If you’ve been searching the web or looking around your local shop for headphones, you’ve likely heard about active noise-cancelling (ANC) headphones and perhaps about the lesser-marketed passive noise-cancelling (PNC) headphones. Whether you’re in an office, on a plane, or in a noisy apartment, noise-cancelling headphones can provide the isolation required to focus on the…
The term “headphones” applies to a great variety of audio-to-sound transducers. A major difference in headphone types is between earbuds and regular headphones. Before we begin, it’s critical to note that “headphones” is an all-encompassing term. However, people often call headphones the ear-covering type of headphones while they call earbuds the ear-inserted type of headphones….
So you’re looking into getting a pair of active noise-cancelling headphones/earplugs, and you’re wondering if you can still listen to music or if these headphones will provide a good listening experience. Do noise-cancelling headphones work with or without music? Active noise-cancelling (ANC) headphones, by the meaning of their name, allow us to listen to music…
If you’ve ever taken apart a pair of headphones or researched how headphones work, you’ve likely seen (or read about) headphone drivers. These drivers are the transducer elements in headphones responsible for converting audio signals into sound waves and come in a wide variety of sizes. What Is A Good Driver Size For Headphones? The…
If you’ve ever plugged an older smartphone or portable music player into a car stereo, you’ve likely used an aux (auxiliary) cord to make the connection from the device’s headphone jack to the car’s aux input. If you’ve ever wondered if the names of these connectors are interchangeable, this article is for you. Are AUX…
If you’ve ever wondered how your headphones or earbuds work, you’ve likely researched and learned that they have magnets in their design that help to convert audio signals into sound. Are the magnets in headphones/earbuds bad for you? There are no studies suggesting that the magnets and the relatively small magnetic fields in headphones negatively…
If you’re like the many people who use headphones each and every day, you’ve likely wondered how they produce sound. In this beginners’ guide, we’ll discuss the inner workings of headphones simply before diving into the more technical details. How Do Headphones Make Sound? Headphones act as transducers and convert audio signals (electrical energy) into…
In the days of smart technology, it’s common to have headphones that require power to function properly. Active headphones are actually relatively new on the market but have been continuously increasing in popularity with the rise of personal music/audio players. How do headphones get power & why do they need power? Active headphones nearly always…
The price range of headphones varies widely from a few dollars to thousands of dollars. There are certainly cases to be made for the inexpensive and expensive headphones on the market, and knowing your own wants and needs as a buyer will help in choosing the best pair for you. Are Expensive Headphones (Or Cheap…
Whether we’re listening through loudspeakers, studio monitors, headphones or acoustically, the bass and sub-bass frequency ranges are important, giving weight and power to what we are hearing. Subwoofers are regularly used to create low-end frequencies and are often built into loudspeakers or built as their separate units in studio monitoring and theatre sound setups. Do…
Magnetic materials and magnetic fields are all around us, but it may come as a surprise to you that the headphones you’re wearing have magnets, too! Why & How Do Headphones Use Magnets? Headphones act as transducers of energy, converting electrical energy (audio signal) into mechanical wave energy (sound waves). They often do so via…
The term “dynamic” is used quite a bit with audio gear, including headphones, microphones and speakers. In musical terms, “dynamics” refers to the range of intensity/loudness of a performance. The dynamic range should be considered when it comes to headphones, but the term “dynamic” typically means something different. What are dynamic headphones, and how do…
