Headsets are used to hear music close to your ears from a laptop, computer, or music system. Headsets are a pair of transducers which receive electric signals and convert them to sound. Beyerdynamic officially invented headphones in the late 1930's. They were also the first company to market headphones to the public.
Although after the invention of the walkman, headphones are used widely, but they still do not produce the perfect sound. The reason is that while recording stereo sound, it is assumed that the sound will be heard using speakers. Speakers send sound to our ears so that there is phase difference, and when sound reaches our brain, it can detect prefect sound.
Construction of a headphone:
A normal headphone consists of a transducer to convert the electrical energy, a pair of speakers, and a jack plug. Based on different kinds of parts, they are classified as Circumaural, Supra Aural, Earphones and Canalphones. Circumaural headphones have pads for covering the ears fully. Supra aural headphones have pads that go over the ears. Earphones are smaller in size, and are placed directly in the ear canal without covering the ear fully. Canalphones sit in the ear canal itself.
How to wear headphones:
Headphones can be worn in many styles depending upon the kind and usage pattern. Traditionally, wearing the headphones over your head has been the most popular style. Headphones which have a band, or multiple bands, can be worn over your head. If you do not want to disturb your hair, then wearing the headphones behind your head is a good answer. This style is also called Street Style, and has been made quite popular by Sony. The next type of headphones is the one which is pinned to the outer ear with the help of a clip.
Benefits of headphones:
There are many benefits of headsets and headphones:
• They look good in offices and are ergonomic.
• They save space, especially the wireless models.
• For people who have to be on the phone for a long time, they offer a better alterative to holding the phone all the time.
• They allow privacy; in a room full of people with computers mixing tracks, there will be no disturbance if everyone uses headphones.
Noise cancellation headphones:
Noise cancellation headphones reduce noise and all the sounds that are unwanted. Generally, the trick is to use electric circuitry, which generates noise reduction signals. Using the phenomena of destructive interference, these headphones cancel out any unwanted sounds.
Such headphones are very popular in airlines where passengers can sleep easily without any issues. Bose headphones are very popular in this category. However, these headphones require battery backup, and are more effective when the sound is continuous, like a hum. These headphones are more bulky than traditional headphones. The electronics that reduce the additional noise are in fact behind the microphone; they take the noise from there, and then invert it before adding to the normal real audio signal. Another method of noise cancellation is Active Noise cancellation where waveforms are produced to cancel the noises.
