‘ Friends, Romans Indians, countrymen,
lend me your ears earphones; ’ …

In-ear headphones, vertical headphones, horizontal headphones, supra-aural headphones, circum-aural headphones, cordless headphones,… Yes! There are probably a lot more types of headphones than you would have imagined. Read EXHIBIT’s five steps headphone buying guide to analyze all the factors – form, size, portability, technological aspects, features, etc. and a word or two on jacks and accessories that you should consider, before you select the one that best befits you.

Your first step that should guide your headphone selection would be to analyze how and where you intend to use it; for laptop, home theatre or gaming and whether indoor or outdoor. Depending on this consideration, you should concentrate on the form and size factors; headphones can be broadly classified into four categories; from the smallest (or most portable) to the largest, which are the least portable. They are:

In-ear headphones
Vertical & Horizontal headphones
Supra-aural headphones
Circum-aural headphones

In-ear headphones
Often called earbuds, these are the most portable, compact and lightweight headphones. These tiny earpieces either rest on the outer ear, or need to be plugged into the ear canal. Some of the models even include ear clips for a more secure fit. This insertion procedure not only guarantees moderate to excellent isolation from external noise, but also promises hardly any interference with earrings, glasses, hats or hairstyles. Though these headphones are, in general, inexpensive and often shipped free with portable players, expensive earbuds are also available which offer superior audio quality that can compete with full-size models. However, the audio quality, especially the bass output is often not comparable to those of bigger models. Extensive usage might cause discomfort and pain in the ears. Some models are difficult to insert and remove, while dual-cable design often results in tangled wires.

Vertical & Horizontal headphones
This stylish, slender headphone category comprises of two general headband styles; the standard vertical bands that arch over the head or horizontal designs that extend behind the head or neck. Also known as Fashion headphones, sports headphones, behind-the-neck headphones, clip-on headphones, neckband headphones, Walkman-style headphones and portable headphones, offer high portability and are almost always open-backed in design, as a result of which complete isolation from external noise is never achieved. Although the horizontal types do not interfere with glasses, hats or hairstyles, the vertical ones do. And then again, some of the horizontal models exert higher-than-average amount of pressure on the ears and are often uncomfortable. These headphones aren't all that durable either.

Supra-aural headphones
This category of headphones is comfortable and offers medium portability. Often called ear-pad headphones, open-backed headphones, semi-open headphones, closed-back headphones, or on-ear headphones, they rest on the outer ears and have closed designs that cover the ears, though are never fully sealed as in case of full-size circum-aural models. As such, they are less prone to overheating ears than full-size headphones, although they offer less effective noise isolation and less powerful bass than the latter. A complete range from inexpensive portables to more expensive high-end home models is available. Some models even fold up offering higher portability.

Circum-aural headphones
Offering maximum bass and loudness levels, and maximum isolation from external noise, this category of headphones offer minimum portability and are rather considered to be better suited for home use. These headphones come with ear cups that fully enclose the ears thereby effectively blocking outside noise. Often called full-size headphones, closed-back headphones, ear-cup headphones and over-the-ear headphones, the full-size models, at times, can be uncomfortably hot and make your ears sweat. Because of their large size, the ear cups and the headbands often result in interference with earrings, glasses, hats or hairstyles.


Now that you have analyzed the form and size factors, let us focus on your second step where you should consider specific technologies and applications. Headphones can again be classified into six categories:

Noise-canceling headphones
Noise-isolating headphones
Surround headphones
Communication headsets
Cordless headphones
Dolby Headphones

Noise-canceling headphones
Available in all the four form and size factors categories; these headphones effectively reduce ambient noise. Although they don't eliminate noise entirely, the better models significantly reduce the hums of planes. You need not increase the volume to overcome background noise, which reduces the chances of ear fatigue. You can also hear more low-level detail in your music. However, the antinoise technology that these headphones implement might exert pressure on the eardrums of some users. The circuitry of these headphones are powered by battery which are placed in a separate in-line module on smaller models or within the ear cup itself, as is the case in larger headphones.

Noise-isolating headphones
Available mainly in circum-aural and in some cases in-ear headphones categories, these headphones offer excellent isolation from outside noise. They are most commonly used in monitoring recording in studios. These headphones offer equal or even superior seclusion from ambient or external noise than the noise-canceling headphones. As such, you need not increase the volume to overcome background noise, which reduces the chances of ear fatigue. You can also hear more low-level detail in your music. Unlike noise-canceling headphones, these designs don't need batteries and don't exert pressure on your eardrum.

