Compared to giant PA stacks at festivals and floor standing HiFi Speakers, headphones and earphones look small and harmless. But what matters is how much the sound makes your eardrums vibrate. In fact, most earphones can produce a louder sound at the eardrum than all but the largest and most powerful studio monitoring loudspeakers, and can easily give noise exposures well above the accepted safety limits.

Earphones don’t sound as loud as loudspeakers even when the sound level at the eardrum is the same. This may happen because the brain isn’t fooled into thinking the sound is “outside” - it can work out that that the music is right next to your head and so expects it to sound loud and compensates.

Unlike loudspeakers neighbours will not complain if kids are listening at high volumes, with earphones people can get an excessive dose of sound without themselves or anyone else realising it! You can’t assume that equipment made for the domestic market will be safe to do a lot of listening. A 2010 study found that an iPod Nano set on maximum volume, using the standard ear-buds, produced a one-hour average sound level of 96 dB with a popular album, a higher average than is allowed in the workplace.

Should MP3 player use be limited?

Noise-induced hearing loss can be caused by two types of noise. Sudden bursts, such as firearms and fireworks, can immediately cause hearing loss in children, who are often reluctant to report such exposures to their parents. The other type is continuous exposure to loud noise, which can damage the ears over time. Sources of continuous noise include motorized recreational vehicles, loud sporting events, power tools and amplified music.

Although the maximum volume limit is adjustable on many current MP3 players you cannot be certain children will not disable this function. A survey sponsored by the Australian government found that about 25 percent of people using portable stereos had daily noise exposures high enough to cause long term hearing damage. Further research from the Netherlands reports that 90 percent of adolescents listened to music through earphones on MP3 players, almost half used high-volume settings, and only 7 percent used a noise limiter.

Medical Studies

Researchers at Boston Children’s Hospital determined that listening to a portable music player with headphones at 60 percent of their potential volume for one hour a day is relatively safe. For continuous noise exposure such as music, the level and duration of exposure are important. It takes repeated exposures over many years to cause a gradual onset of noise-induced hearing loss in both children and adults

Portable music players have sparked recent concern since they are used frequently and with earphones that deliver the sound directly to the ear. This is however not the whole of the story as the MP3 player used is not the only factor in deciding the actual volume at the ear. Headphones themselves have an electrical resistance, the higher this resistance the lower the volume outcome for the power of the MP3 Player. Choosing Headphones correctly can stop hearing damage from occurring at all.

MP3 players were investigated thoroughly by Portnuff, a graduate student at the University of Colorado, and Fligor, Director of Diagnostic Audiology at Children’s Medical Hospital and Harvard Medical School in Boston.

Portnuff and Fligor measured specific sound levels that come out of five common portable music players including the Apple iPod, the Creative Zen Micro and the SanDisk Sansa. For each player, they measured sound levels in music transmitted by several different types of headphones. Interestingly, they found that all five music players output very similar sound levels, especially at the highest volume levels. The highest volumes can be so dangerous that the researchers only recommend listening at those levels a few minutes a day, if at all.

“Damage to hearing occurs when a person is exposed to loud sounds over time…the risk of hearing loss increases as sound is played louder and louder for longer durations.” explains Portnuff.

“It is important to note, though, that not everyone shares the same risk of hearing loss,” Portnuff explains. Some people have “tougher” ears, for them the recommendations are overly cautious. For other people with more “tender” ears, these recommendations do not eliminate the risk of hearing loss.

Do speech and music affect hearing differently from industrial noise?

Many people find it difficult to believe that listening to music can be a hazard to hearing. But there’s little evidence that loud music, however harmonious, is actually safer than unpleasant noise that would measure the same on a sound level meter. So far as the law protecting people at work is concerned, loud music or speech is just another hazardous noise. Speech on earphones can give an excessive noise dose, just as much as music so when people are working with reproduced sound, safety must be taken seriously.

Noise and the causes of hearing loss?

The American National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders reports approximately 28 million Americans have lost some or all of their hearing, including 17 in 1,000 children under age 18. Overexposure to noise can cause both temporary and permanent hearing loss, sadly very little has been reported on the risk of such hearing loss in children.

Very loud sounds damage the inner ear by damaging the hair cells of the cochlea. When loud sounds are exposed to the ear for a short time, one may experience what’s called a temporary threshold shift, or a temporary hearing loss. This hearing loss may be accompanied by tinnitus (a ringing in the ears). One may recover from the temporary loss. But if the ear is exposed to loud sounds over longer periods of time, the hair cells can be permanently damaged, causing permanent sensorineural hearing loss.

