Tuesday, June 2, 2015

Headphones: Comparision Buying Guide

Originally published: April 14, 2014

If you've ever set out to buy yourself a set of headphones, odds are good you'll have run into some new terms during your research, i.e. circumaural, supra-aural, open back, earbuds, etc. These terms refer to different styles/form factors of headphones. As one might reasonably guess, each type is designed to achieve something a bit different, whether it's better sound, a measure of sound isolation, or improved comfort. If you believe supra-aural headphones will give you special powers when worn (or you'd just like to know what the aforementioned terms mean), keep reading!

Headphone and Earphone Form Factors

There are four major form factors of headphones on the market today:

1.    Circumaural

2.    Supra-aural

3.    Earbuds

4.    In-ear 

Starting from the top, circumaural headphones, aka over-ear headphones, utilize large cups, which totally envelop your ears, forming a seal around them, which can help to reduce external noise and improve bass response. The primary counterpart to circumaural is supra-aural, aka on-ear headphones, which utilize smaller pads that simply press against your ears. Relative to circumaural designs, supra-aural headphones tend to be smaller, lighter, and less costly. However, they can be less comfortable as pressure is directly exerted on the ear; in addition, as supra-aural headphones don't form a seal around the ears, they tend to be more susceptible to external noise.

The OPPO PM-1 (left) is a circumaural (over-ear) design, while the Grado SR60i (right) is a supra-aural (on ear) model.

Headphone Comparison of Various Types (on-ear, over-ear, in-ear, etc)

Meanwhile, if you've ever owned an iPod, you'll know what earbuds are: these are ultra-compact devices which simply sit (rather precariously) on the outer ear. There is an additional style of ultra-portable headphone as well: in-ears, which are physically inserted into the ear canal, forming a tight seal. In both cases, sensitivity (how loud they get for a given amount of power) tends to be fairly good given the proximity to the ear, making them a good match for mobile devices. In addition, in-ear headphones typically offer excellent isolation from outside noise, and unlike earbuds, they aren't particularly prone to falling out, making them more suitable to use while exercising. On the downside, the sound quality of these form factors doesn't tend to compare well with the best circumaural headphones, and comfort can be an issue, particularly with ill-fitting in-ear headphones. Then there are matters of health and safety: while in-ear headphones offer excellent isolation, they're prone to making people utterly oblivious to their surroundings. We'll also admit we're not fond of the hygienic implications of sticking foreign objects in our ears either, not to mention the thought sharing in-ear headphones. Last but not least, given the proximity of in-ear headphones to your ear drums, we would advise taking special care with the volume control to avoid damaging your hearing.

Apple Earbuds vs RBH EP1 In-Ear

Apples ubiquitous earbuds (left) vs RBH's EP1 in-ear headphones (right).

Open vs. Closed Back

Circumaural and supra-aural headphones can be further classified by the terms "open back" and "closed back". This may seem pretty obvious: open backed means the "back" of the ear cups is open, while closed back headphones utilize sealed cups. What's the difference? Closed back headphones improve noise isolation, which can be helpful in loud environments, or when you don't want to disturb others. Isolation can be further enhanced via noise cancelling technology, which actively monitors outside noise, and cancels it out by feeding the reverse signal to the headphone drivers. Note that noise cancellation technology does require batteries, though to help preserve battery life you can usually switch it off when the extra isolation isn't necessary. Beyond reducing background noise / sound leakage, closed back designs also tend to offer stronger low end response than open backed models.

Sennheiser's HD 380 Pro (left) is a closed back design built for isolation, while the HD 600 (right) is an open back design where sound quality is the top priority.

At this point, you might be thinking that the deck is stacked against open back designs; however, they do have one important trick up their sleeve: sound quality. Since closed back headphones isolate the listener, the sound they reproduce subjectively tends to come off as being "in your head." Conversely, open backed designs sound more spacious, a bit more like listening to a conventional pair of speakers, and consequently more realistic. Consequently, many high-end designs such as Sennheiser's HD800s or OPPO's new PM-1 utilize open back design.

What's Best For You

As you might gather, there's no "best" design. Each style of headphone has particular strengths which may make it more useful for your situation. To help speed up the process of finding out what makes the most sense for you, Audioholics presents a handy dandy pro/cons chart:

Form Factor / Type



Pros



Cons



Circumaural - Open Back



 Spacious sound quality



Bulky heavy

No noise isolation



 Circumaural - Closed Back



 Excellent passive noise isolation

Strong low end response



Bulky heavy

"In your head" sound



 Supra-Aural - Open Back



 Smaller/lighter than circumaural

Spacious sound quality



No noise isolation 

Applies pressure to ears which

can be uncomfortable



 Supra-Aural - Closed Back



 Smaller/lighter than circumaural

Good passive noise isolation

Good low end response



 Less noise isolation than

circumaural-closed back

"In your head" sound

Applies pressure to ears which

can be uncomfortable



 Earbuds



 Ultra-compact



No noise isolation

Falls off easily

"In your head" sound



 In-Ear

 Ultra-compact

Excellent passive noise isolation

Won't fall out easily



 Comfort can be problematic for

some users

"In your head" sound



Summary



If you're in the market for headphones, your head might be spinning with the number of alternatives to choose from.  Fortunately, a multitude of options mean you're more likely to find what you're looking for, assuming you know the lingo. With four major form factors, as well as closed vs. open back, you can balance sound quality, isolation, and portability according to your needs.  Do you have a favorite style of headphones? Make sure to voice your opinion on our forums.

highfigh posts on June 01, 2015 16:43

Nice phaser! Is that a real one?

It's sad that Koss isn't taken seriously, in light of the fact that they were the company that launched the whole market for headphones. Granted, they aren't really looking for the hard-core audiophile market, but the ESP-950 is still being made and these have gotten great reviews for their sound quality. They have some other models that do sound good, even if they're not like the most popular brands. They even have a Tony Bennett signature model, since re-connecting with him- he was one of their endorsers in the '60s and '70s.

gene posts on May 31, 2015 12:39



Ft8vPXhtRlg

jerryhere posts on September 29, 2014 03:37



i bought one wireless bluetooth headphone from china.

very stylish

14015

CSMiller posts on August 06, 2014 08:29



Do you any information about, or can you refer me to, reliable testing information about headsets used by call center workers? What is the useful lifespan of such headsets? Are they known to emit frequencies barely audible or inaudible that can affect workers' hearing longterm? Is there any testing agency or industry group that has published comparative test results for various models, e.g., a Consumer Reports for. Call center headsets? Are headsets used in call centers subject to any form of federal regulatory agency oversight? Thank you.

deminn posts on June 24, 2014 03:46



good information

http://www.audioholics.com/loudspeaker-design/understanding-the-types-of-headphones

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