Equipment

Headphones : types of headphones

Circumaural

These type of headphones have pads that go around the ears, usually very large and very comfortable. Examples include: AKG K501, Audio Technica ATH-A900, Beyerdynamic DT880, Sennheiser HD650, and Sony MDR-SA5000.

Supra-aural

These type of headphones have pads that go on top of the ears. Examples include: Grado SR-60, Koss Sportapro.

Canalphones

Canalphones (also known as "in-ear headphones") are placed inside the ear canal, positioning them closer to the eardrum than other types of headphones. They have excellent isolation quality (up to 24 dbs) because they act as earplugs. Isolation from canalphones is generally superior to that provided by active noise cancellation mechanisms. Canalphones are a relatively new type of headphone, based on the technology used in hearing aids. Examples include: Etymotic Research ER-4p, Sensaphonics 2X, Shure E2c, and Ultimate Ears UE-10 Pro.

Earbuds

Earbuds are small headphones that are placed directly outside of the ear canal, but without fully enveloping it. Earbuds are generally inexpensive and are favored for their portability and convenience. However, due to their inability to provide isolation, they are not capable of delivering the precision and range of sound offered by many full-sized headphones and canalphones. The distinctive white headphones included with the iPod are earbuds.

The closer the driver is to the eardrum, the more easily it can impair hearing.

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