Effects on preschool Children and School age Children

The following effects on preschool children and schoolchildren have been

considered by researchers from around the world:

-Hearing impairment

-Effects on sleep

-Stress-related somatic effects

-Cognitive effects

-Vocal nodules

Noise-induced somatic effects (such as on blood pressure and hormone levels) can best be considered as part of a stress response of children to their noisy environment.

Psychological and cognitive processes also play a role in this stress response of children. Somatic (physiological) results should therefore be considered together with psychological outcomes to give an overall insight in the problem. As in adults, children can react very differently to stimulus. Some children can find loud noises terrifying whilst others do not seem bothered, this is not an indication that damage is or is not occurring.

Hearing impairment

Young children may be more susceptible to noise-induced hearing impairment than adults. Results of experiments with mice, an animal with the same physiology of the hearing organ as humans, give the effect of exposure to very high noise levels as a function of the age of the mouse. The effect has been assessed by counting hair cell loss in exposed mice killed after noise exposure or by measuring cochlear microphonics in living mice. The effect is presented relative to the effect at the age of 4 days. If developmental stage of mice is converted to that of human children (the lower figure), susceptibility to hearing impairment in preschool and school children is greater than that of adults, at least for very high levels of noise exposure. Whether this also applies to the real-life noise exposure of children is currently unknown.

Acoustic Shock – Could Children be safer wearing Headphones?

Acoustic Shock is a temporary or permanent disturbance of the functioning of the ear, or of the nervous system. It is noted that an acoustic shock usually results from the occurrence, in abnormal circumstances, of short-lived high voltages at the terminals of a telephone headset or similar.

There are several different design approaches to combating these occurrences, including low-powered active circuits, but all provide the same protection for the end user. Some use signal processing to significantly enhance the user’s listening comfort and require batteries. Now power free acoustic technology is beginning to appear more readily – this is a passive form of protection using a fast acting system which closes in response to high sound pressure levels. This type of is likely to be recommended for children as there are no batteries and the products are hard to damage in normal use. These types of headphones may even protect a child from external noise as closed back headphones give a reduction in the region of 17db – 27db, enough to avoid acoustic shock in some circumstances.

What does the law say about high sound levels?

Noise at work in the UK is governed by the Control of Noise at Work Regulations (part of the Health and Safety at Work Act.) The regulations affect employers, employed people, and the self-employed (who count as both). The current UK law came into force on 6 April 2006.

The new Noise at Work Directive, introduced on 6 April 2006, stipulates that employees must not be exposed to more than a maximum 87dB(A) when at work. This is really important as agents need reassurance that hours of headset use won’t damage their health.

The directive defines two critical levels for noise exposure throughout a working day. For up to 80dB(A) the employer has no obligations. Between 80dB(A) and 85dB(A) the employer should offer hearing protection and education. For levels exceeding 85dB the employees must be provided with and wear hearing protective equipment. Employees of companies producing high noise levels must even attend formal courses with safety training.

How can I Protect Children from excessive noise in Headphones?

If children will be using portable audio equipment (you try to stop them!) then responsible parents will want a safety method that limits noise exposure without constant supervision. Protection in the form of powered adapter using signal processing to significantly enhance the user’s listening comfort is a safe method but requires batteries to work. Modern headphones are usually very sensitive as they have to work with battery powered mp3 players and similar devices. So when you plug them into a mains operated unit they can usually produce very high sound levels!

Passive Acoustic limiting technology is beginning to appear more readily (dB Logic Childrens headphones) which is a form of protection which pulls volume back in response to high sound pressure levels. This technology is likely to become commonly recommended for children as there are no batteries and the units are very robust and resistant to play use.

dB Logic HP-100 Closed Back Sound Pressure Limiting Headphones with No Batteries! Limited to 85dB of Sound Pressure

More Information

More information on the full range of dB Logic products can be found here.

Who are Just Audio?

