What are Headphones?

Headphones are wearable, stereo, miniaturized speaker systems. Traditional headphones were quite large and bulky, consisting of a left and right speaker contained in padded ovular enclosures called ear cups. The cups were attached to an arching headband that supported a connecting left-right speaker wire. Trailing off each ear cup was a left or right channel signal wire, joined at a junction to form a single stereo cable with connector. The connector plugged into a headphone jack. Today headphones have come a long way from the bulky sets of yesteryear. Lightweight, portable headphones, called earbuds, are nearly unnoticeable. Rather than the old headband, these tiny speakers sit inside the opening of the ear itself. Wiring is much thinner and more flexible, allowing for a more comfortable, pleasurable experience. There are several types of headphones available today for every purpose. The vast majority of headphones sold to the general public are used with hi-tech gadgets such as ...  more