Headphones are a very critical accessory, we use them very often and for a number of different reasons. They can help you get lost in your music, survive high intensity workouts and enjoy your time on public transport. But choosing the perfect headphone is a difficult task for most people. That’s why many people do take the trial-and-error approach. This way they end up spending hundreds of bucks before finding their perfect headphones. To save you time and money, here is an infographic regarding how to choose the right headphones. Below are some of the most important takeaways from this infographic.
Understand Different Headphones Jargons
There are some technical terms regarding headphones that you need to know before purchasing.
Frequency:
Frequency response is the total range of audio frequencies a headphone can generate. The human ear can hear sounds between the frequency range of 20-20,000 Hz. But there are headphones that can generate more than this range. One advantage of this extended frequency is the more clear and versatile sound. But this doesn’t generally mean better sound quality.
Impedance:
In simple terms, it is the resistance. More impedance means that more electrical power will be required from the source, by that particular headphone. If you’re going to buy headphones your smartphone, then look for one with a relatively lower impedance.
Sensitivity:
Sensitivity shows how efficiently an electrical signal is turned into an acoustic signal. In other words, how loud a headphone can get. Like Impedance, sensitivity is also a relative quantity.
Sound Drivers:
Sound drivers are very critical for any headphone. They turn an electrical signal into sound pressure. In earphones, it’s very difficult to put a driver in, due to the small size of their earpieces. That’s why many manufacturers use a dual-driver approach. In this technique, one driver handles bass, while the other manages mid and high frequencies.
Different form factors
Knowledge about headphones types is very important because each headphone type acts and feels different than the other. Normally headphones comes in two types; earphones, that consist of small and tiny earpieces that fit into your ear, and full size headphones, that have large earcups which cover your ears.
Earbuds:
Earbuds belong to the earphone category. They are very common because these are the kind of headphones that are usually shipped with new smartphones. Earbuds usually provide a comfortable shallow-fit for your ears.
In Ear Headphones:
In ear headphones look almost identical to earbuds. But unlike earbuds, in ear headphones stick deep into your ear canal. Due to this fact, in ear headphones provide good noise isolation compared to earbuds. If want to know more about in ear headphones, you can check a list of recommended earbuds/in ear headphones at List Enthusiast.
On Ear Headphones:
On ear headphones are also known as supra-aural headphones. They are light-weight as compared to the bulkier over-ear headphones. Since they don’t completely cover your ears, they provide a more natural sound which is appreciated by some.
Over Ear headphones:
Over ear headphones are what we know as full-size headphones. They are known for their advanced features such as noise cancellation, hi-fi sound and usually superior hardware. On the other hand, they are more bulkier and less portable than the other types of headphones.
