Many people somehow do not think about how important the sounds that constantly surround us play in our lives. They help not only navigate in space, but also exchange information.
A harmonious and beautiful melody can affect the mood of people. Many prominent scientists have repeatedly proved that there is a close relationship between the health of living beings and the sound spectrum that surrounds them. It is not surprising that music lovers pay such attention to the choice of acoustics or even headphones. And if a lot has been written about the first paragraph, then there is not much information about the correct purchase of the mentioned accessory on the network.
In fact, how to choose headphones? In the end, a person’s hearing almost directly depends on their technical characteristics, so in no case should you be frivolous with this choice. The answer to this question is dedicated to our article. So how to choose good headphones?
About mounting methods
Many do not think about the fact that each person has a unique skull shape, and therefore a model that is perfect for your friend may not even sit on your head. However, the designers and designers are well aware of this, and therefore have come up with a lot of mounting methods, which largely level out the mentioned anthropometric differences.
• In the classic version, the headphones are attached to the head due to the compressive force of the arc, on which the microphones themselves are attached. The arc provides a fairly tight fit of the cups to the ears, due to which the sound is quite saturated and juicy.
• Hook is also a fairly common option. The mount in this case resembles a temple from glasses, it is wound behind the auricle and is fixed there. It was not by chance that we remembered glasses: if you wear them, then such headphones obviously will not suit you.
• The third option uses a light arc, which, tightly fitting the back of the head, also provides good contact between the ear cups and the external auditory canal.
• Inserts that appeared relatively recently. These are real plugs that are simply inserted into the ear canal. They provide excellent isolation from external sounds, but often fall out of the ears.
Before choosing the “right” headphones, be sure to check how they sit on your head!
Classic Modifications
There are many examples of modifications to existing production models, the most successful of which should be considered Twist-to-Fit from the German company Sennheiser. In this case, the cups are not only conveniently inserted into the ear, but are relatively reliably fixed there using additional patch elements. Often, something like this can be seen in the assortment of products of the eminent company BOSE.
Vacuum Models
Finally, the vacuum headphones. This variety provides sound transmission directly to the ear canal. In appearance, they resemble a silicone cone. It has a special material (like foam) with the effect of "memory".
Simply put, a plastic substance ideally adapts to the shape of your ear directly, literally plugging it. However, to make the landing absolutely perfect, many manufacturers immediately offer three interchangeable silicone nozzles, from which everyone can choose the perfect option.The degree of isolation from external sounds can be judged even by the fact that they can be used as real ear plugs. Before choosing a vacuum headset, be sure to find out whether similar kits come with them.
But this design has a huge drawback. We are talking about a sharply increasing load on hearing: if you use such models of headphones for a long time and then with good hearing you will have to say goodbye very soon. In addition, due to the hermetic plugging of the auditory canal, the skin in it is deprived of the possibility of normal gas exchange, resulting in diaper rash and rubbing, which sometimes take the form of mechanical dermatitis.
So which headphones to choose if none of these modifications you like?
Other varieties
It should not be assumed that only the options discussed above are found on the market. In fact, there are a lot of models. So, headphones to a large extent can vary in the way they fit to the head:
• If the cups completely cover the ears, they are called monitor (“Monitors”).
• In the case when they simply lie on the ears, we are dealing with applied products.
• Note that not only the models that we described above can be portable. Many professional headphones are foldable, and a chic case is sometimes attached to carry them.
It is also worth talking about how to choose headphones with a microphone. In general, there is nothing complicated about this. A criterion such as sound quality will be discussed below. If we talk about the quality of the microphone, then you should pay attention to its sensitivity (should be indicated in the specifications). The higher it is, the better the interlocutor will hear you.
Open and closed modifications
First of all, all types of headphones can be classified as closed or open. “Closed” refers to a type of design in which sound does not extend beyond the cups. These models have excellent ability to passive noise reduction, which is realized due to the massive and thick body.
In all open structures in the case there are small holes (directed away from the user's head), thanks to which the sound spreads in all directions (as in nature), due to which an extremely realistic sound is achieved.
It is not surprising that the nature of sound in such models sometimes differs dramatically. You can listen to compositions in closed headphones, but you need to take into account that low frequencies prevail in them, multiple reflection of sound waves from an insulating material is observed. This sometimes leads to serious distortion, although the sound is more juicy. It is much more preferable for professional musicians to use open varieties for work, since the music is extremely realistic in them, there are no artificial distortions in it.
