Headphones

There are two types of headphones available, the large enclosed headphones that cover the whole ear and the small headphones that are placed directly into the ear. The large enclosed headphones are designed for home use and are usually better quality but more expensive, the small headphones that are placed in the ear are designed for portable audio devices such as MP3 players and portable CD players.

The large enclosed version of the headphones offer better quality sound and more advanced features than that of the small in-ear headphones The better sound quality is simply due to their bigger size and the fact that they are enclosed, this means that no sound from outside of the headphones can interfere with your listening. The large enclosed headphones also have some advanced features, the main one that is popular is the wireless or cordless feature. Wireless headphones do not have a cable but transmit the sound to the headphones from a transmitter base which is attached to the headphone socket of the audio equipment you are using. This means that you can go anywhere and will not need to worry about the cable and also offers more comfort, the range of these wireless headphones varies but can be as far as 100 metres. If you are buying headphones with a cable then it’s worth checking how long it is, 3 and 5 metres are common and should give you enough room to move where ever you desire.

One other recent feature that is now available is surround sound, surround sound head phones offer sound that feels like real surround sound by adjusting the sound in the headphones, if you are watching a film with surround sound enabled then these headphones are great as you get the sound as if you were watching on a home cinema system. There are many brands that offer large enclosed headphones including cordless headphones, these include Sony, Technics, Philips, JVC, Pioneer, Bose, Panasonic, Sennheiser and lots of others.

The other type of headphone that is available is the in-ear headphone, these are headphones with small ear pieces that are inserted into the ear and stay there while you listen to the sound. These are designed for small portable audio devices such as MP3 players, the Ipod, portable CD players, walkmans, portable mini disc players and lots of others. When using an MP3 player or an Ipod most people want smaller headphones as they are usually on the move and large headphones would not be comfortable, these small in-ear headphones sit in the ear and are hardly noticeable. In-ear headphones usually have volume controls on the headphone wire, this is useful if your MP3 player or Ipod is not easy to get to while you are moving. The other good thing about in-ear headphones is that they are cheap, this is because they are smaller so use less parts and so are cheaper than the large enclosed headphones. There are lots of manufacturers that offer in-ear headphones and include Sony, Bose, JVC, Philips, Pioneer, Technics, Panasonic, Sennheiser and lots of others.

So when choosing your headphones you basically have to decide which size you need, the small in-ear versions for the Ipod or MP3 player or the large enclosed versions for the home. If you are going for large enclosed headphones then wireless is an option, wireless headphones make moving around the room allot easier. You could also go for the surround sound headphones, these offer realistic surround sound in the headphones which is great if you are a film fan. If you are looking for some cheap headphones then the small in-ear versions might be better, you can get cheap large enclosed versions but they lack the advanced features which are generally present in the more expensive headphones. Some shops also offer cheap special offers where you can save some money, it’s best to shop around and see if you can find a cheap deal.

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