There are pros and cons to choosing headphones that go over the ears or ear buds that fit inside the ear canal. This choice can make a difference in sound quality and in preserving your hearing. The typical "over-the-counter" ear buds that are packaged with most personal listening systems have a poor seal and leave the ear canal open to hear background noise in addition to the music. This results in a need to increase the volume to hear music over the background noise. (A good example of this is turning up the volume at the gym to block out extraneous noises.) An escalation of volume over environmental noise results in order to hear at your "preferred listening level".
The increased volume with the ear buds is harmful to your hearing. The closer proximity to the eardrum and higher sound pressure levels in the ear canal make it dangerous to your hearing. Sound isolating ear buds with universal-fit soft tips are a good alternative to the standard ear buds. They can be purchased from companies such as Etymotic Research and provide good quality sound at lower volume.
Be cautious of cheaper earphones because the sound quality is not as good and they must be turned up to hear the bass. This can cause more hearing loss and ringing in the ears associated with noise damage! Noise canceling headphones allow you to enjoy music at safer, lower levels because they reduce background noise interference. As a result, you are less likely to increase the volume to reach your "preferred listening level".
Recommendations: univeral-fit sound isolating ear buds or noise canceling headphones to allow the safe enjoyment of music at lower levels with good quality full sound!
