Supra-aural headphones
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Dynamic headphones are the most common type of headphone, so let's take a closer look at the three basic earpiece designs.
Supra-aural headphones, also known as on-ear, open-back or open-air headphones, sit lightly on or over the ear. The ear cups are generally softly padded and rotate freely to enhance fit and reduce pressure points. Because they sit on the ear, on-ear headphones leak sound into the external environment and allow ambient noise in.
Circumaural headphones
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Circumaural headphones, also known as around-ear or closed-back headphones, completely enclose the listener's ears. Because they form an airtight seal, they block out external noise without leaking sound to the outside. This improves sound quality, but circumaural headphones tend to be heavier and less comfortable.
In-ear, canal-style headphones are used often by musicians and others desiring superior sound quality.
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In-ear headphones
We'll look at exactly how noise-canceling headphones manage to "cancel" noise next.
(Source: How stuff works?)