Just Audio is the brain child of Justin Harris, an experienced electronics/embedded software engineer with a love of Music and Hi Fi, whom previously has worked professionally in the mobile/wireless devices product creation domain. His passion is infectious, he obviously relishes the chance to talk about his ideas, electronics in general and getting the very best out of Hi Fi gear. Justin has worked for some of the mobile phone manufacturing giants, you may even have some kit he was involved in already.
“This all started with designing some functionality to incorporate into my modified Quad 405 power amplifiers, to enable standby and best in class audio detection and wake-up functionality, with the intention to make this in such a way that it could be retro-fitted without making a mess of the existing internals. ”

It was a desire to get the very best of his own Hi Fi kit which lead to the ground up designs for the uHA-120 and now it’s Class A big brother the AHA-120.

In 2009 he decided to start his own company. “The main theme originally was modularity and utilisation of surface mount technology to enable making the modules small enough to fit in tight spaces. I wanted to make operation seem natural and intuitive to the end-user and perform better than other implementations that I’d experienced myself.”
Having such a strong engineering background seems to have provided Justin with an understanding that  individuality, through modularity and customisation, will develop products with the end user always in mind. It can take a long time to find the bit of kit which has all the required abilities and compliments existing headphones or source. By understanding the wants and needs of the enthusiast he hopes to be able to bridge these difficult gaps for customers whilst keeping an eye on the shifting sands of the audiophile landscape.

“By early 2010 We had started to think along the lines of making a complete product that could be tested to the relevant standards. We had already built up a library of components and a capability to produce electronics modules. I’d been studying on various audio amplifier topologies and experimenting with my own Hi-Fi system at home, attaining both measurable and perceivable improvements. I’d also been looking at headphone amplification projects and products out of passing interest for some time and had already built my own headphone amp for use when I was working at the office. The idea occurred too me, why not use the technological advances to make a pocket sized headphone amplifier more akin to the standard one would expect from a respectable desktop amplifier. Of course, the idea of creating a pocket sized amp isn’t new, but we noticed that everyone in this market seemed to be just using an operational amplifier or some form of dedicated amplifier IC combination. Coming more from a Hi-Fi power amplifier interest area, we felt that using a commercial IC would never provide the same level of audio quality as a carefully crafted discrete circuit, so I set about building some prototypes of more discrete topologies usually found in larger power amplifiers. A few months later we had determined most of the system level components (battery, charging, connectors, volume control pot), along with a hybrid class AB topology that we had built in enough flexibility to fine tune and provide what I felt is a more High Fidelity sound, yet able to operate from a low voltage power source.”

With a direction that many enthusiasts will recognise Justin is still committed to customisation and the minor adjustments that provide the best possible performance. So far he has carried out many mods working closely with customers requirements. Several such projects have seen him build a range of Studio quality cabling and adding mods to hardware which have helped  him shape the future direction of the Just Audio range and additional services. More about Justin’s big plans for the future of Just Audio and functionality upgrades (which will be available for existing Just Audio amp owners too) later on.

AHA-120 Put To The Test

Having a Pair of  the truly excellent Beyerdynamic 600ohm Tesla T1 Headphones at my disposal, Justin suggested he send me the Just Audio Class A AHA-120 to test. Quite a few manufacturers have products in this small niche market, some fail to deliver improved sound quality or improved player usability with hard to power headphones, Justin expects the AHA-120 will be a great match to the T1’s. I have been using the excellent iBasso D10 with headphones regularly and also other acclaimed portable amps for some time now, this will be the first proper portable test with the Beyer T1’s.

Many audiophiles believe that class A gives the best sound quality with its absence of crossover distortion and reduced harmonic distortion. Class A amplifiers are typically more linear and less complex than other types, but they are very inefficient. This type of amplifier is perfect though for driving sensitive low distortion headphones where the listener wants the very best audio quality, without the massive electricity bill potential of a full sized class A HiFi system at home! Operating in class A means that the amplifier is always passing current through upper and lower sections of the electronics even when there is no signal, negating any artifacts as a result of the transistors turning off and back on again during the amplification process. The Amp arrives in it’s plain box  - usually an exciting sign. Inside the box there is bubble wrapped AHA-120, a mini usb cable and four self adhesive stick on feet. Inside the bubble wrap bag with the amp is a silica gel sachet, included to prevent any moisture in the air from condensing and damaging the product. Removing the amp from the bubble wrap bag it becomes clear that extruded aluminium case is flawless with a soft anodised finish, and ultra fine print on both the front and rear panels. The company logo on the front panel is in colour and the serial number on the rear panel is engraved, which is a nice touch. The version I have is a product sample and is already burned in.

