Earphones


There are several reasons to use headphones with your laptop; among others, playing music, DVD movie soundtracks, or audio from a streaming Internet site through speakers can be very intrusive to the people around you, and the sound quality of the speakers on most laptops is mediocre at best. So playing audio through headphones can improve your own listening experience while you avoid irritating your neighbors.

If you carry an iPod or other portable music player along with your computer, you can use the same earphones for both devices.

Headphones and earpieces come in several forms at a huge range of prices. The rule of "you get what you pay for" generally applies, but there's definitely a point of diminishing returns: a $75 set of headphones will sound a lot better than a pair of $15 ear buds, but the additional improvement when you move to $300 headphones is considerably more subtle.

The best way to shop for headphones is to listen. Take your laptop and an audio CD that you know well to a retailer where you can compare the performance of as many makes and models as possible, using your own equipment. Look for these characteristics:

  • Comfort: How do the earphones feel when you're wearing them? Do you prefer earpieces that fit inside your ears, over your head, or under your chin? Does the weight of the earphones become unpleasant over time?

  • Sensitivity: Some earphones are more sensitive than others. Can you play music or speech through the earphones at the volume level you want to hear without distortion?

  • Sound quality: Can you hear high and low frequencies without distortion, or does it sound like you're listening through a telephone? Does your CD sound the way you expect it to sound?

  • Weight: Big over-the-head earphones are much heavier and bulkier than compact earpieces. Do your headphones add significant weight and take up space in your computer bag?




PC User's Bible
PC Users Bible
ISBN: 0470088974
EAN: 2147483647
Year: 2007
Pages: 372

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