4. other differences

Ear Enclosing Phones

As we have seen, some headphones sit lightly on the ear while others are designed to enclose it. Models that rest upon the ear are not as secure as those whose pads encircle the ear, so they may not be suitable for musicians who thrash about when playing; however, they are usually less expensive. Ear enclosing models distribute pressure on a larger area of the head and provide a more secure fitting since the ears themselves can help prevent them from sliding off, but they are usually heavier and more expensive.

Cabled Headphones

Most headphones connect to the music source via a cable and a stereo plug – 1/4” jack for professional use or mini-jack for consumer use. As previously noted, most are supplied with an adapter anyway.

Wireless Headphones

.Rather than a cabled connection, some headphones employ a wireless design comprising a transmitter and receiver (integrated into the headphones). The main advantage of cordless headphones is that several may be fed from a single transmitter, eliminating a lot of clutter in the studio.

These headphones use one of three different types of transmission methods:

• Infrared:
  The signal is transmitted by an IR diode; the transmitter and receiver must be able to ’see’ each other.
  
• Analogue radio frequency transmission:
  This offers the advantage of working through walls and doors. This type can pick up background noise or interference from other RF devices. Most include selectable frequencies to eliminate some of these problems.
• Digital radio transmission:
  This style offers the best signal transmission, being free of the problems associated with the other types and offering clean, CD quality sound (and even in some cases Dolby Surround)