Surround headphones
Available mainly in circum-aural category, and other three categories as well, surround headphones create a more spacious sound than conventional stereo headphones. Some models electronically synthesize surround effects to create a bigger than stereo sound field, while others employ a more benign acoustic approach to deliver some semblance of a surround field between your ears. Some advanced ones even jam multiple speaker drivers into the ear cups for "true" surround sound. Home-theater lovers, gamers, audiophiles – all can benefit from these headphones. However, the surround effect may seem artificially hyped or overly reverberant in some models.

Communication headsets
Available in all the four form and size factors categories but mainly in circum-aural category, these headphones incorporate built-in microphones. Business and entertainment applications that require two-way communications like VoIP) services such as Skype, voice-to-text transcription, etc., benefit from this all-in-one solution.

Cordless headphones
Available in all the four form and size factor categories, wireless headphones employ one of the three transmission methods: infrared, radio frequency (RF) or Bluetooth. Infrared uses pulses of light to transmit signals from the base unit to the headphones, but you have to remain within the line of sight of the transmitter to receive signals. Radio frequency models use radio waves to accomplish the same job, and since the radio signals can pass through walls, they generally suffer fewer signal dropouts. Bluetooth headphones need a small base dongle to be plugged into the audio source for receiving transmission. With wireless headphones you have the luxury of avoiding encumbering, uncomfortable wires. Circum-aural and supra-aural cordless headphones let you listen to home theatres and watch TVs without having to be tethered to your equipments. Some models even offer surround sound. However, till now only a very few expensive models can approach the sound quality of wired models, and many of these generate a certain amount of background hiss or noise. Moreover, some RF models can interfere with cordless telephones or home-networking systems. Even in case of in-ear and sport headphones, wireless sound quality is rarely up to wired standards. Moreover, you may need to frequently swap battery or recharge and you need to carry the additional dongle for RF or Bluetooth connectivity that hinders portability.

Dolby Headphone
Any headphone can incorporate Dolby technology; the technology actually can be independent of actual headphones. Dolby Headphone is a surround processor that synthesizes multi-channel effects and expands stereo separation over any pair of stereo headphones. The technology does not synthesize quasi-surround from conventional stereo sources; instead, it enhances 5.1-channel DVD systems and stereo recordings, respectively. Some receivers incorporate on-board Dolby Headphone processing, which will work with any headphones you plug into it, while others include Dolby Headphone technology built into the base station, so you can hook them directly to a DVD player. If you're looking for Dolby Headphone, be sure to get an AV receiver that supports it; on the other hand, if you're looking for models that use internal circuitry to electronically synthesize surround effects as in the case of surround headphones, you should instead focus on the actual headphones.


Once you have considered the form and size factors and the specific technologies and applications you should thirdly, concentrate on these eight features:

Bass
Closed or open
Comfort
Lifespan
Wire issues
Frequency response
Total harmonic distortion
Impedance

Bass
Honestly speaking, even the best of headphones cannot deliver the kind of bass you experience from massive speakers and subwoofers. The circum-aural headphones offer the best of bass output. Even some of the expensive high-end in-ear headphones offer bass, but are less impressive than the supra or circum-aural headphones.

Closed or open
By now you know that the noise-canceling and the noise-isolating headphones acoustically isolate your ears from your environment. But the point is whether the audio delivered by the headphone is audible to the outside world. Sealed models are ideal for private listening, where you don't want the sound to be heard by other people. Open headphones on the other hand, are acoustically transparent and allow outside sound to be heard by the headphone wearer, and a good deal of the headphone's sound will be audible to anyone near the listener.

Comfort
One of the major considerations apart from the audio output quality is the comfort factor, which comprises mainly of the make and the weight of the headphone. Some ear pads exert too much pressure on ears while the models that enclose or cover the ears can get uncomfortably hot, and at times uncomfortably heavy after hours of use. Vertical and horizontal headphones are generally lighter and are almost always more comfortable than the other categories headphones.

Lifespan
You should always consider the factors like, if the headphones are collapsible to enhance portability, whether the hinges are robust, or will they fall apart in due course of time? Again, considering the fact that the ear pads and ear buds will depreciate at extensive usage, while some models incorporate replaceable ear pads or ear tips, most do not. Some in-ear and sports headphones are relatively fragile, compared to the rest. Be sure to assess the build quality of headphones you have short listed and ensure its durability.