I can’t resist turning the large volume knob, switching the unit on revealing two things - a warm Amber glow from the LED and the silky smoothness with which the volume turns. The Aluminium case with soft anodised finish is solid and picking it up the unit weighs neither more nor less than expected - it is a little large though compared to most portable amps (26mm x 80mm x126mm, the uHA-120 is much smaller - 23mm x 52mm x 85mm) but still has a very small footprint when used as a desktop amp. Print work is detailed is flawless with all controls well labelled, panel fixings appear to be stainless steel. At the front, right to left, you have the chunky volume knob with accompanying Amber on/off LED, next the 3.5mm output then the input and finally a five-way selector nob for impedance matching your headphones. This feature is probably more accurately described as class A biasing level, most users would like to match current setting to  their headphones, this is simplified by just providing a selector for selecting the amount of bias needed to maintain class A operation for a given headphone impedance. Without this feature the battery would apparently only last around 18 hours whereas now you can get up to 60 hours of battery operation when driving 600 ohm headphones. Round the back there is an engraved serial number, USB charging socket and red to Green Charge LED and two small charging operation switches for charging management with other USB devices. The AHA-120 contains a Vishay P11 potentiometer mounted on a solid ground plain PCB, low ESR Capacitors, Burr Brown Opamp to provide a FET input stage and Alps switches. The flat front panel sockets feel rather nice and connection seems very solid and reliable with a very positive feel to the connection.

The first device I connect to the AHA-120 is my iPod touch via an iBasso CB07 pure Oxy sealed LOD cable, I plug in the Beyer T1’s and turn the five-way switch to 600. Firing up the first lossless track, Radiohead - Pyramid Song, I am instantly impressed with the balance of weight and air, there is an instant feeling of synergy between amp and headphones.  As the song unfolds I find myself closing my eyes and feeling my way around the stereo image. There is real texture to the sound which is vivid, heavy and fluid - detail is is apparent but subtle giving structure and very accurate movement to each instrument. The piano in this track is distractingly pretty and I am already excited to try plenty of other favourite music. There is a ton of headroom and I never get the white marker on the volume control much past 12 o’ clock.The iPod touch is surprisingly charged twice in two days before the amps lithium polymer battery runs flat, which I had not expected at all. It isn’t the best I’ve heard from the T1’s, but the iPod is the most likely culprit and I will put that to the test next. After a decent couple of hours with this initial setup I connect the AHA-120 to the analogue outs on a broadcast quality sound card (running .WAVs from a Mac Book Pro) and revisit the first track I heard. Within seconds I’m glaring at my iPod and shaking my head in disappointment as if it had just kicked a football through my kitchen window. This shows the pairing has real merit, as inferior sources are often shown up by a great headphone/amp combination. The sound is more lush with even more realistic texture and structure, solid and powerful but lighter, quicker. I run through a few classical favourites (this is, to date, the best I have heard Prokofiev’s Piano Concerto No2) and the first bad thing I think is when I realise that I have to give the amp back. It follows me everywhere with the iPod touch, great results with Ultrasone Pro 900, Beyer DT770 and DT880, Sennheiser HD650 and HD600 and fantastic in 32ohm mode with my Grado 325is, until sadly it has to go back. Just Audio have a balanced configuration ,using two AHA-120, which includes either balanced XLR or Jack output into the amps and a HD650 balanced cable. Justin expects Beyer T1 and Sennheiser HD800 users will be interested in a cable mod or replacement cable to use this configuration too.

The AHA-120 is very accurate but has a lush warmth which adds to its very real sound. It seemed to encourage the already super clean Beyer T1’s to find convincing sculptural depth in some quite difficult recordings. As promised Just Audio seem to have built a portable Class A which can contribute the power and finesse needed for high impedance, flagship model headphones.

Future Just Audio Projects

Just Audio have some exciting projects under way. They are currently designing a very forward thinking DAC which may be modular, new Balanced operation cables are available now with more cable variants to come and Balanced amps may eventually appear. Due to customer demand some iPod modifications may be added to their service repertoire and customisation of Just Audio amps will continue to be carried out for the best possible operation with specific headphones. Thanks to Justin for talking to me, the loan of the AHA-120 and for the use of the Photos.

Just Audio at Head-fi Meet

Just Audio will be attending the London Head-fi meet where you can try the AHA-120 and uHA-120 for yourself and pick Justin’s brain about his approach to Audio Design. He will be there with another of our favourite HiFi people, Mark Dolbear who will have the latest HiFiMan HE-5LE and HE-6 and Schiit Audio amps on display and for you to try.