So we discussed the difference between open and closed type headphones. As you can see, there is nothing complicated.
However, sometimes there are hybrid models. This is often referred to as open headphones, the cup casing of which is made of materials characterized by excellent ability to passive noise reduction. Perhaps the question of what are open and closed headphones is already quite clear. And therefore we go further.
Active Noise Reduction
In inexpensive varieties, only passive noise reduction is used. Most often, it is realized by including in the design parts made of materials that well prevent the propagation of sound, or massive cups with a soft edging. Good headphones of this class have a noise reduction range of 35-37 dB. Which is not so bad.
But a really good degree of suppression of extraneous noise is achieved when the device generates oscillations with the opposite frequency to counter the “garbage” noise.Those models in which this principle has been implemented contain the phrase “active noise reduction system” in their specification.
How it works?
In the design of such devices there is a special sensitive microphone that picks up all extraneous noise. The signal enters the electronic unit, is processed, and then returned in the form of sound with a changed phase. Thanks to the emission of such "white noise", it is possible to suppress background noise by 75-90%. But! Even with expensive headphones, such a system can noticeably blur the original sound. However, for listening to music in transport, there is no better option.
Note that such a technology needs additional power, and with the active use of the battery will have to be changed every three or four days. Note that noise is most successfully suppressed only in the range from 25 to 500 Hz. Simply put, at a metallurgical plant, you still cannot enjoy the sounds of classical music.
What technical characteristics should you pay attention to first of all
Of course, the products of different companies most often seriously differ in terms of their characteristics. But we would immediately like to warn that you should not blindly believe everything that the manufacturer writes on the package. Of course, there is some truth in beautiful numbers and graphs, but all these indicators can be elegantly adjusted by "talented" managers (in their own interests), and then your ears will suffer. However, in order to avoid the appearance of a large amount of noodles on all the same ears after conversations with sales consultants, it is better to understand the characteristics, albeit not to the full extent.
Frequency range
Everything is simple here. The wider its borders, the better. However, there are certain nuances here. You may well ask a fair question: “Why overpay for those frequencies that the human ear still cannot hear?” Such bewilderment is especially true if you are interested in how to choose the right headphones for your phone. After all, few expect a superior sound quality in this case.
Recall biology. The school course states that our hearing aid perceives a frequency of 20 Hz to 20 kHz. But many people don’t hear anything after 15 kHz. But on the packaging of the headphones from especially tricky manufacturers, you can see assurances that their devices are capable of reproducing even 40 and 50 kHz! But not so simple.
Zealous music lovers (and many scientists, by the way) prove that a person perceives classical music in a live (or close to that quality) performance not only with his ears, but with his whole body, since sound harmonics even act on bones. Indeed, there is some truth in such a statement. There are frequent testimonies of people who, when listening to an opera live often lose consciousness, but do not experience any emotions from recorded performances.
Thus, if the headphones can reproduce frequencies that a person cannot hear, this is not so bad. But! It is important to be aware that most music and video formats simply cut all these harmonics, guided by the considerations set forth above (they are not heard). Simply put, in the vast majority of cases (if you are not a professional musician, composer or DJ), you really should not overpay for these characteristics.
The diameter of the speakers and their power
Oddly enough, but this parameter should not particularly worry you. Almost all manufacturers like to emphasize that the diameter of the microphone in their products is larger than that of competitors. This is actually a primitive marketing gimmick. It is believed that large speakers better convey all the nuances of sound. This effect has been known to sellers since the advent of the first car radios, and it continues to be exploited by them to this day. But in reality this option does not make any sense at all.
But power is a completely different matter.This parameter directly affects the volume of the music being played. The higher the power, the more bass, the sound “juicier”. However, when using players and other portable equipment, you should not use such headphones, since because of them the battery runs out too quickly.
Degree of sensitivity
There is one word that a true connoisseur of music will never use in conversation. He will never say that his personal listening device “sounds loud.” But which headphones are better to choose, even if you do not mention such a cutting expression?
However, in spite of all its “unscience”, some sense is still present in this definition. Note that a parameter called sensitivity is responsible for the sound volume. At the same power, those headphones that have greater sensitivity will sound louder. The optimal indicator for this option is 95-100 dB. More for amateur equipment is not needed. Here's how to choose good headphones, focusing on this indicator.
Degree of resistance
This parameter is quite important. Be sure to check at the time of purchase what specific resistance the model you liked is designed for. If you are interested in how to choose headphones for the computer, you can not pay attention to the high values of this parameter, but if you need them for the player ...
