Know Your Headphone – The Better Way

Headphones are the small loudspeaker type device designed to be worn around the head over a user’s ear. Headphones are for a single user to listen an audio privately. The electro acoustic transducers fitted in the headphone convert an electrical signal to sound signal audible to user’s ear. Headphones are dual sided called ear speakers or earphones or single sided called ear-buds or an earphone that fits into the user’s ear canal.

The first ever headphone was developed in 1910 by the hands of Nathaniel Baldwin in his kitchen which was later sold to United States Navy. However some sensitive headphones of 1919 manufactured by brands were commonly used for early radio work. Older headphones use moving iron drivers and vacuum tube's plate circuit and hence carry high voltage. John C. Koss, in 1943 made the first stereo headphone for music lovers.

Today’s headphone can be connected with personal computers, DVD players and home theatres or even with portable devices like mp3 players or mobile phones. Wired headphones always need an audio cable attached to a source. The most common connectors are 6.35mm and 3.5mm phone connectors. The smaller 3.5mm connector was introduced by Sony with the name “minijack”. You can also find cordless or wireless headphones working on radio or infrared signals using link like Wi-Fi, FM or Bluetooth.

There are two major types of headphones, Ear-fitting headphones and Headsets.

Ear-fitting headphones: These are further divided into two major categories Earphones and In-ear headphones. Out of which Earphones popularly known as ear-buds are fitted in the outer ear however not inserted in the ear canal, whereas, the In-ear headphones are directly inserted in the ear canal. These are also known as in-ear monitors or canal-phones.

Headset: Headset is a headphone combined with a microphone. The most common example of Headset is your telephone headsets connected to a telephone system’s fixed-line.