More Information

More information on the full range of Just Audio Products can be found here.

Who is Fanny Wang?

Fanny Wang is an imaginary eastern lady who wants everybody to enjoy her headphones. The brand is being fronted by attractive young women (the Fanny Wang Girlz) who seem to have been very well trained in demonstrating the headphones, seen at January’s CES Show, talking to the public about what to expect from a headphone.

If you think they look a bit familiar, that’s because they are! Fanny Wang is the brainchild of Tim Hickman and David Adam, who after making some of the best known iPhone cases and accessories around with their Hard Candy brand, decided to research what the public at large wanted from audio accessories. After looking at the ultra successful Monster Beats by Dre range, they thought that although Monster had made headway in opening up better sounds to the mass market, they had also got some important details really wrong.

For the On-Ear Wang (yes that is what their first headphone is called!) they consulted the original Engineer and Sound designer behind the Monster Beats and asked him to come up with a sound that was more natural, neutral and better suited to the serious music fanatic. Before audiophiles scoff at this idea, the titanium drivers found inside the On-Ear Wangs is inspired by the Denon AH-D2000! This I think was aimed at fixing the most common critique of the Monster Beats - For most they are simply too bass heavy and therefore struggle with Rock, Classical and Jazz.

For their design they took their cue from the Beats and attempted a sturdier more comfortable frame with a fun finish similar to the popular designs of their iPhone, iPod and Mac accessories. Another factor that is generally backed up by the popular opinions of Audio enthusiasts was that the main thrust of the Monster Beats marketing is a little misleading.  Slogans like “… hear music how artists intend you to - like you’re in a studio” and “People are not hearing all of the music” are a very bold claim for bass heavy noise cancellers especially when actual studio headphones can be bought at half the price. The Fanny Wang Brand is attempting a less bombastic and more fun approach with another crucial difference - price! The aim seems to be realistic sound at a realistic price.

Sound

There is an obvious attempt to bridge the gap between the fashion headphone market and the audiophile serious listener, it seems like this balance is achieved quite well. I cannot see the on-ear Wang joining the Grado SR-325is or the Ultrasone Edition 8 as an audiophile classic but I have to admit, as a less than serious audio manufacturer, they have made a great sounding headphone! Bass is present but not dominating, the mids are clean and clear and there is also plenty of detail with an impressive sound stage for a closed back headphone. Complex stereo imaging does not seem to bother them too much and these easy to drive on ears have a comfy warm feel which is not tiring at all. The audio is provided by custom paired 40mm titanium drivers and the On-Ear Wangs are supplied with a “Custom high-fashion dust bag” don’t you know.

Duo Jack

Taking social media to the next level, apparently. Fanny Wang’s Duo Jack (patent pending) means a friend can “Jack in” sharing music through this interesting 3.5mm output addition to the cable. The Duo Jack comes standard with every set of Fanny Wang On-Ear Headphones.

Tri Fold Design

Perfect for travelling the sturdy tri-fold design makes Fanny Wang headphones easy fit into a bag. Although on-ear, they are still a decent size so this is a welcome feature.

Rock Your Wangs?

With a controversial start, bumping legal heads with Monster Beats, this brand may at first seem like a copy of an existing idea - the trouble with that assessment is, when compared, the On-Ear Wang feels a bit more substantial, has comfort improvements and most importantly sounds considerably better. The pricey fashion headphone may be Monster Cables creation but being first to market is not normally a guarantee of quality. As most musicians know the first take is not always the best - sometimes you have to relax and have a bit of fun before the real magic happens. One thing is certain though, fashion headphones are growing up and they want to be taken seriously - but not too seriously.

More Information

For more information on Fanny Wangs range please visit the HiFi Headphones store.

One of the world’s smallest and lightest in-ear headphone designs, using a single wideband balanced armature driver, for comfortable wear and audiophile-quality listening.  Although tiny, each machined aluminium and finished in anodized copper ear piece looks stunning. The X10i also includes an advanced mic and 3-button remote (as seen on the Klipsch Image S4i) for taking calls and controlling the music content on your iPod, iPod touch or iPhone 3GS.

The X10i positions its in-line microphone and remote at the yoke—where the two cables meet at chest level—to create a more natural feel when answering calls and controlling music.

