headphones that you can choose from. All of them have their advantages and disadvantages. The three main categories are
- In-Ear
- On-Ear
- Over-Ear headphones.
In this article, we’ll be discussing the two categories that are On-Ear and Over-Ear Headphones. Which one should you purchase?
What are On Ear Headphones?
The On-Ear Headphones are directly against on top of the ears. They have no such unique advantage over other headphones. They consider balancing over their user’s basic requirements; portability and sound quality for user satisfaction and ultimate experience.
On-Ear headphones have more extensive drivers than In-ears when you’re corresponding to any of these in the same price span.
Pros:
- On-Ear headphones hold smaller ear cup sizes than in over-Ear headphones.
- Mostly these headphones fold up for creating an impact so that you can carry them easily anywhere with you.
- These headphones come in a solid case so you can keep them in your backpack without any hesitation.
- The headphones reproduce a broader range of frequencies and soundstage for better musicality and sound performance.
Cons:
- On-Ear headphones typically won’t work as hard as over-ear headphones, because air pass and circulates through them quite easier.
- However, this can be a downside when considering the lack of noise isolation.

Why Should You Choose On-Ear Headphones?
- The on-ear headphones are a great choice when it comes to your daily commute or to keep them on the desk at the office.
- They provide a complete balance between portability and sound quality.
- They don’t offer complete isolation but it could be good for you to have them in the office so that you’ll be able to hear when somebody needs you or you want to listen to anyone.
- On-ear headphones are gonna give you better sound quality and you can keep it for much longer.
What is Over the Ear Headphones?
Over-Ear headphones are most probably the considerable used and preferred pair of headphones of all time for music lovers. Most people use them in their workplace or at home when they want only comfiness around themselves.
These headphones are on point when it comes to style and is super comfy in terms of usage. It stands as one of the best sound earphone pair.
The over-ear headphones consist of a travel case that is additionally foldable. The oversize ear cup size covers your ear entirely. So you don’t have to worry that they’ll hurt your ear.
Pros:
- Over-Ear Headphones are typically regarded and considered the most comfortable option when it comes to headphones.
- Also, the Over-Ear headphones let you listen for a long time without your ears getting affected or sore.
- From a sound perspective, the best headphone for long time now and for years in the world are Over-Ear headphones.
- As mentioned above, they aim to provide you with a wider range of frequencies due to the large drivers; including tough to soft bass sounds.
- The larger size allows the headphone to present the best sound quality possible.
Cons:
- Portability sometimes is not their more substantial characteristic.
- They’ll always be known as heavier headphones because of their size, so some people might not carry them well.
- Price can be another drawback for this type of headphone.
Why Should You Choose Over-Ear Headphones?
- The over-ear headphones provide larger drivers and are more comfortable.
- Apart from that, they provide you with the best music experience in comparison to other headphone types.
- An open-back design gives you even better sound quality.
- Open-back over-ear headphones are the most soothing headphone when sitting on a chair or having a cup of coffee on your balcony or walking in a park.
- You can focus on the best music experience while using over-ear headphones.
Features Over-Ear vs On-Ear Headphones-Comparison:
Let’s go through the different features of both headphones. First, we are gonna go with the biggest difference both the headphones and then we’ll dive into why each one is a must-have for any music lover. Without further delay, let’s get into it;
Design and Build Quality:

If we talk about Built quality, it may be very well built by each of the models. The on-ear compresses your ear while the over-ear just simply covers your ear.
On-Ear:
They have smaller ear cups and they’ll just compress your ear but of course, you can adjust them to your head size and so as you can see the diameter that covers your ear is very small.
They use 3.5-millimeter headphones jacks. The design always varies.
Since we are talking about comfortableness then it isn’t the best choice or pair of headphones for you.
Over-Ear:
Over-ear headphones usually do have bigger ear cups and of course, the diameter where your ear goes in is much bigger. It fits your ear inside which makes the sound quality better and sounding.
The over-ear uses the same 3.5-millimeter headphones jacks. The design as always varies with the different types of headphones.
Since we are talking about comfortableness then Over-ear headphones are undoubtedly the most comfortable pair of headphones for you as they won’t compress your ear unless on-ear and would be the best choice for you.
Sound Quality and Performance:
The best sound quality is for over-ear headphones. Let’s go through brief information and let’s know what makes them the best in sound and music quality;
On-Ear:
The headphones have a disk drive inside, the bigger the disk drive the better bass quality you’ll get. It makes it less preferred for music lovers as the high sound quality is what they want from the desired pair of headphones.
Since we are talking about sound quality then in-ear maybe not be the best choice or pair of headphones for you. It also depends on the situation and what you’re using them for.
Over-Ear:
Over-ear headphones come with larger disk drivers that make them produce the best sound quality for their users. The music lover wants to get headphones that have higher bass and incredible music sound quality.
Since we are talking about sound quality then Over-ear headphones are indeed the most satisfying pair of headphones as they won’t disappoint you in terms of bass and soundstage and would be the best choice to choose for yourself.
Frequently Asked Questions-FAQs:
Are Over Ear Headphones Better Than On Ear Headphones?
The over-ear headphones are better as they perform extremely incredible when it comes to sound quality and noise cancellation. They’re comforting to your ears.
Whereas, the on-ear headphones are usually opposite to them as they’re not very good at canceling the outside noise which makes them a little lesser in terms of isolation. They are uncomfortable as the earcups kill the ear by applying pressure on one’s ear.
What Makes Over-Ear Headphones Different From Other Headphones?
Make sure you choose an over-ear headphone that has good padding on the headbands, it comes through pads and earcups.
Now, there is another fact that you must consider buying over-ear headphones for work and home I-e; open-back and closed-back.
-Close-back headphones provide much better isolation from an outside voice getting into your headsets. And they do a much better job at keeping the music in your ears and not out for everyone else to hear.
-Open-back style because of nature that they’re openly designed doesn’t do well at isolating you from the outside world. What they do as well is to keep the music more only you can hear it. But they do offer a much wider soundstage and an open airy feel to the sound that you’re listening to great pair of speakers.
Are On-Ear Headphones Uncomfortable?
In some cases, they might be a little uncomfortable. The fact that they have a tight grip and compress your ear. It wouldn’t be possible for you to use them for a longer time.
For Example;
If a person works in Customer Care Service where the duty lasts for considerable hours, then on-ear won’t be a perfect pair of headphones for him. So, it may vary in different situations and scenarios.
Are Headphones Safe for You?
Usually, headphones can affect your hearing ability if you keep on them for a longer time. Everything that exceeds the limit can be harmful to your health.
The use of headphones continuously at high volumes won’t be safe for you at any cost. The gadgets are meant to create ease in your life but not for compromising your health.
Wrapping-Up:
The choice of headphones wholly depends on the situation and scenario in which you would be using them. Apart from that, these were some factual and intriguing facts you must be aware of before purchasing any pair of headphones.
You must keep all the pros and cons, features, and relevant information in mind while using the headphones. Most importantly you must use them at a lower volume. Hope now you can select the perfect fit for you between the over ear vs on ear beats.