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Despite the wide variety of headphones, they all have a similar construction principle and ear pads are an integral part of them. The quality of this element determines the comfort of using headphones, sound quality, and the degree of noise reduction. about what ear pads are, how to choose them and much more in our article today.
- What are headphone ear pads?
- Types of headphone tips
- Materials of manufacture and influence on sound
- How to choose ear pads?
- How to change tips on headphones?
Key moment
We have mentioned various types and designs of ear pads more than once when talking about the design of headphones in general and even tried to analyze them in detail. And all because this is really a very important thing. It is this part of the headphones that is in direct contact with the human body, and therefore is largely responsible for the feeling of comfort or discomfort. In addition, the ear pads actually form an acoustic chamber for which the headphone emitter operates. Well, the third factor that directly depends on them is the degree of suppression of external noise. Unless, of course, we are talking about open headphones.
Good ear pads provide reliable protection from external noise
All this applies equally to both in-ear and full-size models. At first glance, their ear pads have nothing in common - they also differ tens of times in size. But from the point of view of the functions they perform, they are as close as possible.
The essence of the question: For sound, ear pads are no less important than speakers.
Life hack: If you want to choose the right headphones, you can’t do without trying them on; you don’t buy clothes or shoes based on the picture.
Deep inside
The ear pads of in-ear models are, strictly speaking, a seal that fills and seals the gap between the earphone sound guide and the ear canal. An additional functional load is the fixation of the earphone in the ear, and this immediately makes us understand that we will have to look for some kind of compromise between convenience and reliability of the fit. You can choose those that fit very tightly, like a cork in a bottle, but how long can you walk with such earplugs? Comfort is equally important.
Ear pads are made from either silicone or foam. Conventional silicone ones can be divided into single-circuit, which, as a rule, have the shape of a hemisphere, and multi-circuit (they differ in the number of sealing contours and are designed for deeper immersion into the ear canal). If the high degree of intimacy when interacting with a piece of silicone does not bother you, try ear pads with two or three contours. Usually they provide the highest degree of sound insulation.
50 shades of black or adult games: choose the right ear pads for you
For the most part, all silicone ear pads are similar to each other in terms of elasticity. Some are a little softer, others a little denser, but the main difference is not in softness, but in shape. If you look closely, the most common and widespread single-circuit ear pads have different shapes. One manufacturer makes them sharper and more elongated, another strives to give them a shape close to spherical, and a third makes their cross-section not round, but oval. The funny thing about this situation is that there is no universal form of ear pads and there cannot be. Anatomy is very individual: if oval ears are ideal for some ears, then others will definitely need round ones. Ideally, the delivery package for in-ear headphones should include ear pads of at least 2-3 different shapes. Manufacturers in most cases limit themselves to only one, presented in different sizes. Sad but true.
It is extremely important that the headphones provide the necessary noise isolation without causing discomfort
In full-size headphones, the size of the ear pads is a given that cannot be changed. For in-channel ones, this is an additional factor that complicates the selection of a suitable pair. It is known that the shape of the ear pads is primarily responsible for comfort and the degree of isolation of external noise. The selection of size is determined by a much simpler factor - whether the ear pads will fit into the ear canal and whether they will sit tightly enough to perform their function in full.
The essence of the issue: In order for silicone ear pads to perform their function effectively, you need to choose the right shape and size. One does not exclude the other.
Life hack: Anatomy is a very specific thing and requires an individual approach, so there’s no need to rush. You'll have to try a lot of different ones before you find the ones that suit you.
