Nowadays, more and more people are using practical headphones to enable maximum acoustic enjoyment while listening to music. The range of high-quality headphones is immense, but most of the headphones on the market are designed for medium-sized or large ears, so important wearing properties such as accuracy of fit and comfort are often not or only inadequately met with small ears.
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Best Headphones for Small Ears: what should you watch out for with small ears?
Whether at work, while studying, doing sports or just relaxing: for many people, listening to music while performing everyday activities has become second nature. The characteristics that good headphones must meet often depend on individual requirements. Numerous technical and design criteria determine the sound quality and the ergonomic wearing comfort of headphones for small ears. But what about the accuracy of fit of the earphones?
Time and again, customers with small ears and narrow ear canals complain about a poor fit in their ears. The poorly fitting headphone plugs feel rather uncomfortable in the ear and fall out of their position with every movement. Many current headphone models are equipped with earpieces that are too large, which are unsuitable for too-narrow ear canals, trigger the feeling of clogged ear canals and can even cause pain.
In-ear headphones, on the other hand, which are equipped with small, precisely fitting ear pieces or earbuds, sit snugly in the auditory canal of a small ear without causing unpleasant side effects. Really good in-ear headphones for small ears contain both small and medium-sized ear pieces in the scope of delivery so that customers can decide for themselves which earpiece size best fits the anatomy of their ear and thus ensures optimal wearing comfort.
But not only the size of the earphones determines the suitability of an in-ear headphone for small ears. An essential criterion is the material, which can influence the sound quality and comfortable carrying capacity. Super light foam or plastic earbuds are a good option to solve the problem of a lack of stability in the ear and ensure a perfect fit. Earphones with foam tips can be used stress-free, automatically adapt to the size of the auricle and the ear canal and promote optimal hold in the ear canals.
Memory foam inserts are particularly relevant for ears with different ear canal widths and also ensure complete shielding from outside noise. The musical experience can be perceived undisturbed by external influences.
The Best Headphones for Small Ears
The following headphone models for small ears are high-quality HiFi versions that have good wearing properties and excellent sound insulation modes and shine with first-class sound quality.
Sennheiser M2 IEBT Momentum in-ear wireless headphones
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Those who choose the Sennheiser Momentum in-ear headphones have actually made a great choice. The headphone set made of stainless steel is available in versions iOS and Android, is characterized by a high level of wearing comfort and has an efficient system for blocking outside noise. A highly precise sound tunnel with high-end nanotechnology, an elliptical cable, a jack plug and a 3-button remote control module with a built-in hands-free microphone are distinctive components of the Sennheiser Momentum headphone set.
The premium quality stainless steel elements in the earpiece contribute substantially to a high-quality sound. The highest ergonomics is achieved by the 15 ° inclination angle of the earpiece for optimal ear adjustment. The supplied ear adapter set includes ear pieces in four different sizes, Extra Small, Small, Medium and Large, as well as a hard case for safe storage.
Jaybird Freedom In-Ear Headphones
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Some of the best small-ear wireless headphones we’ve tried so far include the Jaybird Freedom. These wireless in-ear have very slim, tapered earbuds that go pretty deep into your ear canal. The headphones come with a choice of six different-sized silicone or foam ear tips, so you won’t have much difficulty finding a comfortable attachment. Their lightweight and optional wingtips make them sit securely in your ears, making them a great choice if you want to take them to the gym or for a run.
They offer a reasonably balanced listening experience with well-reproduced mids and highs, along with punchy bass. If you want to adjust the sound profile, the Jaybird MySound app offers you the function. The headphones do a good job of passively reducing ambient noise, and the sound doesn’t leak out either, which is very convenient for daily commuting.
Unfortunately, the 4.1-hour battery life is disappointing, although the fast charge time slightly offsets this. Nonetheless, it is a versatile, highly customizable pair of headphones that offer a balanced listening experience.
Jabra Elite Sport In-Ear Fitness
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With the Jabra Elite Sport in-ear fitness headphones, sports enthusiasts with small ears are perfectly served. The high-tech wireless headphones made of silicone and polyacrylamide are supplied in three sizes: small, medium and large. The scope of delivery also includes three different-sized ear gel and foam earplugs to ensure optimal seating accuracy for almost every ear canal.
One of the numerous highlights of this headphone model is its overwhelming sound quality. As real fitness headphones with full Bluetooth connectivity, the device takes on important sports measurement functions such as heart rate measurement, performance and movement records, as well as accurate calorie measurements. The weather- and sweat-resistant headphone set can also come up with a great battery life of 13.5 hours. With its super fitness functions, the Jabra Elite Sport is completely uncomplicated to use and is also the ideal companion for demanding training.
Shure SE215-CL Professional Sound Isolating Earphones
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The Shure SE 215m + SE headphones are bass-driven in-ear headphones with a sound-neutralizing equalizer. This ensures optimal sound quality, which is also promoted by an efficient 37-decibel shielding against external noise. The Shure SE 215m + SPE is characterized by a high level of comfort, which is guaranteed by the 6 pairs of ear plugs in different sizes and two pairs of foam attachments in the material qualities of memory foam and silicone.
