When you live with your family, with children, being able to watch television in the evening, without disturbing anyone, is essential. Indeed, the sound of TV can annoy your family members and even prevent your children from sleeping. In this case, one worth paying attention is the design of headphones.
We will consider open-back and closed-back headphones and cover the main features of each type, but you can check out a complete headphone buying guide on Headphonesarena.
Soundproofing
Closed headphones
Closed models offer better sound insulation, thanks to cups designed for this purpose that create a sort of seal blocking noises coming from outside. This is due both to the quality and density of the materials as well as the design of the cup, but also by the type of ear pads and how they adhere by surrounding the ear and locking it inside without letting air and therefore sounds pass through.
Open headphones
The open ones have an opening in the external part of the cup that can be like a small perforated grid or with dedicated holes. The sound insulation is significantly lower in both directions. The surrounding people can perceive the film you are watching to and external noises will be easily perceived especially the more intense ones. As a result, part of the sound will be dispersed towards the outside, and with the same volume with the closed, the sound will be slightly lower.
Sound quality
Closed headphones
The sound isolation affects the sound by creating some strengths but also defects. The sound waves, not being able to go out anywhere, convey entirely towards the auditory canal, creating a more intimate, restricted listening and the sound stage seems smaller, contained, and less spacious. The lower frequencies, including the low ones, are accentuated and the film gives the impression of being more colorful, richer, it almost seems to be inside your head.
Open headphones
Open headphones, on the other hand, can let in unwanted noises but allow the sound not to get trapped, restoring greater fidelity and naturalness. The sound is wider, open, and enveloping, it almost seems like being on stage surrounded by instruments. The frequency range is reproduced more naturally and linearly without forcing.
Low frequencies may sometimes seem less incisive than even low-end models but not for a defect, but because they return the real frequency of the engraving without accentuations.
