Your Headphones Are Right There Where You Need Them, When You Want Them

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.

That Neckband Headphones Are Full Of Surprises

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:

Active noise cancellation: It's a feature we all love, but there's a good reason it's more commonly found in full-sized, over-ear headphones. Good noise cancellation requires sophisticated electronics, and those electronics must go somewhere. That's why most in-ears with active noise cancelling capabilities either come with a gigantic in-line control box, or bulge way out of your ears. Moving that circuitry to inside the neckband headphones means the bits you stick in your ears can stay compact and light, without any sacrifices in terms of the quality of noise cancellation.What's more, the neckband headphones allows for a combination of features you rarely ever see in in-ear headphones otherwise: active noise cancellation and Bluetooth wireless connectivity.

More convenient controls: Granted, in-line controls have been a feature of headphones since smartphones have existed. But have you ever found yourself fumbling your way down your headphone cables in search of the controls, only to forget which button does what? With neckband headphones, that's generally not a problem. With the controls right around your neck and easy to reach, you'll likely find yourself using them to pause, play, fast-forward and accept calls.

Enhanced telephony: If you regularly rely on a Bluetooth wireless connection, you've no doubt experienced this at some point—you're taking a break from listening to your tunes or podcasts, but didn't bother to unpair your headphones or turn them off. An important phone call comes through, and you miss it.