Because the microphone is a highly responsive 360° design, you don’t have to talk down into it or hold it close to your mouth. The microphone has also been designed to cancel echo, which keeps it from picking up surrounding noise reflection so your voice always sounds clear as a bell.

Inside the well designed box you get a sleek hardshell carry case, an aeroplane socket adapter, a 3.5mm-to-1/4″ adapter, the  X10i, a clothing clip and a variety of single and dual-flanged ear tips.

Just like the Image X10 before it, the Image X10i gives a big warm bottom end which is solid and defined. They cope with vocals beautifully and have a crisp contemporary presentation that will see iPhone owners Dubstepping, Rocking out or relaxing to Acoustic chillout in style. Be aware that the X10i is not for casual listening. If you rip your digital music files using a low bit rate, the high resolution Klipsch Image X10i earphone will uncover the flaws in your content.

Compatibility

While the Image X10i serves as a pair of premium headphones for any device with a 3.5 mm headphone jack, its mic and remote system handles the music and/or voice control of the following Apple products: iPhone 3GS, third generation iPod shuffle, second and third generation iPod touch, fourth and fifth generation iPod nano models and the iPod classic 120GB.

If you have an iPod touch or iPhone and Wi-Fi access, you can also use the Image X10i with VOIP (need an adapter for PC or Mac), Skype and iChat.

More Information

For More information on the X10i and the rest of the Klipsch earphone range please check out the HiFi Headphones web store.

If you’ve been following the world of headphones you may have noticed that headphone amplifiers seem to be cropping up more often than ever, but what’s the point?  Do they just increase volume, or is there more to it?

Below are a few good reasons to upgrade your audio setup with a headphone amp.

Ability To Power ‘hard to drive’ Headphones

Some headphones are notoriously hard to power.  A headphone amplifier gives your audio source a boost in output power, which gives the headphones a more full sound, improves bass kick and often makes trebles more defined.

For example the Sennheiser HD650, HD600, HD595 and many Beyerdynamic headphones have relatively high impedance ratings, which mean they need more power than most to drive the headphone speakers.

Interestingly, many lower impedance headphones and earphones (normally the high end models) also appear to benefit from the use of a headphone amplifier.  For example the low impedance Grado GS1000 or Grado RS1 can be easily be driven by a humble iPod, but add a headphone amplifier such as the Grado Slee Solo to the equation and the improvement in sound can be very satisfying.

Avoiding Cheap Headphone Outputs

The headphone output on many portable audio sources, such as iPods, iPhones and laptops, can be very poor indeed.  The electronics used often leave much to be desired and are obviously designed with budget, rather than sound quality, as the major design factor.  A headphone amplifier offers ways to avoid the noisy headphone output completely.

The iPod and iPhone headphone socket can be avoided completely by using a Line Out Dock (LOD) cable.  These cables take the un-amplified line out signal from the 30 pin dock connector provide a way to drive a headphone amplifier with this better quality signal.

Laptop and computer owners can avoid the often breathtakingly bad headphone output with the addition of a Digital to Analogue Converter (DAC) and headphone amplifier.  The DAC is connected to the computer’s USB port and the conversion to analogue audio signal is done well away from the noisy electronics inside the computer.  Some products, such as the iBasso D2, combine a DAC and headphone amp into a single unit.

More Information

For a full range of headphone amplifiers & DACs and iPod & iPhone line out dock cables (LODs), please visit the HiFi Headphones online shop.

Check out the following headphone and earphone buying information:

• Headphone Buying Tips - tips and advice on factors that may influence your decision when buying headphones.
• Best Headphones - a Top 10 Review - a review of our best rated headphones.
• Headphone Terminology Guide - a useful guide to headphone and earphone technical jargon.
• Cheap iPod Headphones Review - a review of some bargain priced headphones for replacing the standard iPod earbud headphones.
• Sports Headphones Buyers Review - a review of headphones for running, jogging and an active lifestyle.

Also in the headphone buying advice section of the website we have added a Guide to Headphone Types, which so far has information and descriptions of the following types of headphones:

• Guide to Ear Bud Headphones
• Guide to In Ear Sound Isolating Headphones
• Guide to Wireless Headphones
• Guide to Noise Cancelling Headphones
• Guide to Open Back Headphones
• Guide to Closed Back Headphones

We thrive on feedback from website visitors and customers, so if you have any comments (positive or negative) about our buying guides and headphone information please let us know. You can contact us through the HiFi Headphones email form or by commenting on this blog. We’d love to hear from you!

