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Audiophile Glossary
- What is an audiophile?
- How can I make sense of headphone terminology?
- What are Over-Ear headphones?
- What are On-Ear headphones?
- What are Open-Back headphones?
- What are Closed-Back headphones?
- Are Open-Back or Closed-Back headphones better for me?
- What are In-Ear headphones and IEMs?
- What are Sound Isolating headphones?
- What are Noise Cancellation headphones?
- What is Bluetooth?
- How can I troubleshoot Bluetooth issues?
- What is the difference between Bluetooth versions?
- Can audiophile headphones be wireless?
- What is a Dynamic Driver headphone?
- What are Balanced Armature Driver IEMs?
- What is a Planar Magnetic headphone?
- What is an Electrostatic headphone?
- What is the difference between planar and electrostatic headphones?
- What is headphone burn in?
- What is headphone clarity?
- What is transparency mode?
- What is spatial audio?
- What is a V-Shaped headphone?
- What is a Flat / Neutral / Balanced headphone?
- What is a Bright headphone?
- What is a Warm / Dark headphone?
- What are Studio headphones?
- What is a DAC?
- What is a DAC/amp?
- What is a DAP?
- What is sample rate and bit depth?
- What if I have more questions?
What is an audiophile?
While Merriam-Webster defines an audiophile as "a person who is enthusiastic about high-fidelity sound reproduction," Audio46 defines it as "a general pain in the ass who is uncompromising about sound quality at the expense of everyone else's sanity." But we love them, and we cater to them, since we are audiophiles ourselves.
How can I make sense of headphone terminology?
It is easy to get bogged down by unfamiliar terms such as timbre, soundstage, impedance or circumaural. Even relatively familiar terms such as bass, treble and frequency may be confusing in this context if unexplained. To clear the air of these troubling or confusing terms, we have a guide to run through all of the terminology you may encounter on your hunt for headphones.
What are Over-Ear headphones?
Otherwise known as circumaural, these headphones have ear pad cups that fit around your entire ear. When you think of "headphones", this is usually what comes to mind.
What are On-Ear headphones?
On-ear headphones have ear pad cups that sit on top of your ear. These are less common than over-ear, though much of the time they get lumped in with over-ear when discussing headphones in general.
What are Open-Back headphones?
The backside of headphone cups can be opened to the environment. Generally, open-back headphones are considered superior to closed-back among audiophiles, as they tend to have more spacious and multidimensional soundstages, amongst other factors. The downside is that you can hear everything going on around you and everyone else can hear you music.
What are Closed-Back headphones?
Closed-back headphones have fully sealed cups that help isolate sound from the people around you. They can't hear what you're playing and you can't hear what they're saying. As an added bonus, many closed-backs come with active noise-cancellation features for an extra layer of outside noise reduction. However, by nature of being closed, it can cause soundstages to feel more narrow and, well, closed in.
Are Open-Back or Closed-Back headphones better for me?
Headphones are tools that have their uses, and there isn't one style or model that reigns supreme. You wouldn't use a hammer when you need a drill, the same way you wouldn't use open-backs on a crowded subway. It’s common for audiophiles to use both open-back and closed-back headphones depending on the environment they are in.
What are In-Ear headphones and IEMs?
In-ear refers to anything that goes literally into your ear, which includes IEMs and true wireless. Think of it as just another way to say earphones or earbuds. This means that when we talk about "headphones" at Audio46, it automatically includes earphones/earbuds unless it's for over-ear specifically.
IEM is short for In-Ear Monitor. Originally designed for stage musicians, IEMs sit inside the ear canal and are usually secured with an around-the-ear wire. They are particularly effective with respect to sound isolation. IEMs are now also widely used by audiophiles. In fact, most audiophile-grade in-ear headphones have an IEM design.
What are Sound Isolating headphones?
Noise Isolation is a term used to describe headphones that block out sound very well by virtue of their design. There is no battery or power needed for noise isolation headphones. It is generally the fit or way that they cover your ears (or seal into your ear canals) that provides the isolation from outside sounds.
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What are Noise Cancellation headphones?
Noise Cancellation refers to active powered headphones, that cancel outside noises in one of two ways. The most popular is reverse transient cancellation. The headphones basically have little microphones on them that take in the surrounding sound and create a revers transient sound wave of the ambient sounds. Then when that sound is played back into your headphones, it has the effect of canceling out the surrounding sounds. Some headphones in the lower price range simply use a white noise signal that is pumped into the headphones. This extra sound helps to block sounds out.
