Headphones\u00a0(or\u00a0head-phones\u00a0in the early days of telephony and radio) are a pair of small loudspeaker drivers worn on or around the head over a user’s ears. They are\u00a0electroacoustic\u00a0transducers, which convert an\u00a0electrical signal\u00a0to a corresponding\u00a0sound. Headphones let a single user listen to an audio source privately, in contrast to a\u00a0loudspeaker, which emits sound into the open air for anyone nearby to hear. Headphones are also known as\u00a0earspeakers, earphones\u00a0or,\u00a0colloquially,\u00a0cans.Circumaural and supra-aural headphones use a band over the top of the head to hold the speakers in place. The other type, known as\u00a0earbuds\u00a0or\u00a0earpieces[1]\u00a0consist of individual units that plug into the user’s ear canal. In the context of\u00a0telecommunication, a\u00a0headset\u00a0is a combination of headphone and\u00a0microphone. Headphones connect to a signal source such as an audio\u00a0amplifier,\u00a0radio,\u00a0CD player,\u00a0portable media player,\u00a0mobile phone,\u00a0video game console, or\u00a0electronic musical instrument, either directly using a cord, or using\u00a0wireless\u00a0technology such as\u00a0bluetooth,\u00a0DECT\u00a0or\u00a0FM radio. The first headphones were developed in the late 19th century for use by\u00a0telephone operators, to keep their hands free. Initially the audio quality was mediocre and a step forward was the invention of\u00a0high fidelity\u00a0headphones.<\/p>\n
Headphones are made in a range of different audio reproduction quality capabilities. Headsets designed for telephone use typically cannot reproduce sound with the\u00a0high fidelity\u00a0of expensive units designed for music listening by\u00a0audiophiles. Headphones that use cables typically have either a 1\/4 inch (6.35mm) or 1\/8 inch (3.5mm)\u00a0phone jack\u00a0for plugging the headphones into the audio source. Some stereo earbuds are wireless, using\u00a0Bluetooth\u00a0connectivity to transmit the audio signal by radio waves from source devices like cellphones and digital players.[4]\u00a0Due to the spread of wireless devices in recent years headphones are increasingly used by people in public places such as sidewalks, grocery stores, and public transit. Headphones are also used by people in various professional contexts, such as\u00a0audio engineers\u00a0mixing sound for live concerts or\u00a0sound recordings\u00a0and\u00a0DJs, who use headphones to\u00a0cue\u00a0up the next song without the audience hearing, aircraft pilots and\u00a0call center\u00a0employees. The latter two types of employees use headphones with an integrated microphone.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Headphones may be used with stationary CD and DVD players, home theater, personal computers, or portable devices<\/p>\n","protected":false},"featured_media":671,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":[],"yoast_head":"\n