The HiFi Headphones Team

http://www.hifiheadphones.co.uk

We’re proud to announce that the HiFi Headphones Store now has a brand new Headphone Buyer’s Guide with lots of expert advice from the experts at HiFi Headphones. This area of the website currently holds a headphone selection guide with a subsection for each of the main types of headphone and earphone. The guide can be found at the following link:

Headphone Buying Guide

We plan to include additional sections to the buyers guide in the coming months, including some headphone reviews (by type) and a selection guide by application, e.g. DJ Headphones, iPod Headphones, Travelling Headphones, etc.

As always we love to hear from our customers, so let us know if there is anything you would find particularly informative in this area of the website.

The HiFi Headphones Team

http://www.hifiheadphones.co.uk

Audio Quality

The first question asked by many people when buying headphones and earphones is “Do they sound good?”. It’s also often the most difficult question to answer. We human beings are very subjective creatures. What is described by one person as “precise and detailed” will be “lacking in bass and clinical” by another. What one listener likes another will find irritating.

The best advice we can give is to do plenty of research and try to understand what you are purchasing. Search the Internet for reviews of the headphones you like the look of. Ask for advice on forums where people discuss headphones such as Head-Fi or the AVForums. You will likely find plenty of information and opinions, often from different points of view. If you make your headphone or earphone purchase with good knowledge of what to expect it’s less likely you will be disappointed.

Design and Aesthetics

High up the list for many people is the looks and aesthetics of the headphones. After all you will have to be wearing the headphones you choose on your head for all to see! Unless you plan to use your new headphones alone at home then it’s likely you will be interested in how they look. Of course the quality of sound is also near the top of most lists, but with such a wide selection of good headphones to choose from it’s also likely that you will want your headphones to reflect your style.

Manufacturers such as Skullcandy have really gone to town with the styling of their headphones. While not to everyone’s taste Skullcandy have a unique look that definitely appeals to the surf and skate scene.

If you are looking for headphones that look a little more sophisticated and refined then Audio-Technica’s range of headphones are a good choice. While only relatively new to the consumer market in the UK, it’s not without reason that Audio-Technica are the market leaders in Japan. The majority of Audio-Technica’s selection of headphones look stunning and perform equally well. The Audio-Technica ATH-ES7 headphones are a highly recommended set of stylish iPod headphones with a rich, clear sound.

Ease of Portability

If you are going to be travelling or moving around with your headphones or earphones then the size, weight and ability to pack away (fold or collapse) may be important to you.

Many travellers and commuters like the in-ear earphone type as they can easily be wound up and put into a pouch or pocket. Sound isolating earphones have the added benefit that they can cut down outside noise by -20dB, which can be a godsend when travelling on a train, bus or underground. The Shure range of sound isolating earphones is a good place to start. Also worthy of mention Ultimate Ears who have a good range of the in ear sound isolating variety.

You will also find a good selection of headband headphones that collapse or fold for stowing away when needed. The Sennheiser PX100 headphones are an example of good quality lightweight travelling headphones that fold away for transporting.

Sound Isolation

When listening to your headphones will you need to block out external noise, or do you need to prevent your music from annoying others around you. Ask yourself where, when and how you will be using your headphones.

If you will be listening to your headphones in an office or on public transport you will probably want to keep your music to yourself. In this case you will want to avoid open-back ear cup designs. Although open back headphones are often sonicly superior to closed back headphones the sound leaks out and people around you will be listening to a tinny version of what you are listening too - very annoying indeed.

If you travel on buses, trains or planes you might be thinking about noise cancelling headphones, but you may also want to consider in-ear sound isolating earphones instead as they are often able to reproduce a clearer more accurate sound. The extra electronics between your audio source and your ears means that noise cancelling headphones often colour the sound and reduce the clarity.

DJs and studio engineers also have a unique set of requirements when it comes to selecting headphones. A good set of DJ headphones should normally provide maximum isolation from outside sounds, so that you can concentrate on the mix you are putting together. Whereas a studio engineer may be more interested in being able to reproduce a good stereo sound image with sonic clarity and may not be so interested in sound isolation.

Summary

When if comes to purchasing headphones there are so many options and possibilities, but at the end of the day your choice will be down to a few key factors. Factors such as budget, design and whether or not you want sound isolation may be more significant than trying to find headphones with the best audio quality possible.