Personal Audio Devices

The adoption of personal audio products is becoming more purposeful. Personal audio devices are multifunctional, but there are sub-categories that focus on optimizing an experience in certain use cases such as fitness, gaming, work, and sleep.

With multiple purposes in mind, consumers are likely adopting more personal audio devices because the devices themselves are becoming indispensable, and in some cases, functionally specific.

• More than half of US internet households report owning some type of personal audio device.

• The average number of wireless headphones and earbuds among owning households is more than 1.5 per household.
• Among households with children, headphone and earbud ownership is even closer to two.

Today, finding a wireless headset is easier than finding a wired one. Bluetooth and the elimination of headphone jacks on many smartphones steers consumers to wireless audio options. Hesitant at first, consumers now enjoy the freedom of no wires.

Music prevails as the most popular use case for personal audio devices, even as modern lifestyles demand more attention for other purposes.

Personal audio devices are now used for more reasons than ever, but even so, music remains the most popular. The rise in video consumption and virtual calls place video and phone use as the next most common use cases.

?Households favor completely wireless, or “true” wireless earbuds over all other form factors.

?36% of households report using wireless devices most often. This is more than double the use of the other form factors.

The convenience, freedom, and multifunctionality afforded by true wireless earbuds positions them as high demand devices.

In-ear devices are by far the most popular personal audio form factor.

Most consumers are drawn to earbuds more than headphones. The small form factor of earbuds provides unrivaled portability and convenience for commuting, impromptu phone or video calls, workouts, and other cases. Headphones are unable to compete with the small size of earbuds but do offer extended comfort and better noise isolation. The more immersive experience offered by over-ear headphones is slightly preferred to the experience provided by on-ear headphones. Earbuds typically cost less than headphones. Overall, consumers gravitate toward earbuds most often, but those looking for a specific audio experience will choose headphones instead.

Over half of consumers use true wireless earbuds.

Completely wireless, or “true” wireless, is the favored form factor among consumers owning earbuds. Interestingly, the difference in wire preference for on-ear headphone users is undifferentiated while over-ear users prefer wireless products slightly more. Wired devices oftentimes offer better sound quality and are not limited by bitrate or battery life like their wireless counterparts. All in all, consumers favor the portability provided by earbuds but are not dismissing larger devices or wired connections just yet.

This is an excerpt from the study: Personal Audio: Earbuds and Headphones. This research explores consumer adoption and use of personal audio devices such as wired and wireless earbuds and headphones. It also provides trending information for the past 3 years and intentions for the next year.?

Key Questions Addressed:

1. What is the current landscape for personal audio devices?
2. What are the consumer trends in the personal audio market?
3. What factors are driving growth in the personal audio market?
4. Who are the key players in the personal audio market?
5. What have adoption trends been since 2020 and what are consumer intentions for both earbuds and headphones?

For more information on Parks Associates research visit www.parksassociates.com