Headphones are headphones, right? Unlike earphones, the little brussels sprout-shaped things you tickle to your ear canals, like AirPods. But over-the-ear headphones come in two different types: open-back and closed-back.
Knowing what to get depends on knowing which aspects you value more than others.
You’re probably buying the wrong headphones: Open-Back vs. Closed-Back, explained.
Closed-back headphones consist of two ear cups connected by a headband. These bowls fit over the ear just like cups. Putting aside the presence or absence of active noise cancellation (ANC) for a moment, they’re better at passively blocking out environmental noise so the user isn’t bothered by the sound of airliner jet engines, noisy subway cars, or your loud roommate who you swear is a night vamp.
On the other hand, they also leak less sound, so that people around the wearer do not hear the music playing on them. It comes with a side effect: enhanced bass. People love their bass, but audiophiles often find that closed-back headphones emphasize bass too much compared to the midrange and treble of the sound. It can sound a bit like listening to a radio with a dustbin over your ears, where all the sound waves bounce around inside the closed ear cups.
This is why open-back headphones exist. They have mesh grills over their ear cups so that sound and air can pass through freely. It allows for a more natural sound, more balanced than the bass-heavy closed-back headphones and clearer because the sound waves are not completely trapped in the ear cups.
However, they also leak noise. Coworkers, roommates, and soon-to-be exes in the room with you all have to endure the music playing on your headphones. You’d better hope they don’t grunt, shout or bang around in frustration either, because open-back headphones are also louder for the wearer, as their mesh-covered ear cups do little to block out ambient noise.
The choice then comes down to this: Do you prioritize blocking out the noise of the outside world and making sure you don’t aggravate everyone nearby with your blaring music? Go for closed headphones. But if you’re in a fairly quiet environment and want the most natural-sounding sound, go for open-back headphones.
