How to choose headphones? Types of headphones for computer and player

From the headphones depends, if not all, then much in the reproduction of really high-quality music. Therefore, let's take a closer look at which headphones exist, what to look for when buying.

Plan of the article:

Kinds of headphones
Parameters to which we pay attention
Choosing headphones with a microphone( headset)
Headphones for the player
Best models and useful advices

Types of headphones

There are many criteria for the subdivision of headphones by types.

1. In accordance with the design features is allocated:

Overhead. Based on the name, it is clear that the speakers are superimposed on the auricle and fixed on the head with the help of a bow. With the help of the earphone, the headphones are adjusted to the required size. Overhead headphones can be worn on the street - small, no-nonsense. And large - for home use, with soundproof ear cushions, providing excellent sound quality.

"Gags"( plug-in, droplets).
instagram viewer
These headphones are small in size and inserted directly into the ear canal, where they are fixed with a small rubber "ear plug".When placed in the ear, "ear plugs" provide excellent sound insulation from extraneous noise. This type of headphone is convenient for wearing on the street, because they do not constrain movements and do not squeeze the head.

2. On way of formation of acoustics headphones are:

Open. This type of headphone translates a portion of the sound waves into the open space, giving them naturalness and purity. The downside is interference from the sounds of the outside world, distracting from listening to melodies. Suitable use in the silence of the premises.

Closed. Ear pads and ear plugs create an isolated acoustic zone, free from external noise. However, the air cushion formed in this zone is able to slightly distort the sounds of music, worsening the purity of sound.

3. On method of signal transmission there are headphones:

Wired. The signal comes through a wire coming out of both "ears" or from one. Wires can create some inconvenience, confusing and interfering. One "Great Mind" knows how headphones manage to mess up to such an extent that it takes tens of minutes to unravel.

Wireless. This type of headphone broadcasts the signal in the infrared and radio bands. The absence of wires makes life much easier for the user. However, the quality of sound suffers, a lot of radio waves will spoil a lot of nerves. Another drawback is the considerable weight of the headphones and the need to buy batteries.

4. Based on the principle of operation , headphones can be:

Electrostatic. This view is mostly preferred by music lovers. They are equipped with a thin diaphragm, creating vibrations in the electrostatic field. Headphones of this type reproduce music with minimal distortion and high detail. Such headphones are often equipped with a special amplifier. The volume of sound here is not as high as in other types of devices.

Electret( electrostatic stationary). Similar to the principle of operation with the previous view, however, due to design features, they have less resource use.

Dynamic. The most common type of device. It is easy to use and reliable. Such headphones are often used in recording studios.

Isodynamic. Sound generates a flat voice coil vibrating in a magnetic field created by magnetic components. Differ from the previous type of devices with a lot of weight, low volume and less efficiency.

5. Depending on the , the noise reduction methods distinguish headphones:

Active( with the elimination of sounds). This type of device is equipped with a special system that catches ambient ambient sounds and generates an inverted signal inside the earpiece, which eliminates noise. This technology is particularly effective to neutralize low-frequency noise - buzz of transport. In combination with ear cups tightly grasping the ears, this system makes these headphones indispensable on the street.

Passive. This type of headphone eliminates external noise due to tight ear cups, adjacent to the ears and isolating extraneous sounds. The disadvantages of this system include the inability to wear( pressure on the ears prevents normal blood flow) and discomfort from excessive squeezing. Also, this type of noise canceller is bad for low frequencies.

6. Based on the method of forming the sphere of acoustic impact, distinguishes:

Headphones "cross-sound". In them, the speakers are loosely attached to the auricle, making it possible to hear the sound from another speaker. Sound waves affect the parts of the brain responsible for its localization, the effect of spatial sound is formed. However, soundproofing in these headphones, of course, no. Headphones of frontal localization( IFL). In devices of this type, sound transducers are installed in such a way that acoustic receptors perceive acoustic waves as coming from the front.

Headphones for surround sound. Two pairs of audio converters( two on each side) create the illusion of volume, giving sound in front and behind in four channels. Create a more realistic effect of surround sound than in conventional stereo headphones.

7. On the type of fixing headphones can be:

With an arch in the back. Provide a more comfortable wearing, without squeezing the vertex and not spoiling the hair.

With handle from the top. Reliably fixes the speakers on the head, ensuring the optimal tightness of the ear cups to the ears.

With earhooks. It is fixed by the type of hearing aids for the hearing impaired.

With locks - "ear plugs".

Parameters that draw attention to

If you are not a drunken music lover and do not have the perfect musical ear, you do not need to seriously consider the technical parameters of the headphones. However, in order to avoid a banal "divorce" for money, you need to know what you are paying them for.

Frequency range. This parameter affects the quality, richness and depth of the sound palette. The organs of human hearing perceive sound oscillations in the frequency range from two tens to twenty thousand hertz. Often manufacturers lay frequencies several times higher than the capabilities of human hearing organs. This justifies itself in acoustic systems that affect not only the ears. Air vibrations affect the entire human body, thereby increasing the frequency range of perception. In the case of headphones, the purchase of devices with such parameters is the discarded money for that part of the sounds that you will not hear. Pleasure to you will be delivered solely by the consciousness of the potential stock of "drivers", and the fact that such headphones are "steeper" than others.