Wire issues
Generally, stereo headphones comprise of single-sided cabling, i.e., they have just one cable, usually attached to the left earpiece. Some models have Y-cables that connect to both earpieces (double-sided).

The consideration for the length of headphone cables will depend on where you would prefer to wear your audio player – if you plug it somewhere around your waist, you will need a longer cable compared to when wearing a player on a neck lavaliere or an armband. However, this ‘length’ factor is not that important as extension cables can lengthen those that are too short, while cable wraps can tighten up ones that are too long.

Frequency response
Higher frequency response will boast higher bass. If you are a music aficionado look out for higher figures.

Total harmonic distortion
Headphones with lower actual total harmonic distortion (THD) will sound better than those with higher THD. But low THD alone does not always guarantee better sound quality. So, we suggest you do not pay much attention to THD.

Impedance
Generally speaking, the lower the headphones' electrical impedance (aka resistance), the easier it is to get higher volume. But here again, the low impedance is no guarantee of high volume capability; other factors can still limit loudness potential. Again, we recommend you to rather rely on your ears than confusing figures!


Now that you have by now analyzed the form and size factors and the specific technologies and applications and have considered the feature issues, you should fourthly make sure that your headphone plug matches the socket on your audio player. Let us dig in the five headphone connection types:

3.5 mm plug
0.25” plug
2.5mm plug
Multi-pronged
USB

3.5 mm plug
By far the most common analog headphone connector, especially for portable AV devices, 3.5mms are also known as 1/8-inch, mini-jack plug and walkman-style jack.



0.25” plug
Also known as full-size plug, phono plug, these larger, older 1/4-inch analog plug styles are still commonly found on home AV devices.



2.5mm plug
Smaller cousin of the mini-jack, these analog plugs are usually found on cell phones and similar communication-oriented multimedia devices. Often referred to as cell phone-style plugs, they almost always include a two-way design so that it can handle both microphone and headphone transmissions via a single connection.



Multi-pronged
These connectors consist of more than one analog jack. For instance, communication headsets and surround headphones designed specifically for PCs usually have more than one plug. Communication headsets usually have separate headphone and microphone mini-jack plugs, while some PC-centric surround headphones have three plugs to interface with the corresponding ports on the back of surround-sound PC audio cards.



USB
These connectors are almost exclusively associated with PCs and game consoles. The connection is digital rather than analog and can handle two-way communications via a single connection.

However, if your AV device does not provide with any of these standard analog jacks, it will almost certainly offer an adapter. Additionally, adapters are available, as accessories of headphones, to convert any of the analog connections from one to another.


Often we mistakenly consider headphones to be accessories of some AV devices; in fact, headphones come with a full range of accessories. The high-end models generally are shipped with some of these accessories while most of these are available at affordable prices. So, finally, let us figure out the accessories of headphones:

Adapters
Splitters
Extension cords
In-line remotes
Cable wrappers
Amplifiers

Adapters
These are basically analog connection converters in case of headphones. 2.5mm plug to 3.5mm plug, 3.5mm plug to 0.25” plug, 0.25” plug to 3.5mm plug, etc. are some of the most common adapters.

Splitters
Headphone splitters turn one jack into two, which provides you with the option of sharing listening to audio with your companion.

Extension cords
These enable you to extend your headphone cord in case you find it too short. While most cables are available in set lengths, some portable extenders use a retractable design for added portability.

In-line remotes
A handful of audio players incorporate a small remote control with basic functions like play/pause, forward/reverse, etc. In-line remotes are often at the end of a short extension cable and frequently include a clip for attaching to a shirt or jacket. While these remotes are almost always proprietary to the device, they usually have a standard 3.5mm port so that they can be used with any headphones. There are also generic in-line remotes with volume and mute controls that will work with any combination of player and headphones.

Cable wraps
You can opt for these if you find your headphone cable is too long; you can effectively shorten the length of your headphone cable to your ideal length.

 

Headphone amplifiers
Audiophiles spending a lot of time glued to headphones might consider trying out an amplifier as the quality of the amplifiers built into portable audio players are generally not up to the mark. Even some of the better home AV receivers' headphone jacks offer highly variable sound quality. Both home and portable headphone amplifiers are available.


Headphones are a very personal purchase. The size of every ear is different from the rest ad as such, what fits very comfortably on one person can be completely annoying to you. Because the sound is directly related to how the speaker transducer is positioned near your ear, headphones sound different to different people, depending on how they are wearing them. You will be able to derive optimal quality of a pair only when they fit you well. So we would strongly recommend you to try and find out which pair works for you before purchasing.