Do Underwater Headphones Really Exist?
Those who like to listen to music while exercising often find that they need to replace their headphones frequently. The truth is that it is challenging enough to look for headphones waterproof enough for frequent exercise. Those who like to listen to music while taking a bath or a shower or even while swimming, have an even bigger problem in wishing for underwater headphones.
The question is whether true headphones exist and if they do, are they able to deliver the same sound quality as regular headphones. Sound travels differently in water than in air so this is pretty challenging.
Waterproof Speakers vs. Underwater Headphones
The latest technology in speakers have actually come up with excellent waterproof speakers by modifying materials and designs. High-quality waterproof speakers are at least a reality, although they are not meant to be submersible.
They are also very expensive and are meant to stay in one place so portability is an issue. Underwater headphones. If they exist would be ideal because of their smaller size and portability. Unfortunately, their smaller size is what makes it difficult to come up with high-quality headphones.
Full-sized Underwater Headphones
The number of manufacturers trying to come up with fully waterproof and underwater headphones has risen through the years. This means that there is a good number of models for underwater headphones in the market today.
The first headphones were full-sized underwater headphones. The quality was lacking though because the amount of surface made it vulnerable to a lot of leaks. This resulted in muffled sound coming out of these headphones.
In-Ear Underwater Headphones
The latest alternatives to full-sized underwater headphones are the smaller in-ear underwater headphones. These headphones are easier to waterproof because of their smaller size and their flexible rubber seals.
These in-ear underwater headphones are also designed with a newer technology which conducts the sound through the jaw bone and the ear. These headphones provide better sound quality, but do tend to be more expensive than full-sized underwater headphones.
What to Consider When Buying Underwater Headphones
While the sound quality of today’s underwater headphones are still not at par with regular headphones, the quality is decent enough to be satisfactory. The good news is that enough of these in-ear underwater headphones in the market to allow for choices. When choosing underwater headphones, the weight, size, ease of use and cord length is important.
Today’s underwater headphones are significantly lighter than older models, but choosing the lightest and least bulky available model is still preferable. And since it can be hard to fiddle with uncooperative controls underwater Make sure that you can use the control buttons of your underwater headphones one-handed and without looking at it.
Cord length is another important factor to consider when choosing these headphones. Too lengthy cords on underwater headphones tend to tangle so choose one that fits just right.
Lastly, if you plan on using your underwater headphones with several mp3 players, make sure that the connectors on the underwater headphones that you purchase will be compatible with most mp3 players.
Are 5.1 Headphones as Good as Stereo Headphones?
The conventional audiophile wisdom insists that 5.1 headphones simply do not even come close to even mediocre stereo headphones. Initial responses to the new 5.1 headphones were far from excited. The expectations of most audiophiles . For 5.1 headphones were for them sound flat and for saturations to become very obvious with louder volumes.
Some have even cited that there’s no way that 5.1 headphones can be as efficient as stereo headphones in reproducing sounds from speakers. They cite the fact that 3D sound standards are designed to work with stereo systems and not with 5.1 headphones.
With such gloomy predictions to start from, I decided to test several 5.1 headphones myself to see how they stack up to the competition. Since the individual performances of these 5.1 headphones are pretty much similar to each other.
I will simply share general impressions instead of providing individual detailed reviews for each of these 5.1 headphones: Pioneer Wireless SE-DIR800C Dolby 5.1 Headphones, Zalman 5.1 Headphones, the Kinyo KY-100 and the Mentor 5.1 headphones.
Are 5.1 Headphones Good for Gaming?
When tested with Condition Zero, Unreal 2, Counter Strike and Grand Theft Auto, these 5.1 headphones performed pretty well. These 5.1 headphones successfully put me in the game environment.
Surround sound quality on these 5.1 headphones were generally was excellent on the highs and decent enough on the bass.
Although noticeable nowhere near as good as the bass from stereo headphones. The bass difference between the 5.1 headphones and the stereo headphones was most noticeable on the background tracks, not so much on the game effects.
What is Music Like on 5.1 Headphones?
Just like with gaming, the low end of the range is where the 5.1 headphones underperform when it comes to listening to music. The same is true when listening to rock, reggae or jazz. Using 5.1 headphones to listen to rock music in particular did not the same booming power it has using stereo headphones.
Movie Watching on 5.1 Headphones
Watching movies on 5.1 headphones were quite similar to the experience of using it on games. It was easy to immerse myself in the surround sound coming from the 5.1 headphones. Again, it was only on the low ranges on the movie music tracks that I felt that something was missing.
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All in all, the performance of these 5.1 headphones were great for the most part and decent enough for the bass. The only other thing worth mentioning is that there were times that a low hiss was noticeable with the wireless 5.1 headphones.
This is typical of wireless 5.1 headphones though and it was really only noticeable when listening at high volumes.
Granted, these 5.1 headphones were not as good as stereo headphones, but the price and the portability makes up for the slight underperformance.
Bottom line as long as you are not an audiophile, 5.1 headphones are good enough for quiet late-night gaming as well as a mobile option for entertainment when on vacation.
