SOUND-ISOLATING earphones, it seems, are made for the young.

A Digital Life straw poll of 50 people, aged between 17 and 40 years old, revealed that only 16 of them knew how to wear them correctly.

Out of the 16 surveyed, 11 were between 19 and 23 years old.

Manufacturers of sound-isolating earphones say that the correct way of wearing them is to insert the ear buds such that the cable is strung over your ear. When worn correctly, the cable should hang neatly behind the ear.

Said Benson Low, product manager of IT distributor Ban Leong: 'The benefit of wearing earphones this way is to hide (them) as much as possible. The performer does not look clumsy with dangling cables. Also, this wearing style provides a more secure fit.'

So, are you one of those who stare blankly at your sound-isolating earpiece, not knowing what goes where? Be left out no longer.

Step 1: Find the perfect fit

Finding the right ear sleeve for your ears can be harder than finding true love - especially when each pair of earphones comes with three or more ear sleeves for you to choose from.

Earphone sleeves are simply the mouldable tips that you use to slip over the earphones.

To enjoy the rich details of your music, it's important that the sleeves fit perfectly. Which is why most sound-isolating ear buds come with sleeves in three different sizes - small, medium and large.

They also come in three types of material - rubber, plastic and foam - to suit individual preferences.

The sleeve that you choose should fit snugly and comfortably in your ear, blocking out unwanted external sounds.

Step 2: Insert it properly

To insert the earpiece into your ear, first dangle the ear buds by the wire cable.

Next, note the letters L and R printed on them. The L side of the earpiece goes into your left ear and the R side, into the right ear.

Hold on to the sleeve of the earphone with your index finger and thumb. If you are using a foam sleeve, you must first squeeze and flatten the foam before inserting it into your ear.

Using the other hand, pull your ear toward the back of your head. This opens up your ear canal. Insert the ear bud into your ear.

If you are using a foam sleeve, hold the earphone in place for 10 seconds, letting the foam expand and mould to fit the shape of your ear canal.

Next, string the wire cable over your ear (see illustration). The cable should fall neatly behind your ear lobe.

If sounds don't seem bassy enough, it could be a wrong fit. Try a sleeve in a different size.

This article was first published in Digital Life, The Straits Times on Apr 8, 2008.