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Headphone 101This guide will guide you through all you need to know about getting a pair of headphones that bestfits you.

If I missed anything or you have an idea or you have a different opinion please leave a comment anddon't forget to subscribe!

Anyways...

Reading the BoxOn the back of the box on for a pair of headphones you would usually see information like:

Frequency response

Transducer principal/type

Open or closed

Stereo vs surround Impedance

Weight

Cable length

Jack type

When picking a pair of headphones, you should always pay attention to this information because tellsyou the general characteristics of a pair of headphones and it will save you the hassle of returning a

pair of headphones that doesn't fit you.

Frequency Response

The frequency response of a pair of headphone is the frequency range a pair of headphones canoutput. The human ear can detect frequencies from 10-20,000hz. Just about all headphones you

can get cover this range. But does this mean that all headphones sound good because they can

respond to all the sounds a human ear can hear? No it doesn't! Even though all headphones canoutput all the sounds an ear can hear, they output different frequencies at different volumes or

decibels (dB).

So if this is the case, how can you tell how a pair of headphones sound?

The answer is simple, you use frequency response charts.

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Frequency response charts show what amplitude (or how loud, note this is measured in dBr) a pair

of headphones will output a certain frequency.

In this example, you see the Shure SRH440 compared with the Monster Beats by Dr. Dre Studio.

These two headphones are like heaven and hell, the Beats Studios are extremely bass heavy or"dark" headphones while the Shure SRH440's are the exact opposite, having an extremely "bright"

sound with softer bass.

I suggest going to a single source for frequency response charts, the best source I have found

would be Headroom.com

Transducer principalThe transducer principal tells you the method the of sound production and whether the headphone

is open or closed.

TYPES OF SPEAKER/HEADPHONES

Dynamic

http://graphs.headphone.com/graphCompare.php?graphType=0&graphID[]=2811&graphID[]=1383

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These two words, dynamic and electrostatic tells you how the headphones make sound. Dynamic

headphones use a metal coil(mainly copper) that create an electromagnetic field which interacts

with the diaphragm and in turn, moves it. This technology is used in most speakers andheadphones use because of the price, it is also the most convenient solution because it does not

require any special amp or power source like an electrostatic speaker or headphone.

Electrostatic

These types of headphones and speakers are rare because of their price and their demand for aspecial amp to power them, but they offer the least distortion among commercial sound

reproduction techniques. These drivers work by placing a thin diaphragm that holds an electric

charge that is placed between two electrodes. When an electric charge is applied to the electrodes,they create a magnetic field that can be used to control the movement of the electrically charged

diaphragm. This technique currently creates the least distortion in the sound of the

headphone/speaker but is also the most expensive and you cannot forget that even if you get a

headphone using this technology, you must remember you need to get a special amp to power it.

Balanced Armature

The balanced armature technique is the most common technique you will ever see in earbuds(dynamic is type used but this technique is rarer then balance armatures) the other or in-ear

headphones. This technique works by using an arm-like mechanism that is attached to the

diaphragm, this "arm" is then attached to a coil of wires that control magnets. In its neutral state,

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the arm puts no force on the diaphragm so the setup is "balanced." When the magnetic field of the

magnets is changed by the current coming from coil, the force on the arm is no longer balanced.

This in-balance causes the "arm" to tilt which causes the diaphragm to move, producing sound.

Balance armatures are considered more "unreliable" then dynamic drivers which is why most high end

balance armature IEM's use multiple balance armature drivers to make up for this so you have onedriver specializing in a certain part of the sound range. But when doing this, the headphone makermust ensure that the sounds of the drivers blend together well.

A representation of how multiple balance armature drivers add to the sound (FR charts of the Sony XBA series)

Planer Magnetic

This is another uncommon driver technology, planer magnetic drivers use a thin film-likediaphragm imbedded with a conductive insert fitted behind (or in front) of a setup with rows of

magnets setup so they can form a "boundary" around the metal inserts (if ")(" is a magnet and "|" is

an insert under the magnet, it would look something like this: {)( | )( | )( | )(}). The magnets create

a strong magnetic field so the housings are usually very ridged and strong, but what happens is:when a current is put through the insert, it interacts and disrupts the magnetic field created by the

magnets which cause the insert and in turn the driver to move.

http://www.sony-asia.com/corporate/resources/en_AP/images/PressRoom/2011/BA4.jpghttp://images.amazon.com/images/G/01/electronics/detail-page/balancedarmaturedriver.jpghttp://www.sony-asia.com/corporate/resources/en_AP/images/PressRoom/2011/BA4.jpghttp://images.amazon.com/images/G/01/electronics/detail-page/balancedarmaturedriver.jpghttp://www.sony-asia.com/corporate/resources/en_AP/images/PressRoom/2011/BA4.jpghttp://images.amazon.com/images/G/01/electronics/detail-page/balancedarmaturedriver.jpg

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Planer Magnetic Driver in a pair of HifiMan HE-6

Open VS ClosedThis part of the tech specs shows you whether or not there is a part of the headphone that is open

to let air in to the diaphragms. For this, there is no optimal choice, but personal opinion and needs

as both open and closed headphones have their own advantages and disadvantages.

