Which Headphones Are Right For You

Which Headphones Are Right for You?

There are many headphone sets on offer but they basically fall into four different categories - in-ear, earbuds, supra-aural or circumaural.

All have their different uses and are usually used in specific instances.

Recording studios and the like usually use the circumaural headphones. These have those large round earpads that fit over the ears completely and cut out peripheral sounds. Real sound enthusiasts sometimes use these too.

Supra-aural headphones are the foam rubber covered headsets that sit on the outside of the ear and used to given free with personal stereos or on airlines. They were the cheap and cheerful alternative in those days.

Earbuds are the headphones that are the bane of commuters life! They sit on the outer part of the ear but does not cut out peripheral noise.

Users usually pump up the volume to compensate for this and leave fellow travelers with the incredibly irritating overflow of tinny sound.

These headphones can cause damage to hearing and also cause distraction when crossing roads or similar. The volume is set so high that normal everyday sounds are drowned out.

Very dangerous!

Last - but not least - are the in-ear headphones sometimes known as canalphones. As the name implies they are placed directly into the ear canal giving good quality sound and banning peripheral noise.

It may be that you will want a different set of headphones for different circumstances. Be aware though that some are dangerous in both hearing loss and where accidents can occur. Choose wisely.