headphones
- Headphones are a device used for private listening to sound.
- In the early days of radio, people relied on headphones to listen, and at that time they were in mono format (i.e. with one audio channel) (both headphones produced the same sound because they were connected to the same sound source).
- Then the headphone became a two-channel sound system, each headphone producing a sound separate from the other, and the system is called stereo. Modern types of headphones can display surround sound, as they give a real sense of the direction of the sound source, but they require special equipment and audio material that contains surround sound tracks.
- The higher the frequency band a headphone supports, the higher its price and the more efficient it is at displaying sound. Currently, most headphones have a microphone (which may be connected to them via a stick or inside the cable).
Types of headphones:
Headphone size can affect the balance between accuracy and portability. Generally, headphone shape can be divided into four separate categories: circumaural (over the ear), supra-aural (over the ear), earbud, and in-ear.
Surround headphones:
- Circumferential headphones (sometimes called full-size headphones or over-ear headphones) have circular or oval-shaped ear cups that cover the ears.
- Because these headphones completely surround the ear, circumaural headphones can be designed to completely seal the head to reduce external noise.
- Due to their size, surround headphones can be heavy and there are some sets that weigh over 500 grams (1 pound).
Over-the-ear headphones:
- Over-the-ear headphones, or on-ear headphones, have pads that press on the ears, not around them.
- It was commonly bundled with personal stereos during the 1980s.
- This type of headphone generally tends to be smaller and lighter than over-ear headphones, resulting in less attenuation of external noise.
- Over-ear headphones can also cause discomfort due to pressure on the ear compared to circumaural headphones that go around the ear.
Open or closed back headphones:
Both circumaural and supra-aural headphones can be distinguished by the type of earcups:
- Open-back headphones have the back of the earcups open, which allows more sound to leak out of the headphone. It also allows more ambient sounds into the headphone, but gives a more natural or speaker-like sound.
- Closed-back (or sealed) headphones close the back of the earcups, usually blocking out some ambient noise. Closed-back headphones also produce more powerful low frequencies than open-back headphones.
Headphones suitable for ear size:
1- Small headphones:
- Earbuds are very small headphones that fit directly into the outer ear, facing the ear canal but not inserted.
- Earphones are portable and convenient, but many people find them uncomfortable.
- They provide almost no sound insulation and leave room for ambient noise to leak in. Users may raise the volume dangerously high, which may cause hearing loss.
- On the other hand, it allows the user to be better aware of his surroundings.
2- Medium-sized headphone, on-ear or supra-aural
- This type of earphone is medium-sized, slightly larger than the in-ear earphone and slightly smaller than the large-sized earphones we will mention later. It is often large enough to cover part or all of the earlobe.
- These headphones offer greater sound clarity than their smaller counterparts, as well as great mobility and flexibility.
- As for the disadvantages of these headphones, they may cause external sound waves (noise) to pass through, causing the sound coming out of them to be poorly heard. Therefore, they are widely used in office work, as they clarify the sound coming out of them as well as the surrounding sounds. Their quality is also considered lower than that of large-sized headphones.
3- In-ear headphones:
- In-ear headphones are small headphones with a similar fit to earbuds that are inserted into the ear canal itself.
- They are high-quality in-ear headphones used by sound engineers, musicians, and audio enthusiasts.
4- In-ear headphones:
- The outer casing of earphones is made of a variety of materials, such as plastic, aluminum, ceramic, and other metal alloys.
- Because in-ear headphones fit into the ear canal, they can be prone to slipping and block out a lot of environmental noise.
- Lack of sound from the environment can be a problem when sound is a necessary signal for safety or other reasons, such as walking, driving, or riding near or during passing vehicles.
- Universal or custom-fit earplugs are made of silicone or synthetic rubber.
- Custom in-ear headphones use ear canal moldings to create custom seals that provide additional comfort and noise isolation.