subject: Headphones - Read This Before You Buy Them [print this page] Version:1.0 StartHTML:0000000167 EndHTML:0000004212 StartFragment:0000000454 EndFragment:0000004196
Wherever you're from, whatever you do, you will have used headphones or earphones at some point in your life. They can have many different uses, from listening to music, to blocking out noise. In this article you will learn a bit about different types of headphones and why it is important to choose the right set.
So which headphones are right for you?
There are hundreds of different types of headphones, so choosing the right pair for your needs can sometimes be difficult. There are headphones that cover your actual ear and earphones that sit inside your ear. The most popular choice for listening to music on the go are generally earphones due to the fact that they are very compact and hardly weigh anything, which is great if you don't have much space in your pocket.
Headphones are usually the choice of DJ's and other music professionals. A good pair of headphones should cover the whole ear and eliminate any outside noise. The Editors Keys SH-10 Studio Headphones are a great example of this. They cover the whole ear and they are cushioned to allow the user maximum comfort as not to cause them any pain or discomfort if used for a prolonged period of time.
It is advisable to have breaks between listening to music through headphones as listening to loud music too much can damage the eardrums and can cause tinnitus and even deafness. Lowering the volume slightly is a small price to pay to save your hearing! A good set of earphones/headphones will eliminate outside noise, which will allow you to not have to have your music player on full volume to block out outside noises.
Most headphones have a mini jack, however some come with a full sized jack for use with things that do not have a mini jack socket available.
I bet you're wondering how they work!
Headphones and earphones work in the same way as speakers do, but the parts are much smaller (because who could walk around with a full sized speaker strapped to each ear!?) Speakers work by getting the air in a room moving around to allow the sound to travel more freely, which is why if you've ever put your hand on a speaker playing really loud music, it will have been vibrating very hard to ensure the sound is projected. Headphones and earphones use the same idea, except they only have to get the air inside your ear moving, so they don't need to be any where near as powerful.
