Picking The Best Headphones – A Quick Reference For Novices

Posted on by Mark Hughes on October 11th, 2011 | 0 Comments »

Headphones come in many styles and designs. The smallest types are In-ear Headphones. These headphones are plugged inside the ear. Some models have a bracket that wraps around the ear. These headphones type can easily be stored in a pocket. They are often bundled with MP3 players. Other types of headphones which are larger than In-ear Headphones sit on the ear and have an elastic frame which either sits on the head or wraps around the neck. These two types of headphones are typically the least expensive and you should consider them if you are on a budget. Some In-ear models are specially designed to absorb exterior noise.

If you are looking for better sound quality then you should take a look at Medium-End Headphones which have soft ear cushions that depending on the model will be located either on your ear or around your ear. 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. An open design is perceived by some people to have a light sound quality. A closed design will prevent the audio from disturbing bystanders. A closed design also helps block out exterior noise.

Today’s headphones are Dynamic Headphones for the most part. Dynamic indicates what type of transducer is used. Other types are Static Headphones. Static Headphones are fairly expensive and require special Headphone Amplifier.

Sennheiser RS-180 Digital Wireless Headphone

If you prefer freedom of movement then you should take a look at Wireless Headphones. Wireless Headphones cut the cord. This means that you have full freedom of movement which is essential if your audio source is not mobile. Bluetooth Headphones are one type of wireless headphones and work with Bluetooth-enabled devices and cell phones. The range of Bluetooth Headphones is typically less than 30 ft and the sound quality do not rival the quality of corded headphones.

Other Wireless Headphones include inexpensive 900 MHz models which use FM transmission and more advanced Digital Wireless Headphones which 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.

Digital models such as the Sennheiser Digital Headphones will encode the audio into data prior to transmission which makes these models the best choice in terms of sound quality and robustness 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.

Read my other articles about How Does The Wireless Audio Transmitter Work? and The New Entertainment For You is Portable DVD Players