Help me understand earbuds!

[Budikka]

Hello. I must admit I am not great with technology and I am a real stick-in-the-mud conservative who uses the old technology until it becomes obsolete.

When I am out running or walking or just standing at the end of an enormous queue in Aldi, I listen to music on a 10-year-old Samsung tablet. The tablet is in my small rucksack and I have the old style pads which have a long cable that attaches to the tablet.

Obviously, I have seen everyone with the "buds" that just stick in the ears without any cable to the advice and I would like to get a pair. But I am a bit clueless where to start:

1. As I understand, they link to any device which has Bluetooth? So my tablet (which has music stored on it) will be fine?

2. I have heard of "noise cancellation" but I do not know what this means. Does it mean background noise cancelled out if you are listening to music or having a phone conversation on the street? Or is it something like headphones you can wear on a plane to cancel out people talking around you?

3. Any recommendations for a good starter pair? I only have Android devices (phone, tablet) and a PC, nothing from Apple.

Thanks for helping a clueless individual!

[ModerationInEverything]

I'm no help on noise cancellation but yes they connect to anything Bluetooth. They are very simple to use and I love mine. I have Anker sound core ones from Amazon, about £20 but perfect. Good sound quality, long battery life, no connection issues. I'd replace them instantly if I lost one.

[tribpot]

Yes, the noise cancellation feature generates sound waves to muffle background noise - here's an article by Sony. I would not want noise cancellation for outdoors as it would prevent you from hearing important ambient noise like cars approaching or whatever. It is great on public transport or in a gym where you want to remove background noise. No earbuds can be fully noise cancelling in my opinion, I've never tried the Apple ones but the only true noise cancelling headphones I've had are the over-ear style.

Earbuds for running need to have more ear stabilisation, otherwise they will fall out. Have a look for a pair designed for sports.

For not-running, I have the Samsung Galaxy Buds and they are fantastic, but not cheap. The sound quality is amazing, though.

I do have a pair of Anker Sound Core headphones (over ear style) for the gym and they are great. I see they do some ear buds designed for sport here:

[tribpot]

Ahh Mumsnet and your inability to process URLs at the end of posts. Here's the link to the sports ear buds again.
https://amzn.eu/d/4YpM4gR?tag=mumsnet&ascsubtag=mnforum-21

[Budikka]

@tribpot

Ahh Mumsnet and your inability to process URLs at the end of posts. Here's the link to the sports ear buds again.
https://amzn.eu/d/4YpM4gR?tag=mumsnet&ascsubtag=mnforum-21

Thanks for all the replies. Can I ask if people think the sports ear buds are worth it for £90, given that I am a first-time buyer? For example, I read the reviews of these cheaper models, which seems to suggest they are fine for running. The reviews seem to be from verified purchasers...

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Bluetooth-Headphones-Earphones-Cancelling-Waterproof-Black/dp/B0B824NB2D/ref=sr_1_5?crid=9BOLFADZ9KBW&amp%3Bkeywords=earbuds&amp%3Bqid=1684650581&amp%3Bsprefix=ear%2Caps%2C140&amp%3Bsr=8-5&amp%3Bth=1&tag=mumsnet&ascsubtag=mnforum-21

[ModerationInEverything]

I use the Anker ones on the treadmill at the gym with no issues.

[tribpot]

I think it's worth trying with a cheaper pair first @Budikka - my instinct would be to go with Anker rather than this Ordtop brand that only appears to exist on Amazon. You may find you don't like them in general - they are heavier on the ears than you're probably used to with wired headphones. So don't shell out too much in the first instance.

[suz2285]

I have these

Wireless Earbuds Bluetooth,... https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B09LCVHCVX?ref=ppx%5D%5D%5B%5Bhttps%3A%2F%2Fwww.amazon.co.uk%2Fdp%2FB09LCVHCVX%3Fref%3Dppx_pop_mob_ap_share&tag=mumsnet&ascsubtag=mnforum-21 poppmobappshare

They are great for running, never fall out and hold so much charge, I use them for walking, running, anything really, super comfy and not expensive; they easily attach to any of my devices

[CountlesScreamingArgonauts]

I love my Bluetooth headphones but don't trust myself with earbuds, I know I'd lose one! Mine are joined to each other with a wire and magnetic so i can wear them around my neck and not lose them when not listening to something.

[Budikka]

@suz2285

I have these

Wireless Earbuds Bluetooth,... https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B09LCVHCVX?ref=ppx%5D%5D%5B%5Bhttps%3A%2F%2Fwww.amazon.co.uk%2Fdp%2FB09LCVHCVX%3Fref%3Dppx_pop_mob_ap_share&tag=mumsnet&ascsubtag=mnforum-21 poppmobappshare

They are great for running, never fall out and hold so much charge, I use them for walking, running, anything really, super comfy and not expensive; they easily attach to any of my devices

Thanks so much, I have ended up getting a pair and I am really pleased with them. As I understand, to pair them between different devices (eg. tablet, PC, phone), you need to manually disconnect the T9 each time from Bluetooth settings and pair it up again?

[suz2285]

@Budikka ah I'm so glad you like them! I find them super comfy!

Yes I find it easier to just turn off the Bluetooth on the device I don't want it to connect to, so if I'm sitting with my phone and iPad I just turn the Bluetooth off on my phone if I want it to connect to the iPad or vice versa but disconnecting and reconnecting works the same

Enjoy your new ear buds!

[tribpot]

Yep they will automatically connect to the last device they connected to, so the easiest option is to turn off bluetooth on that device, then go into bluetooth settings on the device you do want to connect them to and select them from the list of known bluetooth devices.

This is after you've paired them with each device for the first time. They may go into pairing mode automatically when you first switch them on, after that you'll need to put them into pairing mode, the manual will explain how.