The earpiece lies firmly in the ear canal and is particularly easy to wear in small ears. The compactly designed, 127 cm long connection cable is equipped with an MMCX mechanically lockable plug for effective rotation. This makes the cables particularly resistant to breakage and kinks. Efficient media control with volume control and replay activations via Android and Apple devices can also be conveniently implemented with high-quality Shure headphones.
JBL E25BT Bluetooth in-Ear Headphones Black
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The best budget-class wireless earphones for small ears are the JBL E25BT. Their tiny earbuds make them a little more comfortable than traditional in-ear headphones, and their built-in remote control is easy to use.
These wireless earbuds have a fairly balanced sound profile that is suitable for a wide variety of styles of music. You can connect to two devices at the same time, which is ideal if you often switch between your smartphone and laptop. The headphones have a good battery life of 9.5 hours, which will help you get through your entire workday.
While it’s not a huge surprise at this price point, the JBL aren’t the best-built wireless earbuds we’ve listed here. But they feel better built than other inexpensive in-ear headphones.
If you have small ears and don’t want to spend a lot of money on headphones, the JBL E25BT are ideal.
Beats urBeats3
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The best-corded earplugs for small ears are the Beats urBeats3. Since they don’t use a wireless connection, they don’t require a battery, which is great for long days of travel or if you’re the type of person who always forgets to charge their devices. They are available either with a 3.5 mm stereo jack plug for most devices or if you have an iPhone without a headphone jack, you can get them with a Lightning connection. The urBeats3 has a rubberized cable and overall feels decently processed.
The earbuds are small and comfortable, and they come with four different sizes of ear tips to ensure a snug fit. The sound profile is quite balanced but with an urge for more bass, which should please fans of EDM or hip-hop. The bass isn’t too overwhelming, though, making the headphones versatile enough for most genres and even for podcasts and audiobooks. Since they don’t require a Bluetooth connection, the microphone is better than most wireless headphones, and your voice sounds natural and clear.
Provided you choose the right earbuds, they do a great job of cancelling out background noise, making them a great choice for helping you focus in the office.
Samsung SM-R140 Gear IconX
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The Samsung SM-R140 Gear IconX (2018) headphones for small ears actually have a lot more to offer than just high-quality music enjoyment. The in-ear headphones come with numerous additional fitness features that make the earphone set the ideal companion for every sports fan with small ears.
The super-light, wireless hearing aid has a built-in fitness tracker and a headphone storage capacity of 4 GB, of which the integrated MP-3 player offers 3.5 GB of usable memory. Compared to the previous model, the new version scores with a longer battery life. The Samsung Gear Icon X 2018 headphones demonstrate efficient wearability and are particularly suitable for narrow ear canals.
Beats by Dr DRE BeatsX headphones
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The fact that the Beats X wireless headphones with Bluetooth from Dre are so popular for small ears is not only due to the impressive wearing comfort but also to the great sound quality that the headphones reproduce. With the help of the effective Quick-Charge technology, only a 5-minute battery charging time is required for 2 hours of active use. The high wearing comfort is given by the three different sizes of the earphones.
As soon as the earpieces are removed and hang loosely around the neck, they close together like a long collar with the help of an integrated mini magnetic piece. A compatible USB cable for connection to USB ports and other chargers is included. The water-resistant Beats X headphones are also equipped with an efficient noise-cancelling mode.
1MORE E1001 Triple-Driver Hi-Fi Headphones In-Ear Earphones
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The 1MORE E1001 Triple-Driver Hi-Fi headphones can score with impressive audio quality, which has been voted by renowned Grammy award-winning engineers. Its ergonomic design adapts completely to the natural shape of the auricle and is the perfect choice for headphones for narrow ear canals.
Eight earpieces of different sizes are included in the scope of delivery so that the most suitable earpiece can be chosen for every ear canal width. The iMore Triple Driver 1001 headphones come with an impressive frequency range of 40,000 Hz. The integrated 3-button remote control for music control and telephony makes using the 1More Triple Driver 1001 in-ear headphones child’s play.
Bose QuietComfort 20 Acoustic Noise Canceling Headphones
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Bose QuietComfort 20 headphones with active noise cancellation literally have comfort in their name, and the in-ear earbuds live up to their name. The tone is classic from Bose and flatters all genres. The headphones are also characterized by long battery life (16 hours) and intelligent and compact control on the cable.
Bose QuietComfort 20 Acoustic Noise Canceling headphones are beautifully made and do justice to their price. The headphones are compact and equipped with special StayHear + earplugs. These do not penetrate the ears, which is surprising for ANC headphones. People with small ears can rejoice because it requires very little piercing into the ears. To be on the safe side, Bose packs three different sizes of StayHear + earplugs.
The headphones have a great sound image. The bass and midrange are even, and the highs are balanced.
Conclusion
Although all models presented are in the higher price segment, their excellent quality features convince with optimal wearing comfort, remarkable fit, a stable hold in the auricle turns even during intense physical activity, as well as improved sound quality and absolute noise isolation. A balanced mid-high frequency reproduction and tonal harmony offer music lovers of all ages fascinating sound experiences. The extra accessories and additional features, as well as the solid headphone cases for safe storage, emphasize the good price-performance ratio of these premium headphones.
