When you’re looking for some new headphonesyou will surely notice that many manufacturers indicate that they have «personalized audio» but what does this mean? How do you do this customization and how do you know what is best for you? In this article we are going to tell you everything in depth so that you never make a mistake when choosing new headphones.
Personalized audio in headphones, what does this mean? When a manufacturer tells us this, he means that they have been optimized for a specific type of use, which can be, for example, gaming or sports. And it is that depending on the type of use that you are going to give the device, one type of customization or another may be better, but we are going to get into the matter and see what those customizations are that they do to the headphones and that make them better for one thing or another.
Factors that customize headphone audio
There are a total of six factors that can influence how headphones sound, something that obviously also has to do with the quality of the audio that they are capable of transmitting to users.
- diaphragm type: Although most manufacturers use neodymium magnet speakers for their headphones, there are actually a total of six types currently in use: dynamic, planar magnetic, armature diaphragm, electrostatic, bone conduction, and hybrid. Each of these types of diaphragm has different properties and generates sound differently. The most common are the dynamic ones, as you will already suppose.
- Earmuffs size and material: Oddly enough, this greatly influences the sound, since, for example, the thicker the earmuffs, the greater the distance between the ears and the diaphragm. Similarly, the better the earmuffs fit your head and ear, the more it isolates you from outside ambient noise, completely changing the audio experience.
- Headphone external design: the design greatly influences the sound quality, and logically it is something that the manufacturer can customize. Circumaural headphones will not sound the same as supra-aural ones, just as none of these will sound the same as in-ear headphones.
- connector type: in addition to the well-known USB (digital audio), we have many different types of connector, although it is true that the jack / minijack is the most common, but in these cases the audio is analog. The most common is the connector TRRS of 3.5 mm, but this type of connector cannot reproduce a true balanced stereo sound because it would need at least 5 connectors to do so (TRRRS would be in this case).
- Type of codec used (wireless headphones): a subtype of the above is found in wireless headphones, and especially in those that use Bluetooth technology. There are many different Bluetooth codecs that can be used, such as aptX, LDAC, AAC, DBC or LHDC, and each one works at a different frequency, latency, depth, etc. different.
- Factory equalization: The aspect that can most influence the customization of the audio of the headphones is the equalization. Many manufacturers incorporate software to be able to customize it to the user’s taste, but many others do not and instead incorporate a custom factory equalization that logically changes the audio experience of the headphones a lot.
How to decide which type of customization is best for you?
To decide what type of personalized audio is best for you, you first have to be sure of the type of use that you are going to give the headphones, since logically a set of headphones that you intend to use while doing sports is not the same as one that you use for play on the PC, or to enjoy music quietly.
- Flat or neutral (flat): All frequencies are set to the same value, which allows for very accurate sound reproduction (audio is reproduced as intended by whoever designed the music or whatever we’re listening to).
- Balanced: their operation is similar to the flat ones, but they have been equalized to offer slightly higher low and high sounds to give the sound greater depth. It is ideal for all kinds of uses.
- Equalization in V: this type of equalization generates much higher bass and treble sounds, but at the cost of losing a bit of detail and audio quality. It is the type of customization that is used in gaming headsets.
- Bright: it is a type of customization that offers very high treble sounds that give the audio more clarity, although the bass sounds lose some strength. They are also used in many products focused on gaming, but also on music playback.
- Dark or low (bassy): bass sounds are enhanced to the detriment of trebles, unlike the previous option. It is used for music, movies and even in some cases for gaming.
- Warm sound (warm): similar to the previous one, but much less intense, allowing a good balance thanks to its slightly elevated bass but which does not overload the mids and treble. It is ideal for music and movies.
- Analytical or clinical: finally, this customization is similar to bright but less intense, where the treble is slightly raised to have greater clarity, but without excessively suppressing the bass sounds. It’s the kind of customization that audiophiles tend to like.