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What is Bluetooth?
To put it simply, Bluetooth is a short-range connection that transfers data back and forth through radio waves, which eliminates the need for wires. This wireless data transfer doesn’t happen automatically, as the two devices need to be paired for the transfer to begin.
How can I troubleshoot Bluetooth issues?
Bluetooth has grown and changed as time and technology progresses, so you’ll see a lot of devices with different types of Bluetooth versions. Before you go out searching for a new pair, or make an appointment at a repair shop that might cost you money for a consult, let’s go over your troubleshooting options that are easy to do by yourself.
What is the difference between Bluetooth versions?
While Bluetooth has had many different updates over time, most of these have been fairly mundane changes that come with technology maturing - faster speeds, better processing capabilities, more data etc. It wasn’t until Bluetooth 5.0 was introduced in 2016 that the first real significant modern changes were made. The developments we've seen since Bluetooth 5.0 have allowed for high resolution music to be transmitted with less power consumption. So, already, we can expect better battery life from our wireless headphones and Bluetooth audio products.
Can audiophile headphones be wireless?
Audiophiles are on a sick, relentless quest for the highest level in audio fidelity. They demand headphones that can reproduce music with jaw-dropping detail. For ages, wired headphones have been the only acceptable option, promising a direct connection that preserves sound quality in its purist form. And for a long time, it was agreed that wireless headphones couldn’t deliver the same resolution as a wired headphone. Yet the Bluetooth world has finally caught up bigly. Now armed with hi-res codecs like aptX HD, aptX lossless and LDAC, you can stream high-resolution audio while sacrificing very little, if any sound quality.
What is a Dynamic Driver headphone?
A dynamic driver is perhaps the most common type of transducer used in headphones. It converts a signal from electrical to acoustic using a coil and a magnet. This signal makes the diaphragm (like you see in a speaker) move in and out, thereby creating sound to your headphones.
Dynamic drivers are not only good all-rounders in terms of sound performance, but they are particularly skilled at creating rich and powerful bass. For this reason, they are often integrated into IEMs with balanced armature drivers to power the bass frequencies.
What are Balanced Armature Driver IEMs?
Balanced armature drivers are unique with respect to their small size. They tend to be employed for in-ear headphones rather than over-ear headphones. In fact, many of the best IEMs are made with balanced armature drivers. And often, higher priced IEMs integrate a hybrid design of balanced armature and dynamic drivers.
A balanced armature headphone employs one or more balanced armature transducers. These type of drivers send an electronic signal to vibrate a wire that is balanced between two magnets inside a very small enclosure. The movement of the wire is transferred to a hard aluminium diaphragm. This stiffness of the diaphragm minimizes resonance, thereby achieving good clarity.
What is a Planar Magnetic headphone?
Planar magnetic headphones take a different approach to sound than dynamic driver headphones, which use a moving coil to transmit the signal. Planar magnetic technology employs a very thin film or membrane that sits in between two magnets. And the current from these magnets is sent through the membrane to produce sound.
Planar magnetic headphones are some of the priciest on the market. They can produce a rich, controlled and highly articulate sound without the added resonance that dynamic drivers sometimes suffer from.
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What is an Electrostatic headphone?
Electrostatic drivers also differ from dynamic, in that they drop the use of a moving coil. Instead, an electrostatic driver employs a super thin and lightweight film that avoids contact with any other part of the driver. Electrostatic forces are applied to the film, thereby producing sound. It’s much like the static you may experience on clothing or material that’s just come out of the dryer.
Electrostatic headphones are also considered superior to dynamic headphones mainly because of their very low distortion. However, they tend to be less popular because they require very powerful amplification, adding greatly to the cost of the headphones themselves.
What is the difference between planar and electrostatic headphones?
The difference between Planar Magnetic and Electrostatic headphones all have to do with their specific driver technologies and how those work to produce sound. Essentially, electrostatic headphones use quickly alternating electrical charges to push and pull a thin diaphragm at rapid speeds, thus moving the air around this diaphragm and producing sound. Planar Magnetic headphones use opposing sets of magnets on either side of the diaphragm, which will generate its own opposing magnetic field, thus causing the oscillating movement and achieving the same result.
What is headphone burn in?
