Wired headphones will help you listen to music or completely immerse yourself in the virtual world

Today, the trading network presents a wide range of various products for individual listening to music, talking on mobile devices or to plunge into the world of computer games. There are quite a few views, but the best wired headphones with a long cable that connects to any computer device stand out among them.

To learn more about these devices, to determine immediately how they differ from similar headphones of other types, all their features, advantages and disadvantages are enough to read this article.

Features, pros and cons

The main parameters of any headphone are as follows:

1. Frequency spectrum.
2. Membrane sensitivity.
3. Impedance or resistance.
4. Sound distortion level.
5. Power at maximum volume.

To choose good products, one must confidently navigate these characteristics.

On-ear and full-size headphones surpass in-ear and channel devices in technical terms, experts point out their advantages:

1. Large and powerful speakers or membranes produce high quality sounds.
2. The frequency range contributes to the surround sound of listening to music tracks.
3. High isolation from external noise and listening comfort due to comfortable soft pads - ear pads.

In addition, there are also such advantages over smaller miniature vacuum-type brothers:

• a larger membrane diameter of up to 40 mm or more, providing better sound, because with headphones inserted into the auricle they are only 9 mm;
• large-sized products more conveniently sit on the head, do less harm to the human auditory organs, because the membranes are located far from the auricle;
• large products cut off all extraneous sounds, which is very important when talking on the phone on the street;
• they are connected to the transmitting device by a strong twisted cable, and “tablets” are produced with a flat and not always reliable wire.

In addition to the pluses, large headphones have one, but a very big minus - they are large in size, you can’t wear them constantly on your head, because the ears begin to sweat and hurt. Overhead products cannot be used at subzero temperatures, and not all of them have good sound insulation.

Headphone Types

All these mobile devices differ in design, manufacturers of various products have long understood one feature of customers: they accept all new products in appearance, so the design here is of primary importance.

Plug-in

They have quite a lot of popular names: inserts, buttons, tablets, etc., they are inserted directly into the auricle and are the most common type. For the first time, such a design was developed by the American doctor Mead Killion, a high-class specialist in the field of studying human hearing and all the problems associated with it. He founded the company Etymotic Research, in the secret laboratories of which the first headphones of this type were created.

These unique products have rather primitive ear cushions: these are round products made of ordinary foam rubber, they are designed for comfortable use of the device and to increase sound insulation. The first samples could transmit up to 92% of the sound, were produced with a durable wire, but today these analogs can only be bought at a very high price, and the market is flooded with copies, not always of decent quality, with one double wiring of dubious strength.

Intracanal

Consumers often confuse in-ear products with in-ear headphones from the name In-Ear-Canalphone, whose fit is much deeper than vacuum ones. Their ancestors are hearing aids and special monitor headphones, used by musicians at the end of the last century.The difference in design is in improved geometry and sealing, as well as sound concentration.

Soft ear cushions provide reliable isolation of music from external noise and significantly reduce distortion by increasing the area. The main difference is that they are made with an elongated nose, which is set much deeper in the auditory canal. The downside is their poor bass transmission.

It must be remembered that the "earbuds" and "gags" are two completely different types of miniature headphones, but both of them belong to the same category of devices.

Overhead

This type of device got its name because of fixation: they are firmly pressed against the auricle, but do not cover it. The sound source is located at some distance from the ear canal, so the volume needs a more powerful one. They are mounted in different ways: with the help of the earhook, by the type of fastening of the sound apparatus or an arc headband of different material is used.

They are available with a short or long wire, which depends on the application: products for a laptop will be equipped with a longer cable than devices for connecting to a smartphone. A standard connector is used for connection, and two plugs to a laptop or PC.

Full size

For home use, these products are considered the ideal option: they completely cover the auricle, and soft ear cushions provide complete sound insulation from the outside world. In addition, they create additional space inside their design, which positively affects the sound quality. Some models can be folded so as not to take up much space in personal belongings when traveling.

Headphones are made with a strong wire, sometimes twisted internal structure, which prevents its tangling in order to avoid fracture or cracking of the outer insulation. Some manufacturers use the pseudo-category of headphones, which are not far from the overhead option, but have not yet come close to the full-size type in terms of basic characteristics.

Monitor

This is a separate category, and should not be confused with the full-size version, because they are intended for studio use. These are powerful devices with a thick and long cord that is not afraid of mechanical stress. The headphones themselves are heavy and have a powerful headband, they are intended for professionals, they are mainly necessary in the work of sound engineers.

The monitor version has a fairly wide range of frequencies and clearly reproduces sound without embellishment, so for music lovers they do not provide interest: your favorite tracks will sound dull and boring.

How to choose the right

First you need to decide for what needs you need headphones - to watch programs and movies on TV, for work, games on a PC or laptop, communicate via smartphone or tablet. The models presented by various manufacturers perfectly cope with any tasks, but each view has certain nuances.

Wireless and wired headphones for indoor and outdoor use are suitable for the phone, the first option is ideal for jogging - doing sports and listening to music, always staying in touch. True, they provide less high-quality sound and are quickly discharged, because a low-capacity battery.

