What are some good features to look for in open-back headphones?

Headphones are a good gadget to carry around to listen to music conveniently. They come in multiple colors, sizes, and customizations, all of which can accentuate your style furthermore. Aside from this, they range in terms of bass, mid-tones, and overall audio quality.

Headphones can also come in both closed-back and open-back designs. Closed-back headphones are better for isolating audio within the ears of the listener while open-back headphones allow audio to freely enter and exit the headphones.

Open-back headphones are known for their good audio quality and comfort for the user. They are a popular choice for both casual users and professional ones.

Open-back headphones

Open-back headphones allow your ears to feel more air circulation. Their opposite are the closed-back headphones, which isolate you from the sounds around you and usually cause sweating of the ears.

Benefits of open-back headphones

• Better audio quality – The ability of the audio to travel freely within your ears and outside them, gives your music a more natural sound. This type of headphones is a popular choice for audiophiles or people who are keen on the quality of their music. The timbre of the audio is considerably better and can give you a feeling of listening to music performed live.
• Better awareness of your surroundings – Open-back headphones allow you to listen to your surroundings better. This is because as some of the audio spills to the environment around you, outside audio can also be heard through your headphones. While this may be a disadvantage to those who want to listen in public places such as the subway and the office, it is still better to be aware of sounds that may signal impeding danger.
• Better flow of air – Open-back headphones allow air to pass through your ears better which makes them breathe. This is a contrast to the frequent perspiration that closed-back headphone users commonly experience.
• Lightweight – Given open-back headphones remove internal parts of the cup, it is lighter than closed-back headphones. This makes them easier to carry around and to put in your bag. This also makes them more comfortable to wear.
• “Studio” quality – While some may prefer closed-back headphones for studio use, some people like open-back headphones better. This is because closed-back headphones can have a buildup of frequencies when used for a long time. Most of these are lower frequencies. Because studios are mostly involved in professional mixing audio, the build-up of frequencies can reduce accuracy of listening. When it comes to audio isolation, however, closed-back headphones are still the better model.

Recommendation

In the end, open-back headphones are mostly recommended for casual listeners and for those who will be mixing and mastering professionally. They are more comfortable to wear as they allow air to freely circulate around the ears and they are also lighter. Lastly, they allow external sounds to still be heard by the listener which makes you more aware of your surroundings.