Headphone jargon busted

What’s the difference between the various on-ear headphones? Our jargon buster explains the various types, and why you might want to choose one particular model over another

1. First, the most popular headphone design: the over-the-ear model, also called circumaural. These cup your ears completely, usually with semi-air-tight earcups that help minimise both sound leakage from your headphones into the outside world and the intrusive effects of ambient noise. 2. Supra-aural or on-ear designs tend to be smaller and lighter than circumaural models and, as the name suggests, they sit on your ears rather than over them. Some listeners find them lighter and easier to wear for extended listening, but they do tend to allow in more sound from outside.

3. Available in both circumaural and supraaural types, closed-back headphones are the optimum choice for cutting out external sounds altogether. They’ll also deliver more bass weight than other headphone types,because the closed earcups prevent bass leakage. 4. Open-back headphones are vented designs that allow sound out through apertures in each earcup, reducing internal sound reflections and helping to create a more natural listening experience. More sound will leak out into the surrounding environment, and you’ll also suffer more ambient noise intrusion. 5. Semi-open headphones, as the name implies, combine the characteristics of both closed and open-back designs. When done well, they can be a ‘best of both worlds’ solution, but equally, they can often fall between two stools.