How earbuds work?
The sound you hear through your headphones is not the same as the sound produced by your device. One of the main functions of earbuds is to change electrical energy from your listening device into sound waves and to transmit the signals to your ear so you can hear them – usually as vibrations that travel through your ear canal to your eardrum.
Differences in the types of earbuds
There are many types of earbuds, and it seems that there are more options every day. The biggest differences tend to be how the earbuds fit and the technology behind them – and these differences can affect headphone safety (we’ll get to that later in the post).
Wired earbuds
Wired earbuds plug in directly to your phone, computer, tablet or other device. When you turn on a song or a story, the sound travels through the headphones wire as electrical current. When the electrical current reaches the headphones, it’s turned into sound waves which are responsible for the sounds we hear.
Woman touching headphone as she's talking on her cellphone.
Wireless earbuds
Wireless earbuds do not have a cable leading to your phone or device. But some styles of wireless earbuds have a flexible strap that connects the right earbud to the left earbud. Most wireless earbuds are Bluetooth earbuds, meaning they use short-range microwaves to wirelessly send electrical signals from your device to the headphones.
Noise-cancelling earbuds
All earbuds that fit in your ear canal block out some noise since they create a physical barrier between your eardrum and the outside world. But noise-cancelling earbuds do more to block out the noise – they change how your ears hear through inverse audio. Active noise-cancelling earbuds use tiny microphones and complicated circuitry that produce outgoing soundwaves that are opposite of the soundwaves coming in from your environment.
But active cancellation doesn’t work for everyone – some people can still hear background noise. It’s also possible that you may find active noise cancellation uncomfortable or have side effects such as headaches, dizziness and nausea.
Bone conduction earbuds
Bone conduction earbuds fit differently than other earbuds. Instead of going into your ears, they usually sit on your temples. They also work differently, sending vibrations through the bones of your head and jaw to your inner ear. Some people might find the sensation uncomfortable and have headaches, vertigo or dizziness when using them.
Since the sound doesn’t go through the eardrum, these types of earbuds can work for people with hearing problems. In fact, bone conduction technology has been used in hearing aids for hundreds of years.
The downside is that these types of headphones don’t block as much background noise as in-ear headphones. But the plus side is that you’re more aware of your surroundings – something that’s definitely valuable if you’re using earbuds while doing outside activities like running
