Neckband Headphones: Why Is This Design Becoming So Popular?

At some point during the past few years, you've no doubt noticed an intriguing new phenomenon. More and more people are sporting what can only be described as high-tech collars with headphones sprouting out the sides. Call them what you will—"neckband headphones," "behind-the-neck headphones," or even the more obvious "collar headphones"—but this distinctive modern style of in-ear and around-the-neck earphones is all the rage as of late. And if you haven't experienced them yourself, you may be wondering what all the fuss is about.best sports neckband headphones

Ultimately, the success of neckband headphones boils down to three essential considerations: a unique combination of convenience, features and battery life unmatched by any other in-ear headphone design.The first major benefit of neckband headphones is perhaps the most obvious, but it's worth pointing out. Given that the earbuds are hanging around your neck, mere inches from your ears, means you won't have to dig through your bag or your pockets when you want to listen to some tunes or take a phone call. And since virtually all neckband headphones connect to your smartphone or personal media player via Bluetooth, those two tiny little cords connecting the collar to the earphones are the only cables you need to worry about. That means no more rat's nests to untangle. Since those cables aren't extending from your head to your pocket, it also means fewer opportunities to snag them on a doorknob and rip your earphones out of your ears. Or worse yet, break the wires, rendering your precious audio purchase worthless.

While we all appreciate the lightweight and convenience of in-ear headphones, as well as the add-on features commonly found in many popular models these days, those two desires can conflict with one other. After all, the more electronics you pack into one of those little housings, the bulkier, heavier and more cumbersome it gets. That's the definition of defeating the purpose.

Housing all their electronics inside the neckband headphones allows for additional features, without dragging down your ears or increasing discomfort. These features include:Of course, these extra features take their toll on battery life. And with wireless headphones, every minute of battery life is precious, which brings us to the biggest benefit of neckband headphones: that extra real estate around your neck makes room for a much higher capacity battery. While other wireless in-ears do well to offer five hours of play time between charges (and that's without the benefit of noise-cancelling, mind you), neckband headphones like the BT 100 NC can deliver up to 7.5 hours of continuous music listening between charges with active noise cancellation engaged, a staggering 12 hours of play time if you don't need noise cancelling, and as much as 220 hours of standby time. If you want better battery life than that, you're going to have to opt for full-sized on-ear or over-ear Bluetooth headphones, like Phiaton’s BT 460 on-ear wireless headphones.