Earphones And Headphones - An Advanced Technology

Earphones are the small speakers worn just over the ears whereas headphones are the pair of listening devices joined by a band across the top of the head and worn in or over the ears. Most of the times earphones and headphones are used interchangeably.

Headphones are designed to hear the sound on a stereo system. They are pair of small loudspeakers, or less commonly a single speaker, so that only the wearer can hear the sound.

Headphones can be used both with fixed equipment such as CD or DVD players, home theatre, personal computers and with portable devices such as mp3 players, mobile phone. They are widely used for listening to audio sources for recreation. In studio recordings, musicians and singers use headphones to play along to a backing track.

Sony introduced the smaller, cheaper, and now widely used, 3.5 mm "mini" stereo connector in 1979, adapting the older monophonic 3.5 mm connector for use with its Walkman portable stereo tape player. There are many different types of headphone designs, with the listening situation and the needs of the listener determining what type of headphone will be used.

Earphones are headphones of a smaller size that are placed directly outside of the ear canal, but without fully enveloping it. They are generally inexpensive and are favored for their portability and convenience. They are ear buds that are inserted directly into the ear canal. They act as earplugs to block out environmental noise.

Headphones may be used to prevent other people from hearing the sound either for privacy or to prevent disturbance, as in listening in a public library. They can also provide a level of sound quality greater than loudspeakers of similar cost.

Headphones are also useful for video games that use 3D positional audio processing algorithms, as they allow players to better judge the position of an off-screen sound source (such as the footsteps of an opponent).

Headphones have better sound quality, ability to block out other sounds, less damage to ears, more comfortable if one has small ears whereas earphones are smaller, more portable, easier to use when walking, running and are more comfortable if one has larger or protruding ears.


Although modern headphones have been particularly widely sold and used for listening to stereo recordings since the release of the Walkman, there is subjective debate regarding the nature of their reproduction of stereo sound.

By: Tom Lopez

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Author suggests to you purchase best consumer electronics like headphones, mp3 players, dvd players, television, home theatre system from online shopping store.