subject: Choosing The Perfect Headphones - A Quick Overview For Dummies. [print this page] Are you overwhelmed by the flood of normal and wireless headphones? You never heard of the terms open and closed headphones or dynamic and static transducers? This overview will help you select the right model.
Headphones are offered in numerous separate styles. In regard to design, the smallest type headphones are in-ear headphones which are plugged into the ear, some of these have a bracket that wraps around the ear. These type headphones can easily be put in a pocket. They are often bundled with iPods or MP3 players. The next size up are lightweight headphones that sit on the ear and are connected by an elastic frame. This headpiece either sits on top of the head or wraps around the neck. If your budget is tight then you should possibly focus on these types of headphones. They are the least costly of all types. Some models provide insulation from outside noise to some amount.
Medium-end headphones are an option if you are capable to spend a little more and offer better sound quality. The earpieces have ear cushions to improve the wearing comfort. These ear cushions are either placed on your ear or around your ear. Many people favor the second type because there is no pressure on the ears. Next you will have to make a decision whether you want to go with an open design where the audio can penetrate from the transducer to the exterior or a closed design. An open design is perceived by a number of people to have a light sound quality. A closed design will stop the audio from disturbing bystanders. A closed design also helps block out exterior noise.
The bulk of today's headphones are dynamic which refers to the kind of transducer that is used. Static headphones are the second type. This type is fairly expensive but offers high sound quality. Static headphones need a special headphone amplifier.
Wireless headphones are one more option which cut the headphone cord. One kind of wireless headphones are Bluetooth headphones. These headphones can be used with mobile phones and other Bluetooth-enabled products. These headphones are typically quite small but do not offer the same sort of audio quality as medium to high-end headphones.
Other wireless headphones often operate at 900 MHz and utilize FM transmission. These headphones are the least expensive wireless alternative. More advanced digital wireless headphones operate at 2.4 GHz or 5.8 GHz. In addition to noticeable hissing and distortion, FM type wireless headphones are also very susceptible to wireless interference.
Digital wireless headphones, such as Amphony headphones, encode audio data before the transmission. This makes this type of headphones superior in terms of sound quality. Digital wireless headphones are also fairly robust against interference. Models which use the less crowded 5.8 GHz frequency band offer the lowest amount of problems with radio-frequency interference from competing devices.