External options are much more massive, but they win in terms of battery life, and their sound quality is much better. They are connected via Bluetooth, the later the wireless model is released, the longer its autonomy - on average, this parameter is in this range —12-20 hours.

Wireless products are best suited for communicating with a tet a tet TV: they are unlimited by the length of the wire and allow you to hear all the special effects and even the quietest phrases in intimate scenes. Each user decides independently whether to select invoices or full-size ones, there is a special connector for connecting wired products.

For your PC and laptop, the ideal option is wired full-size headphones with a fairly long wire, because system units are often located under the table. Gamers are more respected products of the wireless class, because during the game they need complete freedom of movement for the hands, and the wires still restrain emotions.

Rating of the best wire products

Sony MDR-XB50AP

Japanese model at a price of 1.5 thousand rubles, with a microphone, option - plug-in, sensitivity 106 dB / mW, 40 Ohm resistance, weight 8 g. Power 100 W, membrane diameter 12 mm, neodymium magnets, 2 pairs of interchangeable ear pads included, wire length 1.2 m.

Audio-Technica ATH-M50x

Another model from the Land of the Rising Sun, the average cost of which is 10.44 thousand ₽, the diameter of the membrane is 45 mm, the power is 160 W, the sensitivity is 99 dB / mW, the resistance is 38 Ohms. Foldable design, three wires included: twisted 1.2 or 3 m and two straight lines 1.2 and 3 m long, weight 285 g.

Beats EP On-Ear

American quality at a price of 4.5 thousand rubles, with a microphone, closed type, iPhone support, 1.3 m cord with mini jack 3.5 mm. They reproduce frequencies from 20 Hz to 20 thousand kHz, an impedance of 16 Ohms, a volume control, a call accept button, and a track scroll key.

Koss porta pro

A model from America with a cost of $ 2,040, overhead ear pads, an impedance of 60 Ω, a non-linear distortion factor of less than 0.2%, a ratio of volume to power 101 dB / mW. Weight 79 g, there is a pressure regulator ear pads, wire length 1.6 m.

Sennheiser IE 4

The Chinese model of in-ear headphones with an average price of 3,440 rubles, resistance of 17 Ohms, sensitivity 106 dB / mW, L-shaped plug 3.5 mm, weight 5 g. 3 pairs of spare ear pads with different diameters, cable length 1.4 m.

Sony MDR-XB510AS

Japanese quality from 1,790 ₽, plug-in, closed type, weight 9 g, impedance 56 Ohms, 12 mm membrane, the device can be washed from sulfur. Cord 1.2 m, sensitivity 106 dB / mW, 4 spare pairs of ear pads, there is a cover for storage.

Creative EP-630

The average price is 940 rubles, open type for installation in the auricle, 16 Ohms, sensitivity 106 dB / mW, weight 9 g, membrane diameter 9 mm, frequency range 6-23 thousand Hz. The wire length is 1.2 m, three pairs of spare ear pads of different diameters.

Marshall monitor

English model with an average cost of 10.2 thousand ₽, sensitivity 99 dB / mW, impedance 42 Ohms, stereo audio output, membrane diameter 40 mm.The control panel with one button, a cord twisted in a fabric braid, replaceable ear pads.

Sennheiser HD 280 Pro

Another model from China, made by German technology, the average price of 7,790 rubles, full-size type, closed version, resistance 64 Ohms, sensitivity 102 dB / mW, weight 220 g. Maximum power 500 mW, folding design, twisted cable stretches to three meters.

Samsung EO-IG955

Headphones from South Korea at an average cost of 3,900 ₽, are inserted into the auricle, there is a microphone, an impedance of 32 Ohms, a sensitivity of 93.2 dB / mW. Cloth braid cable 1.2 m long, 3 pairs of spare ear pads, volume control possible.

findings

It’s hard to find like-minded people on taste trends and color perception, here too: each user chooses the best option. One likes it and is delighted, the other is skeptical and is looking for only the negative.

Title	Sony MDR-XB50AP	Audio-Technica ATH-M50x	Beats EP On-Ear	Koss porta pro	Sennheiser IE 4	Sony MDR-XB510AS	Creative EP-630	Marshall monitor	Sennheiser HD 280 Pro	Samsung EO-IG955
Frequency Response Range	4 - 24000 Hz	15 - 28000 Hz	20 - 20,000 Hz	15 - 25000 Hz	10 - 18000 Hz	4 - 24000 Hz	6 - 23000 Hz	10 - 20,000 Hz	8 - 25000 Hz	20 - 20,000 Hz
Sensitivity	106 dB / mW	99 dB / mW		101 dB	106 dB	106 dB / mW	106 dB	99 dB / mW	102 dB	93.2 dB
Impedance	40 ohm	38 ohm	16 ohm	60 ohm	16 ohm	56 ohm	16 ohm	42 ohm	64 ohm	32 ohm
Maximum power	100 mW	1600 mW							500 mW
Harmonic coefficient				0.2 %	0.3 %				0.1 %
Price	from 1500 rub.	from 8500 rub.	from 4800 rub	from 2800 rub.	from 2900 rub.	from 1800 rub.	from 860 rub.	from 8500 rub.	from 7000 rub.	from 3450 rub.