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Open-back vs Closed-back headphones? (4K) -  Part 2/5 - "All About Headphones"

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What is an open-back headphone? What is a closed-back headphone? What is the difference? Does it really even matter? In this section of the All About Headphones series, we take a look. Other videos from the "All About Headphones Series": Introduction to All About Headphones - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dzoHrghjQuQ #1 How do headphones really work?

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How do headphones really work? (4K) - Part 1/5 - "All About Headphones"

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We put them on our head and we listen to the music that comes out, but how do headphones really work? What does their construction consist of? And by knowing how they function, what can I take advantage of? Well, headphones are really quite simple.

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Understanding about headphones and earphones.

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Understanding about headphones and earphones.

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Chris Lyons and Matt Engstrom from Shure discuss how to understand some of the most common headphone and earphone specifications. To access the full library of Shure educational materials, please visit: www.shure.com/americas/support.

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Understanding Earphone/Headphone Specifications

Though one of the most common items in the audio chain, earphones or headphones may not always work properly. Common problems are distorted audio, low level with the volume at maximum, or high level with the volume at minimum. This bulletin will explain earphone/headphone specifications, which ones are important, and how to choose earphones for an audio system.

Let's differentiate between headphones and earphones. A headphone consists of one or two transducers (usually miniature speakers) that are attached to a metal or plastic headband. This headband provides proper placement of the transducers over the ear; the headband rests on top or behind the head. There are two common types: open-back and closed-back. The open-back type has acoustic ports on the outside that increase bass response, but has the downside of allowing background noise to bleed through into the ear. The closed type completely covers the ear, thus reducing background noise. A secondary advantage is that sound originating from the headphones will not radiate outward. Closed-back are preferred for applications such as studio recording where noise must be minimized.

Earphones are also transducers but with no headband. They can be placed on the pinna (earflap) or inside the ear canal. The former, known as "earbuds", are usually the open-air type, since small transducers can not generate low frequencies without acoustic ports. The latter, known as "in ear" earphones, use a foam or other soft material to hold the earphone in the ear canal, thus isolating it from ambient noise. Forming an acoustic seal makes the ear canal part of the earphone "system" and modifies its frequency response. The advantages are that less volume is required, and audio quality is typically better.

Most headphone and earphone specifications show actual impedance and sensitivity. Some others go a step further and show maximum/clipping level and frequency response. These specifications define how each unit will work with an audio system. On the audio system side, pertinent specifications are output impedance, power output, and/or clipping level.

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A headset is a headphone combined with a microphone. Headsets provide the equivalent functionality of a telephone handset with hands-free operation. Among applications for headsets, besides telephone use, are aviation, theatre or television studio intercom systems, and console or PC gaming. Headsets are made with either a single-earpiece (mono) or a double-earpiece (mono to both ears or stereo). The microphone arm of headsets is either an external microphone type where the microphone is held in front of the user's mouth, or a voicetube type where the microphone is housed in the earpiece and speech reaches it by means of a hollow tube.

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Earphones (popularly called "earbuds" in recent years) are very small headphones that are fitted directly in the outer ear, facing but not inserted in the ear canal. Earphones are portable and convenient, but many people consider them to be uncomfortable.[13] They provide hardly any acoustic isolation and leave room for ambient noise to seep in; users may turn up the volume dangerously high to compensate, at the risk of causing hearing loss.[13][14] On the other hand, they let the user be better aware of their surroundings. Since the early days of the transistor radio, earphones have commonly been bundled with personal music devices. They are sold at times with foam pads for comfort.

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Both circumaural and supra-aural headphones can be further differentiated by the type of earcups:
Open-back headphones have the back of the earcups open. This leaks more sound out of the headphone and also lets more ambient sounds into the headphone, but gives a more natural or speaker-like sound and more spacious "soundstage"[further explanation needed] - the perception of distance from the source.

Closed-back (or sealed) styles have the back of the earcups closed. They usually block some of the ambient noise, but have a smaller soundstage, giving the wearer a perception that the sound is coming from within their head. Closed-back headphones tend to be able to produce stronger low frequencies than open-back headphones.

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Supra-aural headphones have pads that press against the ears, rather than around them. They were commonly bundled with personal stereos during the 1980s. This type of headphone generally tends to be smaller and lighter than circumaural headphones, resulting in less attenuation of outside noise. Supra-aural headphones can also lead to discomfort due to the pressure on the ear as compared to circumaural headphones that sit around the ear. Comfort may vary due to the earcup material.

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Circumaural headphones (sometimes called full size headphones) have circular or ellipsoid earpads that encompass the ears. Because these headphones completely surround the ear, circumaural headphones can be designed to fully seal against the head to attenuate external noise. Because of their size, circumaural headphones can be heavy and there are some sets that weigh over 500 grams (1 lb). Ergonomic headband and earpad design is required to reduce discomfort resulting from weight. These are commonly used by drummers in recording.

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Headphones (or head-phones in the early days of telephony and radio) are a pair of small listening devices that are designed to be worn on or around the head over a user's ears. They are electroacoustic transducers, which convert an electrical signal to a corresponding sound in the user's ear. Headphones are designed to allow a single user to listen to an audio source privately, in contrast to a loudspeaker, which emits sound into the open air, for anyone nearby to hear. Headphones are also known asearspeakers, earphones[1] or, colloquially, cans.[2] Circumaural and supra-aural headphones use a band over the top of the head to hold the speakers in place. The other type, known as earbuds or earphones[1] consist of individual units that plug into the user's ear canal. In the context of telecommunication, a headset is a combination of headphone and microphone. Headphones either connect directly to a signal source such as an audio amplifier, radio, CD player, portable media player,mobile phone, video game consoles, electronic musical instrument, or use wireless technology such as bluetooth or FM radio. Early headphones were first used by radio pioneers (crystal sets) and also by radio telephone and telegraph operators allowing a better audio reception without disturbing others around. Initially the audio quality was mediocre and a step forward was the invention of high fidelity headphones.[3]

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Hi and Assalamualaikum , My Name Is Hanif Akmal B. Ab. Latif. My Topic Is Headphones / Earphones

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Hi and Assalamualaikum , My Name Is Hanif Akmal B. Ab. Latif. My Topic Is Headphones / Earphones