Earbuds or over ear headphones : which do you prefer?

[Oscar_38]

Headphones have become one of the most important gadgets many of us own. We use them for music, podcasts, calls, gaming, travel and blocking out noisy offices or trains. The big choice seems to be between small wireless earbuds and larger over ear headphones. Each has loyal fans, and many people own both for different situations

Earbuds are small, light and easy to carry everywhere. Modern ones have good noise cancelling, decent battery life with their charging case and quick pairing with phones. But they can fall out, get lost easily and some people find them uncomfortable after a while. Battery life per charge is also shorter, and the batteries cannot usually be replaced

Over ear headphones tend to offer better sound, stronger noise cancelling and much longer battery life. Models from Sony, Bose, Sennheiser, Apple and others are popular for travel and long listening sessions. They are bulkier, though, and can be hot in summer. Some people also feel self conscious wearing big headphones in public, while others see them as a style choice

I use earbuds for the gym and walking, and over ear headphones for flights and long train journeys. The noise cancelling on my over ear pair makes a long journey much more bearable. I lost one earbud on a bus last year, which was an expensive reminder of their downside

Earbuds or over ear headphones? Which do you use, and for what?