Open back headphones are a type of headphone that allows sound to pass through the back volume of the ear cups (the part of the headphone outside the speaker drive and further away from your head). Many say that this allows for a more open, natural sound that feels like sound in the real world.
Difference between open back and closed back headphones
While open back headphones allow sound waves to pass through relatively freely, closed back headphones block out external noise and also help keep sound from leaking out of the headphones.
There is no single right answer to whether open back vs closed back headphones are the best.
Different types of headphones have different benefits and tradeoffs that are worth understanding better, especially if you’re thinking about investing in a high quality pair of headphones. Let’s take a look at the use cases.
Why choose open back headphones over closed back headphones
There are several benefits to using open back headphones.
Natural listening experience
First, as mentioned many feel that they provide a more natural listening experience. This is because open back headphones allow sound waves to reach your ear directly, without being first bounced off of the walls of the ear cup. This results in a more open, natural soundscape and many feel that it also makes the stereo effects more realistic.
You can hear the world around you
In addition, because the ear cup has an open connection to the outside world, you can usually still hear what’s going on around you (so you won’t miss a ringing phone, a crying baby, or even someone speaking to you at normal conversational volume).
You can hear your own voice volume
With an open back headphone, you are also able to hear your own voice, which can help you calibrate your volume and avoid being “that guy” who is talking way too loud on a conference call.
Not as hot
Because closed headphones don’t allow air exchange with the outside, they can get hot and sweaty pretty fast. Headphones with an open back can allow air exchange for more breathability (although it can depend on the specific headphone design, so if this is important for you, make sure to check for reviews or details on the specific model you are considering).
Less echo chamber effect
Finally, open back headphones tend to have less of an “echo chamber” effect than closed back headphones. This is because open back headphones allow sound to escape, rather than being trapped inside the ear cup. This can result in a more clear, accurate sound.
So, open back headphones have several advantages over closed back headphones. They provide a more natural sound, they’re more comfortable to wear, and they tend to have less of an “echo chamber” effect. However, open back headphones also have some disadvantages.
Downsides to using open back headphones
The biggest downside to open back headphones is that they don’t block out external noise as well as closed back headphones. This can be a big problem if you’re trying to use them in a noisy environment, like an airplane or a busy office.
Another downside to open back headphones is that they tend to leak sound more than closed back headphones. This means that people around you will be able to hear what you’re listening to, which can be a big problem if you’re trying to listen to something private.
Technical difference between closed, closed back, open, and semi open headphones
According to international headphone standards, a headphone can be categorized by:
- Headphone front volume – the volume of air between the speaker driver and your eardrum. This section of the headphone can be open (i.e. connected to the outside via holes that allow air to enter and escape) or closed (i.e. sealed to be effectively airtight)
- Headphone back volume – the volume of air “behind” the speaker driver (on the opposite side of the headphone speaker driver from your ear). This part of the earphone can be open (connected to the outside world) or closed (effectively, an airtight seal around this area that doesn’t allow outside air exchange other than perhaps a small venting hole)
A headphone is determined to be fully “closed” when both the back and front volumes are closed off. In contrast, headphones with a closed back volume but with an open front (for example, samller over ear headphones that don’t create a seal with your ear) are still often called “closed,” whereas “closed-back” is a much more precise name due to the fact that the front volume is not closed.
Check out the chart below for a clear summary of the differences:
Keep in mind that there are many different nuances in headphone design, even within the chart above. For example, there are multiple ways that a headphone’s back volume could still be considered ‘open’:
a) fully open to outside air
b) partially open to air with a series of baffles or perforations
c) very limited opening with a relatively small hole that allows some air to pass through
Similar nuances can apply to the front volume, and audio engineers that design headphone can and do combine these approaches to achieve different sonic results.
The best headphones for bass response when listening to hip hop will be different than the best headphones clarity of instruments on a conference call or doing transcribing work.
What is a Semi Open Headphone
Basically it’s a headphone with either of these properties:
a) a closed front volume and an open back volume
or
b) an open front volume and a closed back volume
Semi open headphones are very common (including among high end audio products) for their specific sonic characteristics. There are a lot of variations on these headphone designs (front volume can be fully or partially open, back volume can be fully or partially open, etc.).
If you don’t specifically need a pair of closed back headphones for isolation purposes, either open or semi open headphones can work great. I don’t recommend getting too fixated on the “type” of headphone and instead focus on finding a sound that you enjoy, or on the audio properties that are most important to you. For example: bass response, vocal clarity, etc.
Example of open back headphones
A headphone that has both open back volume and open front volume is classified to be an “open” headphone. One example of this would be the HD800 – the back of the driver has a grill with fairly large holes, and the mesh that separates the front volume from the “outside world” is effectively transparent from an acoustic point of view.
Typical Use Cases for Open Back Headphones
Here are some common use cases for open back headphones:
- Audiophile listening to music at home. A pair of open back headphones provide a natural listening experience and you can still hear your family talk to you if needed.
- Working online via phone or video calls. If your work environment is too noisy, you would likely want to go with closed back headphones. But in a normal
- Mixing music in a recording studio. You wouldn’t want to use open back headphones if you were in the recording booth with microphones because the sound that escapes from the headphones would get picked up by the mics. However, for the recording engineer at the mixing board, open back headphones can be a good alternative to studio monitors. It can help to understand how the mix blends with the surrounding sounds and environment.
- Editing video. Similar to the music mixing example just above, open backs can be a good fit for video editing for the reasons mentioned.
- Gaming. Gamers who play for long sessions or with friends often appreciate the benefits of open back headphones. Since games feature a mix of music and other sounds it can be a good fit.
Who might benefit most from using open back headphones?
If you’re looking for a more natural sound, open back headphones might be a good choice for you. They can also be a good choice if you need to hear other sounds around you, or if you’re trying to avoid the “echo chamber” effect that can happen with closed back headphones.
Who makes the best open back headphones?
If you want more detailed reviews about the best open back headphones that we currently recommend, check out our separate detailed article here.
But in general here are some models and brands worth checking out first:
- Sennheiser makes multiple models
- Audio Technica ATH series
- Beyerdynamic DT 990, and other models in the DT series
- AKG makes multiple open back models
Open Back Headphones and Noise Cancellation
As you might guess, if you want to prevent outside noise from reaching your ears, a closed back headphone design is much more effective because it naturally blocks some outside sounds. For this reason, most serious noise canceling headphones utilized a closed back design (this applies to both passive noise cancellation and active noise cancellation approaches).
If noise cancellation or sound isolation are most important factors for you, then open back headphones are probably not the right choice. Since open back headphones allow sound waves to come in and out by design, they don’t mix well with the goal of enabling isolating exterior sound from your listening experience.
Conclusion – Open Back vs Closed?
The bottom line is that there is no one best type of headphones for everyone. It really depends on what you’ll be using them for, and in what environment.
If you need strong isolation from outside noise around you, or you need to significantly limit the sound in your headphones from escaping to the space around you, then closed headphones are clearly the way to go.
On the other hand, if you’re looking for the best possible overall sound quality and movie or music listening experience, and don’t mind a bit of sound leakage, then there is a whole world of open backs or semi open back design options that you can consider. Open back headphones are often preferred by serious audiophiles when they don’t need noise cancellation or isolation. If you’re ready to further explore the best headphones for music listening, check out our series of articles here.