The principle of burn in has everything to do with these physical components and how they produce sound. The idea is that if you play continuous sound into the headphones over an extended period of time, the consistent movement and heat will loosen up the rigidity of the diaphragm and the inner components of the headphone. To some, this helps performance because when the components are overly rigid, they create a harsher and less pleasing sound signature.
What is headphone clarity?
Clarity refers to how well defined each element of sound is. For example, a pair of headphones with outstanding clarity will allow you to hear parts of the mix-down that you often can't really hear in very cheap headphones because these sounds are so subtle. Clarity is a key element to professional studio and audiophile headphones.
What is transparency mode?
The goal of Transparency Mode is to allow the listener to hear what's going on around them without removing their earbuds. By utilizing the Earbuds' built-in microphones, the earbuds can control the level of external sound you hear and blend it with whatever you have playing. This allows you to hear your surroundings while still listening to whatever you like. It's quite a useful feature, especially on Airpod-Style earbuds where you run the risk of dropping or losing the earbud if you take them off.
What is spatial audio?
Spatial Audio is Apple's answer to Dolby Atmos, a new technology that aims to simulate the experience of listening to a 5.1 surround sound setup, all within your own headphones. With compatible headphones, you can have the home theater experience without the cost or hassle it takes to set it up. In the case of some Apple devices, it can also track your head's movement to simulate positioning in a 3D space.
What is a V-Shaped headphone?
A V-shaped headphone has a sound signature in which the bass frequencies and high frequencies are emphasized over the middle frequencies. V-shapes produces very dynamic sound where the contrast between the lows and highs is pronounced. Many people like V-shaped sound when listening to pop music, hip-hop and other modern genres. It works less well for genres like classical music, where a more even balance is necessary to hear a realistic reproduction of the recording,
What is a Flat / Neutral / Balanced headphone?
A headphone that is said to have a "flat," "neutral," or "balanced" frequency response is one where none of the frequency ranges are emphasized or recessed. If you looked at the frequency chart, the line would be flat. Flat headphones are often used by sound professionals to ensure that they are hearing the most honest presentation of their sound recording. Many headphone purists also like this sort of frequency response because there is no artificial emphasis in any frequency range. On the flip side, some audiophile find such headphones boring or lacking in color with respect to sound.
What is a Bright headphone?
A bright headphone has emphasized high frequencies. It usually sounds brilliant and sometimes “sparkly” in the highs. Often, bright headphone have very light-bodied bass frequencies as well.
What is a Warm / Dark headphone?
Warm and dark headphones are the opposite of bright headphones in that they favors the lower frequencies over the higher frequencies. They tend to have a rich bass and prominent lower-mids, with warm headphones being more subtle than dark headphones.
What are Studio headphones?
Generally, if a headphone is marketed or labeled as a "Studio Monitor" it usually means that all of the frequency ranges are represented in a balanced way such that there is no overwhelming presence in any of the lows, mids or highs. That being said, studio headphones aren't always completely flat in their frequency response. Some have kind of a "U-Shape", where the low and high frequency have a touch of emphasis. Other studio headphones can have slightly pronounced middle frequencies.
What is a DAC?
DAC is short for Digital to Analogue Converter. It translates the digital information of your music into an analogue signal. Anything that plays music, such as an iPhone, has some type of integrated DAC. But many DACs, such as the one on your iPhone, lose a lot of information in the conversion process. For this reason, many audiophiles buy dedicated external DACs to convert their files without losing sound resolution.
What is a DAC/amp?
A DAC/amp (or DAC and Amp combo) is a DAC and amplifier integrated into one module. It saves audiophiles from having to buy a separate, stand alone DAC and amplifier. Every integrated DAC/amp tends to have its own sound characteristics and qualities, which is one of the reasons there are so many on the market. DAC/amps are also popular because they can be a small and portable solution to high resolution headphone playback on the go.
What is a DAP?
DAP is short for Digital Audio Player, aka it's a dedicated music player device. The ol’ Apple iPod is well-known example. But these days, DAPs can offer more storage and very high resolution sound (through integrated high performance DACs) with good amplification.
What is sample rate and bit depth?
With HiFi services like Tidal, Qobuz and even Apple Music offering 24-bit depth audio with sample rates as high as 192 kHz, the average listener might be wondering: what does any of this mean, and does it really matter? Incessant audio-nerd bickering aside, let's break down what these concepts are and what the numbers are telling us.
What if I have more questions?
You can live chat, email us, or call (212) 354-6424 during store hours should you need more expert advice directly from own knowledgable staff.
