Today it is difficult to find a person who has never used headphones. They can come in handy in many cases, whether it's watching TV or working at a computer at night, in transport or on foot. For music lovers, headphones are simply an indispensable device that allows you to not part with music in various situations.
Headphones are wearable electronics for individual use. Therefore, reviews of the same model may vary. When choosing them, not only technical characteristics and design matter, as is the case with stationary audio, but also the type of construction, ergonomics and wearing comfort.
Varieties of headphones
There are several different types of headphone designs and devices, each with its pros and cons both in sound quality and in convenience and purpose. There are also wired and wireless versions of all varieties, both with and without a headset. More on each below.
Inserts
The mostsimple and affordable type of headphones. They are located in the auricle, without blocking access to sounds from the outside, which can be attributed to both pluses and minuses. They can also simply fall out of the ear, so you need to carefully choose a model for convenience.
In most cases, their sound quality is quite mediocre. Of course, there are representatives of this type in the Hi-Fi segment, but starting from the price tag, it would be better to look at another type of stereo headphones.
Vacuum
Unlike the previous ones, vacuum headphones are not in the auricle, but in the ear canal, which significantly improves sound quality and noise isolation, but for some, the pressure of the rubber nozzle from the inside can create discomfort. But often they are equipped with additional nozzles of different sizes. You can also find tips in other shapes and materials in stores that can reduce discomfort.
In addition to household ones, there is another type of vacuum headphones - reinforcing ones. They are anatomically shaped and stay in the ears better. They are mainly used by musicians, because during the concert you can hear the music perfectly in them, and they do not fall out.
Invoices
This type of headphones also has several subspecies: superimposed on the ear, completely covering it or monitor.
Pros of over-ear headphones are the best (as opposed to the twoprevious varieties) sound quality due to the larger size of the speaker, ease of use. Of the minuses, one can single out poor sound insulation and a fairly large size.
Monitor headphones are professional devices for musicians and sound engineers, as they, like monitor speakers, produce sound without distortion and embellishment, with an absolutely flat frequency response.
Noise isolation
High noise cancellation can be both an advantage and a disadvantage when choosing headphones. On the one hand, external noise does not interfere with listening to music, on the other hand, their complete absence can be a source of danger when using headphones on the go. The degree of noise reduction is largely dictated by the design features of the devices.
Open Headphones
Slots in the headphone speaker cabinet allow air and external sounds to pass through almost unhindered. At the same time, the sounds of the speaker itself are partly “eaten up” by the case, but the user hears both music and extraneous noise. This can be used by vocalists to hear their voice through headphones and music from outside.
Closed Headphones
Due to the solidity of their design, the noise practically does not penetrate from the outside. The degree of noise reduction also depends on the type of device. Over-ear headphones will absorb a lot more noise than over-ear headphones, but vacuum headphones do the best due to the fact that they cover the entire ear canal.
Active Noise Cancellation
In the arsenal of manufacturers there is also a technological method of dealing with excess noise. It is arranged simply: due to the built-in microphones in the headphones, the system picks up external noise and reproduces it, but in antiphase. Plus and minus add up, and the user gets silence. For some, this can cause headaches due to the fact that so many frequencies are perceived by the brain at the same time. Also, enabling active noise cancellation results in increased power consumption.
Connection
Headphones are wired, wireless and combined. In case of a dead battery, they can be connected to the device in the classic way using the supplied wire. Wired connection can be made using one of four connectors:
- 6.3 mm - "jack". Used primarily in studios and live venues rather than consumer electronics.
- 3.5 mm - "mini-jack". The most popular type of headphone connection, found in almost all modern devices.
- USB. Gaming or professional headphones, with built-in audio interface.
- UCB-C (Lightning). Headphones for use with smartphones not equipped with a mini-jack.
There is nothing difficult in the connection itself. You need to plug the plug into the jack, and the device will automatically detect the headphones.
Wireless headphones are divided into three types of connection:
- Infrared. Most modern computer mice and keyboards work according to this principle.
- Radio wave. This type of connection requires a source transmitter.
- Bluetooth. Headphones with this type of connection can be connected to any device that supports this technology.
Specifications
The range of specifications for headphones is not the same as for stationary audio, but there are still a couple of points that you should especially pay attention to when choosing.
Frequency response refers to how the playback frequencies are lined up. Ideally, they are all lined up, with a tolerance of no more than three decibels.
Another characteristic is sensitivity. Roughly speaking, this is the playback power, but as the power increases, the power consumption also increases.
Conclusion
This article discusses the main types and characteristics of headphones. Headphones for long-term use should be chosen thoroughly, as maximum enjoyment from them can be obtained not only due to sound quality, but also ergonomics.
