Getting Started with Headphones
Listening to music is a pleasure appreciated by many, and headphones often play a large role in musical enjoyment. A variety of headphones are available in the market for music-lovers to buy; what type of headphone a person wants will depend on such factors as environment, preferred musical genre, budget, and sound quality. This headphone guide will help consumers decide which type of headphones is best for them.
Types of Headphones
While there are many different types of headphones, they can often be broken down into basic headphones and advanced headphones. Basic headphones are cheaper, have lower-quality sound, and may not be as comfortable as higher-end headphones. Advanced headphones may be studio-quality and often boast superior sound quality, comfort, and style. Professional musicians generally favor advanced headphones for their work.
Basic Headphones
- On-ear. In general, on-ear headphones are cheaper than their studio headphone counterparts. They are often lightweight and comfortable and are easy to slip on the head. Ambient sound can enter and leave, and some types of on-ear headphones are more portable than others.
- Earbuds. These came into fashion with the rise of MP3 players; small music players demanded small headphone counterparts. These headphones sit in the ear’s bowl outside of the ear canal and can sometimes successfully block out a good bit of sound.
- Insert-style. These headphones are similar to earbuds except the headphones go into the ear canal rather than resting outside of it. This style is often good at blocking out ambient noise and brings the music inside a person’s head.
Advanced Headphones
- Over-ear, closed. Studio-quality headphones often go completely over the ears in order to better block out any noise from outside. These are ideal for music editing and the like, but many music-lovers like listening to music on them due to their ability to often produce music in greater detail than their cheaper counterparts.
- Over-ear, open. These are also often studio-quality headphones, but people who need to be more aware of their environment while listening to music may prefer these high-end headphones over their closed counterparts. Another benefit of the more open nature of these headphones is that heat does not build up in them as easily, making for a more comfortable listening experience.
- Active noise-reduction headphones. These headphones cancel out noises by matching their frequencies inside the headphones and producing the same frequencies out of phase in order to block out the noise. The result is a lack of intrusion by ambient noise and an improved listening experience.
Typical Headphone Features
All headphones play sound through audio devices, but there are multiple features that are part of different types of headphones.
- Headband. Over-ear headphones are often held in place by a headband that provides stability, portability, and adjustability.
- Earpieces. All headphones come with some sort of earpieces that go over or in the ears in order to deliver sound.
- Cords. While there are wireless headphones, most headphones have a cord that connects the earpieces to the audio device.
- Controls. Some headphones come with volume, cellphone, or MP3 player controls in a little box on the cord in order to control various elements of headphone use.
The Brand Names of Headphones
Some popular headphone brands are Sony, Apple, Sennheiser, Bose, Koss, Panasonic, JVC, Samsung, beats by dre, and Skullcandy. While some brands specialize in either higher-end or lower-end headphones, others produce a variety of headphones on the cost and quality spectrums. Sennheiser and Bose are known for their high-quality headphones while brands like JVC and Koss tend to cater to the lower and midrange quality and cost markets.
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