Types of Headphones

If you’ve set out to buy a new set of headphones lately you may have had a hard time deciding which one to buy. There are several different types of designs available to choose from even though there are only two basic types of headphones, which are called the Dynamic and the Electrostatic. The main difference between these two types of headphones would be the cones they’re designed with. These are described below:

1. Dynamic Headphones – These are designed with cones called diaphragms which are made from paper combined with other materials and they’re connected to the Voice Coil. The Voice Coil then propels rapidly in a vertical motion moving the cone with it. This motion produces air ripples that generate the sound you hear.

2. Electrostatic Headphones – These have cones that are designed with an extremely thin piece of Mylar which moves the air around. They provide the least amount of distortion making the sound quality the best you can buy but they’re also the most expensive.

When it comes to headphone designs, there are many different ones to choose from which fall into five categories called the earcup, earbud, circumaural, supra-aural and canalphones. The type that would suit your needs the best will depend on what you use them for and when you use them the most.

These five headphone designs are described below:

• Earcup – These were actually the first design made and they sit on the exterior part of the ear. Some were called “open air” because there was an open grille on the backside of the earcup. This allowed sound waves to move away from the ear for less distortion but it didn’t block the sounds around you and others in the area could hear your music. The closed design had a sealed back which blocked out some of the surrounding noises and prevented others from hearing your music. These were considered to be the best by many because they did block out environmental sounds.
• Earbuds – This design was made to sit outside the ear canal. They’re smaller than the other designs so they don’t fully cover the ear. They don’t block out noise that’s around you making users tempted to turn the volume up too loud, which has a negative effect on your hearing. They’re usually the least expensive type of headphones and they’re often sold with personal music devices.
• Circumaural – These are designed with large circular pads that will completely cover the whole ear. They are larger than many of the other designs and usually weigh a little more. Some are sealed preventing outside noises from entering but most of them are not. They’re most often used by recording studios.
• Supra-aural – This design was made where the pad sits on the top of ear instead of surrounding them. They are lighter than the circumaural and were often used with personal stereos many years ago.
• Canalphones – These are similar to the earbuds but they’re inserted into the ear canal. For this reason they block out the noises around you. They are usually inexpensive unless you buy custom-made canalphones, which are designed to perfectly fit your ear canal. Many of these styles can provide good quality sound.

Before you choose your next pair of headphones, take a little time to get familiar with the different styles available. Next, consider where you’ll be using them the most and this will help you to decide which ones would be the best choice for you personally.

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