In the professional field, circumaural headphones are usually used
Headphone is a term with different meanings depending on the origin considered and the context of use. If the concept derives from the Latin word auriculāris , it is something linked to the ear or ear ; On the other hand, when it comes from the atrium , it refers to what is related to this cavity of the heart where the blood arrives from the blood vessels.
Hearing aid
It is common for the concept of earphone to refer to the device that is placed in the ear area and that allows sounds to be perceived . Headphones or headphones , in this sense, are electroacoustic transducers : they receive an electrical signal and convert it into sound.
The electrical signal that reaches the headset originates from an electronic device , such as an audio player , radio or television . The headset, in this framework, works as a speaker , transforming the signal into the sound that the user hears.
In the case of telephones, headphones are combined with a microphone to enable two-way communication. In this way, the person listens through the headset and speaks into the microphone.
Emergence of headphones
Beyond its definition as part of the devices for individual listening to music, already at the origins of radio and telephony, the headset was necessary to complete said devices. In the first electrical instruments, which at that time were not yet electronic, it was necessary to amplify their signals in a specific way to be used in telephony.
The invention of headphones is attributed to the company Beyerdynamic , in the second half of the 1930s. In addition, starting in 1937, it was the first to market this product at retail. Later, its use expanded thanks to other devices, such as portable radios, walkmans and more, reaching today with smartphones.
With or without cable
For many years, headphones had a cable that connected them to the electronic device. In any case, said cable could be disconnected from one device and then connected to another, so that the same headphone could be used alternately on a TV and on a CD player , for example.
Many headphones are wireless these days. Its connection to the signal source is not done through a cable, but rather through technologies such as WiFi and Bluetooth .
According to your position
In addition to their technology, it is possible to classify headphones according to their position in front of the ear. Let's start with the circumaurals , which completely surround the ear and, in the case of the closed ones, are capable of isolating almost one hundred percent of external sounds to allow you to enjoy music without interference. In the same way, they ensure that the sound that is being reproduced cannot be heard from outside. Its use is frequent in the professional field.
In-ear headphones are easier to carry but may cause discomfort for some users
On the other hand are the supraaurals , which cover almost the entire ear . These are the most common for home use, partly because they are lighter and smaller than the previous ones. There are also intraurals , the smallest ones, which must be inserted into the ear canal. Given their size, they are the easiest to carry, since they fit in any pocket, but they have certain drawbacks such as discomfort that arises after several hours of using them.
The least known are bone conduction headphones , which avoid these discomforts because they should not be inserted into the ear, but rather rest close to it but on the skull. They work by transmitting sound through the bones, allowing the user to perceive the outside easily while listening to music. They are widely used by athletes, but also for people with certain hearing disabilities, such as conductive loss, because they do not depend on the eardrum .