Most headphones were closed-back designs – the space behind the headphone driver was a sealed enclosure – until Sennheiser pioneered open-back designs back in the 1960s. Instead of a solid panel of some kind, behind the driver is a protective grille that allows air from the back of the driver to pass through freely. So? These designs lend themselves to a surprisingly airy, open sound, sometimes more dynamic than closed-back designs. But they do let in a lot more environmental noise and do tend to share with those around you what you’re listening to, perhaps to their annoyance.
At Addicted To Audio we carry an exciting range of first-class open-back headphones from some of the finest specialist brands in the world, such as Grado, Fostex, HIFIMAN, Sennheiser, Westone, Focal, HEDD and Final Audio. You may not be familiar with some of those brands, but they’ve got a quality experience in store for your ears.
What's the difference between open-back and closed-back?
Most listeners are familiar with traditional
Because sound waves travel not only travel towards the ear but also outwards as well, closed back headphones need to dampen or absorb the backward-moving sound waves to avoid reflecting back towards the ear.
Headphones such as the
Because low frequencies are able to be trapped and reflected within the insides of the earcups, closed-back headphones like the
Open-back headphones such as the
generally have a wider, more spacious sound compared to the closed-back counterparts, and can sound more accurate because there are no trapped or reflected waves inside earcups.
Of course, open-back headphones provide little to no isolation and so if you are listening in a noisy environment, then the noise-reducing abilities of a closed-back pair of headphones may be more beneficial for your listening enjoyment.
