How Much Does Earphone Quality Matter While Listening to Music on Buses and Trains?

We report results from an investigation into the relationships between acoustic performance, price, and perceived quality of earphones. In Singapore today, the most common situation where people listen to music is while commuting, however such environments have generally high ambient noise levels. A survey (N=94) of listener habits on buses and trains was conducted. Results showed that people use a wide range of earphones, both in terms of price and measurable acoustic performance. Five typical earphone models were identified and employed in a perceptual experiment (N=15). Volunteers rated various aspects of earphone quality while listening to music under two conditions: studio silence and a reproduced commuter environment. Results showed that participants displayed a strong preference towards in-ear earphones and this can be attributed to these having better acoustic isolation than on-ear earphones. People tend to describe the music listening experiences in terms of sonic clarity and noise isolation. We believe that these results can inform development of an ecologically valid model of how noisy environments affect people’s perception of audio quality, and through that, of music experience. Such a model could inform consumers as well as manufacturers