Earbuds vs. on-ear vs. over-ear headset in Windows 10

When I plug headphones into my Windows 10 laptop, the system asks me what I installed, and particularly, whether the headphones are "earbuds", "on-ear" or "over-ear".

I was not sure exactly what to choose (I have some old headphones and not sure if they are called "on ear" or "over ear") so I tried all three options and did not notice any difference.

What is the difference between choosing "on ear" vs. "over ear"? (and what is the difference between this and choosing "earbuds"?)

Solution 1:

I have a Dell laptop with an audio controller tool MaxxAudioPro, and these pictures are what it shows on plugging in the headphones.

(Earbuds)

(On-ear)

(Over-ear)

Depending on how the tool optimizes the sound quality regarding the headphone/headset type, you might get different depth, bass, detail, etc. the differences might be unrecognizable in some cases, but you can apply different settings to each type. For instance, I like high bass. For the earbuds, I set max bass. As the over-ear already has a good bass, I have set it to mid.