is more conducive to users dealing with safety risks caused by unexpected factors. Even when exercising indoors, open-type headphones make it easier to observe the use of equipment by people around you and sudden changes."

Open-ear headphones, which can be used to listen to music as well as surrounding sounds, were originally the most commonly used headphone devices in sports fields. "Nowadays, this type of headphones is impressing more young user groups. With the development and application of new materials and new processes, the comfort of wearing open-ear headphones is expected to be further improved to meet the users' continuously upgraded comfort needs," said Wang Chao.