How To Choose the Headphones by Their Characteristics?
These are physical characteristics that give a very rough idea of how the headphones will sound. But if there is such an opportunity, it is better to just listen to music at different volumes and make sure that the sound suits you.
Minimum and maximum frequencies
This is the range in which you will hear sound through the headphones. Usually, they indicate 20-20,000 Hz, but this is the general range that we can basically hear.
The sound will be ideal if the headphones produce the same volume for all frequencies. This is rarely achieved because too many factors interfere: from speaker settings to the quality of the file being played.
Therefore, in any case, at some frequency, the sound will be a little louder, and at another – quieter. The smaller the difference, the better. The standard range is 20-20,000 Hz. If it is wider, then it is more likely that the volume will be the same in the average frequencies.
Headphone volume can be determined immediately by three parameters: a combination of power, sensitivity, and resistance.
Power
This is how loud a speaker can put out. Maybe – because the speaker itself does not create any energy; it only receives it. Power in headphones is measured in milliwatts – mW.
If you plan to use headphones with a player or smartphone, then there is no point in chasing power – such a technique simply cannot produce a sufficiently powerful sound. In this case, you will hear distortion and, as it were, a loose sound. If the wireless ear buds will work from a computer or amplifier, then you need to look at how much power they can give out.
Sensitivity. A physical characteristic that indicates how much the headphones will sound louder, all other things being equal – for example if the power is the same. Now the easiest way to choose headphones is just by sensitivity. The minimum indicator for music is 90-120 dB. The more, the louder the headphones.
Impedance
It is often written in the technical characteristics of headphones, resistance. This characteristic is measured in ohms.
Impedance is usually important for connecting different acoustic devices to each other. When the resistance of one device is small, it will work with a device with the same impedance or less without problems. But the sound will begin to be distorted if the resistance in the connected device is greater.
If you are going to use headphones with a phone or player, then look for devices with an impedance of 16-32 ohms. For computers and music centers, headphones with an impedance of 40-60 ohms and higher are suitable. If you connect headphones with low impedance to “acoustics” with high impedance, the sound will be distorted.
In short: how to choose headphones
- Decide what type of headphones suits you. Completely wireless are good for music but talking in them on the street in windy weather will be inconvenient.
- Type of construction – it all depends on your ears; you need to try. The compact “plugs” sound better, but they do not hear the surrounding sounds. In full-size, it is often hot, but the sound is excellent.
- If you plan to chat a lot, make sure you have a microphone in your headphones. For the home, you can take a bracket.
- When it is not possible to listen to the device, study the acoustic characteristics. Focus on sensitivity – the more the better. Then for resistance: for portable, you need 16-60 ohms, for the home you can have more.