OpenOpen headphones have a hole somewhere on them to allow air through the back to the

diaphragms. This allows the sound to seem like it is coming from outside the headphones rather

then inside a boxed room. This type of design is used on many in-ear headphones as the

disadvantages are not as noticeable as they are on over-ear headphones. The open design usuallybenefits acoustic sounds where a degree of "airiness" usually exists but also tend to soften bass.

Advantages

There is almost no chance for the sound to bounce off the back and create an echo

Best for acoustic reproduction

Opinion Based The sound feels like its coming from an outside source

Disadvantages

Open headphones are not the best in noise isolation and can sometimes have no isolation

at all

lower bass tone can have less impact and seem aired out

http://tpucdn.com/reviews/Head-Direct/HE-6/images/he-6_driver_small.jpghttp://tpucdn.com/reviews/Head-Direct/HE-6/images/he-6_driver_small.jpg

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Sennheiser HD 800

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Sennheiser HD 600

Closed

Closed headphones are completely sealed, any headphones with active noise cancellation and

really effective noise isolation are closed-back headphones. They are the best for noisyenvironments. Soundstage still exists but it sounds like you're in a "closed room"

Advantages

Can have extremely good noise cancelation

Bass generally has more impact due and sounds more like a pulsing sub woofer

Opinion based

The sound may seem like it is coming from inside a room or a closed off source

Disadvantages

There is a chance for reflected sound at high volumes

http://www.sennheiser.ca/live/thumb/?src=../prod_images/Image%203.png&w=292&aoe=1&q=90http://www.audio-technica.com/cms/resource_library/product_images/9db53d2c9441d322/large/ath_a700.jpghttp://www.sennheiser.ca/live/thumb/?src=../prod_images/Image%203.png&w=292&aoe=1&q=90http://www.audio-technica.com/cms/resource_library/product_images/9db53d2c9441d322/large/ath_a700.jpghttp://www.sennheiser.ca/live/thumb/?src=../prod_images/Image%203.png&w=292&aoe=1&q=90

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Audio-Technica ATH-A700

Shure SRH 440

***Noise Cancellation VS Noise Isolation***Noise Cancelling headphones block out outside noise and use microphones to record outside noise

of a certain noise level and play it back within the headphone while noise isolation just blocks outoutside noise to a certain degree (amount of noise blocked is measured in dB and is listed in the

dB section of isolation).

Bose Quiet Comfort 15

Audio-Technica ARH-ANC7b

Stereo VS SurroundThe difference between surround and stereo can seriously affect your listening experience. A pair ofsurround sound headphones is meant to immerse you into an environment so you can feel and hear

sounds like you are actually in the environment. This technology is best for watching a movie or a pair

of gaming headphones where location is important. While stereo headphones just display a left andright sound that is separated by an artist so the music can be best experienced by the listener. Stereoheadphones are the best for just listening to music.

http://www.audio-technica.com/cms/resource_library/product_images/ba2a7c52cba6a768/large/ath_anc7b_1_rgb_300dpi.jpghttp://www.bose.ca/assets/images/shop_online/qc15/qc15_si_lg.jpghttp://www.audio-technica.com/cms/resource_library/product_images/ba2a7c52cba6a768/large/ath_anc7b_1_rgb_300dpi.jpghttp://www.bose.ca/assets/images/shop_online/qc15/qc15_si_lg.jpghttp://www.shure.com/idc/groups/public/documents/webcontent/prod_img_srh840_l.jpg

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Impedance

Headphone-wise

Impedance is an important part of picking the right headphones for you. The impedance of aheadphone is the factor that affects the volume that is outputted by your headphone when you plugit into a device such as an iPod. Impedance tells you the power requirements of a pair of

headphones. Impedance works like this: the higher the impedance, the more voltage required to

power the headphones. But once impedance goes below 20ohms then the headphone you aregetting requires more current. Generally, most motherboards can handle up to 64ohms of

impedance, if the volume was turned up to about three quarters volume on an iPod/iPhone.

Now for those who want to understand a little more about impedance, here's a little physics lesson.