Power and size of the "drivers"( speakers). The size, as is known, in most cases matters. But for headphones - this is mostly marketing moves of manufacturers. They proudly present an impressive size of the device, substituting the concepts of size and power. As they say, do not confuse the warm with the soft. In reality, not the dimensions, but the power of the speakers, are important. This parameter determines the volume, juiciness, transmission accuracy and depth of sound. The downside of powerful headphones is the high level of electricity consumption.

Sensitivity. This parameter affects the sound playback volume. The higher the sensitivity of the headphones, the stronger the sound with equal power of the speakers. Optimum sensitivity is from 95-100 decibels.

Resistance. This parameter is quite important. With a high impedance, the sound in the headphones will be much lower. The optimal resistance value for portable audio devices is 32 ohms.

Amplitude-frequency characteristic of the device( AFC). This parameter helps to visually demonstrate the capabilities of the purchased device. The AFC is a graph with a curve. The smoother the curve and the longer its length, the more balanced the sound and the more accurately the sound transmission broadcast by the headphones. The height of the graph shows the volume of the sound. The range of low-range frequencies should be represented by a "hump".This shows the accuracy of their transmission.

Harmonic distortion factor. This parameter clearly indicates the quality of headphones. The lower this factor, the better the sound quality. Since human hearing organs better perceive high frequencies, the distortion factor should not exceed 0.5%.Anything higher is already sounding worse. For low frequencies, this figure can be 10%.The absence of this parameter on the package should immediately alert you and make you think.

Type of cable. The cable can be symmetrical and asymmetric. Symmetrical cable comes out of both headphones and can create some discomfort when worn and operated.

The asymmetrical cable comes out of one bowl, which is much more convenient, because the wire can be simply thrown around the neck, avoiding many inconveniences.

The cable can also be flat. This allows him to be less prone to entanglement( the scourge of all headphone owners).The wire of studio headphones for convenience can be twisted into a spiral( like on the phone).

Choosing headphones with a microphone( headset)

When choosing a headset should be guided, first of all, by comfort, as long communication( in the same skype) assumes a similarly long wearing of headphones.

1. Attachment microphone on the device:

On the wire - this is the best option for those who are not quite sure of the need for a microphone. In most cases, it is completely invisible, since it is located on the volume control. The simplicity of the design is simple enough, therefore, the price of a headset with a microphone is not much larger than conventional headphones.

Permanently fixed microphone is an excellent option for continuous communication on a microphone - operators of call centers, gamers and so on. The microphone is fixed on a special plastic holder and is moderately moved forward.

Dynamic microphone attachment - this option is great for a computer headset, because with this type of attachment you can adjust the position of the microphone near the mouth, thereby affecting the sound quality perceived by the interlocutor. If there is no need, the microphone can be hidden in the headphone housing or raised upwards so as not to interfere.

The built-in microphone - at once we say, not the best of options of fastening of a microphone. This type of microphone, he will record, in addition to your voice, also all surrounding sounds. The only advantage of the built-in type is its invisibility, which positively affects the aesthetics of the entire headset.

2. The microphone features noise reduction. This function will filter out all extraneous noise, transferring exclusively your voice.

3. Connection type .We have already considered wired and wireless connection types. The choice of the right option is yours. Although in our opinion it is better for a computer to choose a wired headphone.

Headphones for the player

Choosing the headphones for the mp3 player, it is necessary to be guided by the following considerations:

Value for Money. If you are an avid and passionate lover of quality music, it's better to listen to it on good equipment or in large monitor headphones while sitting at home, where nothing is distracting. Moving along the street, being in transport, you involuntarily distract from music, focusing on the road and obstacles. Therefore, to buy expensive headphones with excellent sound quality does not make sense. Budget version of the "gags" will broadcast you an excellent sound background, without distracting from the outside world, which, incidentally, is fraught with various disasters for you.

Form Factor. Since you listen to the player mainly, moving along the street( walking, while jogging), it is better to choose "gags".They do not restrict the movement of the head, do not press on it and do not provide complete sound insulation, which is fraught with loss of control over the environment.

Power. We already said that too powerful headphones, of course, will shake you with a musical squall from head to toe, but this threatens the danger of hearing loss, as well as the rapid discharge of the player's battery( a consequence of high energy intensity).

But, in any case, the choice is yours.

Best models and useful tips

Among the many brands of headphones to navigate is not easy. The most respected and authoritative brands among fans and connoisseurs of really high-quality sound are: Sennheiser, Audio-Technica, AKG, Beyerdynamics, Philips, Grado, KOSS, Bose, Sony, Fostex, Denon, Shure and others.

Brand AKG captivates fans of high-frequency sound. And the company KOSS opposite - will offer you products suitable for fans of low-frequency sound.

The Sennheizer lineup will please a relatively flat curve.

And, finally, some general tips for choosing headphones:

If you want a really high-quality sound, your choice is headphones from the price category above the average.

Buy is worth only products of famous brands, otherwise there is a risk of running into a cheap hand-made article that will spoil your mood.

If from the parameters and values you are dazzled in the eyes, do not bother with abstruse terms - just listen to the sound.

Choose the device that is optimal in weight and size. Wearing heavy headphones can not only bring you discomfort, but also adversely affect your health - fatigue of the neck muscles, difficult blood supply - not a complete list of consequences.

Pay attention to comfort and detail. In them all the charm of exclusive products.

Headphones, which come complete with a reproducing device, immediately change to better ones. Why? See point one.

Be wary of "the latest innovations".Most often, they are followed by ordinary marketing, whose goal is to pump out more money from you for absolutely mediocre goods.

Peace and musical harmony your soul!