Are you overwhelmed by the flood of regular and wireless headphones? You never heard of the terms open and closed headphones or dynamic and static transducers? This overview will help you select the perfect model. by GunterFellbaum
Are you overwhelmed by the flood of regular and wireless headphones? You never heard of the terms open and closed headphones or dynamic and static transducers? This overview will help you select the perfect model.
Headphones come in many styles and designs. The smallest type are in-ear headphones. These headphones are plugged inside the ear. Some models have a bracket that wraps around the ear. These type headphones can easily be stored in a pocket. They are often bundled with iPods or MP3 players. A larger type of headphones have earpieces that sit on the ears but are still quite small. These headphones have an elastic frame that connects the two earpieces. This frame either sits on the head or wraps around the neck. If your budget is tight then you should probably focus on these types of headphones. They are the least expensive of all models. Some models provide insulation from external noise to some degree.
If you are able to spend more, you could look at medium-end headphones which are larger than these very small type headphones. Each earpiece has an ear cushion that depending on the model either sits on top of your ears or wraps around your ears. Many people prefer the second type since there is no pressure on the ears. If you feel you would like to go with this type of headphones, you will then need to decide whether to go with an open, semi-open or closed design. An open design means that the audio can penetrate from the transducer to the outside and also cross-couple into the other earpiece. Some people think that an open design will sound light and more natural. A closed design on the other hand will not allow the audio to escape and also block exterior noise.
Today's headphones are dynamic headphones for the most part. Dynamic indicates what type of transducer is used. Static headphones are the second type. This type is fairly expensive but offers high sound quality. Static headphones need a special headphone amplifier.
Wireless headphones are another option which eliminate the headphone cord. Bluetooth headphones are one type of wireless headphones and work with Bluetooth-enabled devices and cell phones. The operating range is typically only 30 ft or less. Bluetooth headphones do normally not offer audiophile sound quality.
Other wireless headphones often work at 900 MHz and use FM transmission. These headphones are the least expensive wireless option. More advanced digital wireless headphones work at 2.4 GHz or 5.8 GHz. FM wireless headphones have noticeable hissing and audio distortion. They are also prone to interference from other wireless devices.
Another type of wireless headphones are digital wireless headphones. This type of headphones, such as Amphony headphones, will encode the audio prior to transmission which prevents any audio distortion during the transmission and ensures high reliability against interference. Digital wireless headphones which work at the less crowded 5.8 GHz frequency band have fewer problems with competing wireless devices than headphones working at 2.4 GHz.
About the Author:
Gunter Fellbaum has been designing audio and electronic products for over a decade. You can find additional details about wireless headphones and other wireless audio products from Amphony's website.
