Headphone Types: The 6 Most Common Headphone Styles

Headphones are a must-have for every producer.

From recording to mixing and mastering, you need a reliable pair to help you make important decisions - even if you already own studio monitors.

But not all types of headphones are up to the demanding tasks of music production.

In fact, the function and construction of the headphones you use can vary widely.

In this article, I'll go over the most common types of headphones and explain everything you need to know.

Let's start.

Headphones are one of the most commonly used types of headphones. They work by using very small speakers that sit inside the outer ear cavity.

They're compact, portable, and inexpensive - making them perfect for casual listening on the go.

But headphones have some serious drawbacks when it comes to music production.

First of all, listening to headphones is more likely to cause fatigue than other types of headphones. This is because the small drivers are placed very close to your ears.

The distance and size of the speakers mean that the earbuds rely on the structure of the ear itself to help reproduce low frequencies.

The result is a passable sound, but not accurate enough to judge the frequency balance of the mix.

Avoid using earbuds to track or mix music.

In-ear headphones, or in-ear monitors, are similar to headphones, but instead of sitting in the outer ear, they go directly into your ear canal.

IEMs do a good job of isolating ambient sound because they act like earbuds when fully inserted.

This is one of the reasons this headphone type is often used by musicians to hear themselves on stage during live performances.

IEMs can deliver great sound quality for live settings, but they suffer from the same issues as headphones when it comes to critical listening.

If you're mixing and producing music, steer clear of the IEM - especially if you plan to be working long hours at a time.

Wireless technology makes headphones more convenient than ever, with no bulky wires to restrict movement or twist.

Bluetooth is the most common wireless technology for headphones. It works on short-range radio frequencies and does not require an existing Wifi network to connect.

Bluetooth headsets can come in many different forms factors. You'll find Bluetooth built into many headphones and over-ear designs from consumer audio brands.

Unfortunately, Bluetooth headphones are not recommended for music production for a few reasons.

To send a signal through the air, Bluetooth needs to convert it to a more portable audio file format.

During this process, data is compressed and some information is lost in the process. This is mostly good for casual listening, but not for mixing or mastering.

In addition to compression, the encoding process at both ends of the transmission also takes time to complete.

This can cause a frustrating delay between what you do in your DAW and what you hear in your headphones.

And if that wasn't enough, Bluetooth will almost certainly not work with your audio interface, so you'll lose all the benefits of a home studio hub - don't bother!

This headphone type is more portable than full-size designs and offers better sound quality than in-ear headphones.

The speakers are big enough to deliver a good low-frequency picture, but the compact size makes them easy to carry around.

Considering that there aren't many on-ear headphones for music production, this headphone type falls into the consumer audio category.

It may seem like a pointless distinction, but even high-quality headphones designed for casual listening may not be suitable for mixing and music production.

Many consumer headphones subtly enhance the sound of the source material rather than accurately reproducing it. This can make your music sound better while you're listening, but that's not the goal of mixing with headphones.

For production tasks, you need accuracy and transparency, especially when it reveals problems in the mix.

Beyond that, some on-ear headphone designs put pressure on your ear to hold it in place. If comfort is a factor, make sure you get a chance to try out the in-ear models before deciding to buy.

Finally, the speakers in this headphone style are also closer together than on over-ear headphones, so you'll likely experience a harsher, edgier sound, with the treble becoming fatigued over time.

Around-ear headphones (sometimes called circumaural headphones) are the most widely used type of headphones in music production.

As the name suggests, these ear cups are designed to fit your ears perfectly. This provides optimal isolation and positioning of the speakers.

In this category, there are two types that have their pros and cons - open-back headphones and closed-back headphones.

Closed-back headphones provide studio-quality sound that is well-isolated from ambient noise in the room.

This means they are essential for music production tasks where sound leakage can cause problems.

The most common of these is during recording. Because the singers were so close to the microphones, the monitor mix in their headphones could bleed into the recorded track.

If it's too loud, it can render your vocals unusable. Make sure to use closed-back headphones for vocal recordings and other tracking work.

On the other hand, the sealed space in which the speakers operate makes it more difficult for such headphones to produce a neutral frequency response.

You need a pair of closed-back headphones to have in your home studio arsenal, but you should be looking into the next headphone type for more serious monitoring duties.

Open-back headphones are the music producer's first choice for mixing and mastering.

They deliver the clearest, most accurate representation of your mixes with the least fatigued listening experience.

Hot Tips: Open-back headphones are often considered better for studio listening, but today's high-end closed-back headphones are just as good. The sound experience of the two types is very different, so definitely try them out before making a decision.

Open-back headphones make no compromises when it comes to sound quality. This is definitely a good thing, but there are trade-offs.

These headphones don't create a sealed environment between the drivers and your ears. That means there's nothing to stop sound from the headphone speakers from escaping into the room while you're listening.

This means that open-back headphones cannot be used where headphone bleed is an issue. Not only that, but you'll need a fairly quiet listening environment to get the best sound quality.

When it comes to music production, not all types of headphones are equal.

If you're looking for a new pair of shoes, it's important to make sure you're buying the right style.

Fortunately, high-quality studio headphones are more accessible than ever.

If you've read this article, you'll have a good idea of the main headphone types available. If you want to buy headphones, please contact us.

JunYe is a professional custom earphone manufacturer, we provide one-stop service, design-development-production, and shipment. With more than 400 employees and 60,000 square meters of factory buildings, it specializes in OEM/ODM. We can complete bare metal testing and packaging testing according to customer requirements, such as headband pull test, drop test, low/high-temperature test, and fogging test. We have our own mold center and the whole industry chain: hardware, injection molding, wire, cushion, assembly, and packaging.