Now first off, the main goal of headphones/speakers or any audio output device is to output anelectric signal in the form of sound (or rather sound pressure measured in dB SPL for every mW

of power provided). Given this, a headphone's performance is completely based on how well it can

perform off of (x)mW incoming from the source.

To see how high impedance affects headphones, you must first look at the inside of a headphone,

more specifically the drivers where the audio is produced. Using dynamic drivers as an example:

Dynamic drivers usually rely on a voice coil (usually made of copper) that moves the diaphragm,and the impedance of a dynamic headphone depends thickness of this cable. At this point, a few

things need to be known:

The thinner the wire the more resistance it has and therefore, the higher the impedance

The thicker the wire the more weight it has

A heavier diaphragm takes more to moveTherefore, knowing this a high impedance headphone should, in theory, be more precise and

detailed but also less loud (depending on the amp used) then a lower impedance headphone. Of

course this is mainly for dynamic drivers, but what should be taken out if this is amps deliverdifferent amounts of power to the headphones depending on the impedance. A good example of

this would be the Fiio E7, this amp/dac can deliver 150mW of power to a pair of headphones with

an impedance of 16 ohms while it can only deliver 16mW to headphones to headphones with a300 ohm rating.

Source-wise

The amp's output impedance should be as low as possible to avoid distortion and voltage dropswith lower impedance headphones (32 ohms and below). Basically amp output impedance can a

headphones by:

changing their frequency response

changing their bass performance

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struggling to power the headphone (this occurs mainly when you pair a low impedance

headphone with a high output impedance amp, this occurs as voltage lost when a load is

connected)

Now a perfect source/amp would have an output impedance of zero impedance which means theywill deliver the same amount of voltage into every load no matter the impedance (Now whether or

or not the headphones use the same amount of voltage is a different story). So with today'sIEM's(which generally have an impedance of 16ohms) you should use a source with an outputimpedance of 2ohms to minimize distortion. To summarize everything, when it comes to output

impedance, the smaller the better.

WeightThe weight of the headphones affect how portable headphones are, they don't affect the sound of

the headphone what so ever.

Cable LengthThe cable length affects the portability of the headphones, cables are generally 1-1.5m in length

while some professional headphones have cables around 3.5m in length.

Jack TypeThe jack or connector of the headphone can come in tree standard sizes, the 2.5mm, the 3.5mmand the 6.3mm jack. Majority of headphones and portable devices use the 3.5mm jack. Most over-

ear headphones also come with a 3.5mm to 6.3mm adapter to enable you to use them with

hifi/stereo systems. Some professional headphones have a 6.3mm jack and come with a 3.5mm

adapter. You see the 2.5mm jack on some phones and there are rarely any commercial headphones

that use this termination so using headphones with a 2.5mm device usually requires anadapter.These connectors are called TRS (Tip Ring Sleeve) connectors, as far as headphones go,

this is the only type of connector that you will see besides USB. The rings/bands on the connectorshows the amount of channels the jack has for information to be transfered. In the picture below,

the jack 3.5mm jack with only one ring only has a channel for monotone information while, the

3.5mm jack with two rings has two channels for a stereo signal (one for the left ear and one for the

right year).

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Types of headphone jacks (from left to right): 2.5mm mono, 3.5mm mono, 3.5mm stereo, 6.3mm stereo

Outside of the Box

Nice Definitions to Know:

SoundstageSoundstage is basically the word used to describe the distance or dynamics of the sound.

Soundstage is basically when you hear the guitarist sounds like he is 1m away and the drummer is

3m away, it is the distance of the sound.

DistortionDistortion refers to the difference in sound reproduced vs the original sound signal/frequency that

was recorded. This is usually measured as Total Harmonic Distortion. Distortion is usually createdby the extra outputted energy by the headphones which create overtones or harmonics which end

up distorting the sound.

What's left?So is there anything else to be aware of while picking your headphones?

YES

You have to be aware of the brand of headphone that you are getting. Each brand has its pros andcons, some are better at making certain types of headphones, etc.

For my opinions on audio brands click this link:

The Brands

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Achieving the bestsoundSo how can you get the best sound out of your new headphones other equipment may be neededand some requirements may need to be met.

Information on this may be found on my Audio 101

Resources Here is a link to an interesting interactive chart that shows the frequency range of a

number of instruments:Click here

http://www.independentrecording.net/irn/resources/freqchart/main_display.htmhttp://www.independentrecording.net/irn/resources/freqchart/main_display.htmhttp://www.independentrecording.net/irn/resources/freqchart/main_display.htmhttp://www.independentrecording.net/irn/resources/freqchart/main_display.htm