Headphones Around or On the Ear?

Headphones come in four styles but for the avid music listener the choice really comes down to two styles.

Circum-aural

- pads that sit around the ear, or supra-aural

- pads that sit directly on the ear.

Both have good and bad points and choice can also depend on how much you want to pay. With the supra-aural headphones the user can feel that the instrument is playing next to the ear giving good and sharp clarity However, this may sound strange to some people since we are used to a more muffled sound.

With the circum-aural headphones the sound is just that

- a little muffled

- but it is a more natural sound.

Imagine sitting in a concert hall. You are not right next to the instruments so you don’t get that sharp clarity that the ’supra’ headphones give. Of course, the choice is up to the user and what they want out of their headset.

Then there is the headphone that is used primarily in the recording studio. These are usually full sized “circum” style headphones that have soft material on the ear pads to block out sound. Some have a built-in switch to automatically cut the sound when the headphone is taken off. A much needed feature if recording is going on.

No matter which is your preference on headphones, perhaps the one thing that people do not consider is comfort. If you live in hot climes be sure to get the sets with velvet type pads. Plastic can get very sticky.