Very often, portable equipment can only function normally with microphones whose impedance does not exceed 32 ohms. However, if you attach 300 Ohm microphones to the player, it will still sound, just not too loud. Now you know how to choose headphones for the player, focusing on resistance indicators.
Frequency response (frequency response)
The most obvious way to present the technical capabilities of headphones is to plot the amplitude-frequency characteristics. As a rule, it is presented in the form of a curve that accurately reproduces the quality of sound reproduction at different frequencies. The fewer bends and sharp drops, the better the equipment transmits the parameters of the original sound. The higher the graph, the smoother and better the sound of the headphones.
But! A “beautiful” schedule is not at all a guarantee that the device under consideration will not “cut” the hearing. So which headphones are better to choose?
Harmonic distortion
But this parameter really directly indicates the sound quality of the headphones. If you want to listen to music and not wrinkle with annoyance, choose only those products whose distortion coefficient does not exceed 0.5%. If this indicator exceeds the mark of 1%, then they can be considered mediocre.
By the way, if the package is full of big words, beautiful diagrams and customer reviews, but there is not a single mention of the frequency of harmonic distortions, this is a good reason to think about the appropriateness of such a purchase. And it’s not at all a fact that only unknown Chinese companies sin with such silence: the Beats by Dr. model, popular among youth Dre Studio produces as much as 1.5% distortion. Of course, the manufacturer is modestly silent about this.
However, it is necessary to pay attention to what particular frequency this indicator is valid for. The distortion range is not constant, varying flexibly across the entire playback frequency range. So, at low and ultra-low frequencies, distortions of up to 10% are acceptable, but in the range from 100 Hz to 2 kHz, this figure should not exceed 1%. Here is just an example that we have given above, which is still true: Dre have a distortion factor of 1.5% at a frequency of 1 kHz, which is unacceptable for normal equipment.
Here's how to choose your headphones if you care about sound quality.
Shoelaces
Now let's talk about cables. Often on the same advertising packaging you can find the phrase: "One-way / two-way connection."Translated into Russian, this indicates whether an individual cable is suitable for each cup, or it is presented in the form of the letter “U”, and therefore has a bifurcation point for simultaneous connection to each microphone.
In addition, you can see references to the "symmetry" or "asymmetry" of the cable. If it is symmetrical, then this means that the cord has an even U-shape. If not, then one shoulder is longer, which allows you to throw it over the neck. This is very convenient, because if you do not use this kind of headphones simply hang on your neck, do not hang out and do not distract from work. Do not forget about this when deciding how to choose headphones for the player.
And further. Remember the folk legend about some “confusion” who lives in his pockets and likes to turn a headphone cable into a wild ball? So, to prevent this from happening, look for those products in the specification of which a flat cord is mentioned. It has a profile, like a telephone "noodle", and therefore does not get tangled up in pockets or under a pillow.
This is especially important for those people who are interested in the question: “How to choose headphones for the player?” If you do not take this circumstance into account, you will be doomed to constantly unraveling the tangles.
And if at all without a wire?
And how to choose headphones if you hate wires? In recent years, many such models have appeared that do not need a physical connection to a sound source in principle. But! Remember that the quality of their sound is much worse in the vast majority, since significant losses are often observed during signal transmission, and the data is often subjected to quite strong compression.
In addition, headphones of this class without fail require a local power source, which you have to change or charge quite often. The sound comes from the so-called base, which is connected either to the output of the player, or to the USB port of a computer or laptop. However, many smartphone models are able to broadcast sound to the “blue-tooth” headset directly, so in this case they don’t need any base.
By the way, how to choose headphones for your phone? There are just a few wireless options for your phone.
We will not recall the obsolete technologies for transmitting sound via infrared, as this anachronism is practically not used at present. Thus, today only Bluetooth and devices broadcasting sound in the FM range remain on the market in this segment. However, it is better not to use the latter, since in a more or less large settlement their work will be accompanied by constant interference.
So we discussed how to choose wireless headphones. Once again, we note that their characteristics can not be paid special attention, since the sound quality will suffer in any case.
But such headphones can work at a distance of as much as 100 meters (radio channel), so for a summer vacation, they can be just a great solution. For comparison, the “blue tooth” works more or less normally only at 10-15 meters, after which strong dynamic distortions begin, and at 30 meters the signal may disappear altogether.
The question of how to choose headphones can be considered closed. We hope you find our recommendations useful.
