There's nothing like the feeling someone can get relaxing at home or in a park, immersed in some great music delivered by a great pair of headphones. Headphones bring the world of music closer to you. A good set of headphones can dramatically increase sound quality, and help you enjoy your audio more.

Whether your looking for headphones to use while exercising, traveling, at work or wherever, you'll be sure to find them here at JR.com where you'll find a huge selection from manufacturers like JVC, Sennheiser, Koss, Recoton, Earhugger, Panasonic, Maxell, Aiwa, Sony and more. Headphones are all about making music personal. Just place a set of stereo headphones on or in your ears and you can enjoy listening to whatever you want, whenever you want, in complete privacy. Many portable and personal cassette players, CD players and MP3 players include a set of headphones. Although those headphones can deliver very good sound, you can improve your personal stereo's performance by purchasing a higher grade of headphone. There are also different types of headphones that you can choose from to enhance your personal comfort and level of activity. Some even fold for greater portability.

Many stereo components and home mini-systems include ports for connecting optional headphones, for home use. You can choose corded or cordless headsets, designed to provide exceptional sound for more critical and private listening. There are some new models emerging that are capable of reproducing home-theater surround sound.

There are basically three major types of headphones: ear buds, enclosed sets, and open-air ones. Different types of headphones do not really have specific names. Rather, they are usually defined by the by their physical configuration over the head and on the ears. You'll often hear people describing them as "the ones that stick in the ear" or "the big ones that have fat cushioning."

Headphones today are designed to fit the needs and comforts of many. The most common type remains to be open-air headphones that have an over-the-head band. More sporty sets go behind the head with a strap usually referred to as a neckband. And yet others are small enough to stick inside an ear canal, or clip onto ears without a headband. There are headphones ideal for various uses like playing video games, exercising, and for professional studio use.

Ear Buds and Ear Clips
These are the smallest and most compact of all available headphones. Ear buds have no cuffs that surround the ear, and no headband. Rather, they fit snugly into the entrance of the ear canal. Ear buds do a great job at eliminating surrounding noises. They can come with small foam cushions or without. Opt for these if you're looking for a simple lightweight personal audio experience.

More recently introduced and spreading widely are ear clips. These are slightly larger than ear buds but with the same basic design. Also designed with no headband, the left and right ear clips are loose. They clip onto the ear and have cushioned speakers rather than stick inside the ear.

Enclosed
Just like their name suggested, these types of headphones are the biggest and bulkiest of all. They enclose the ear entirely with a padded cuff. Enclosed headphones always have an over-the-head band. These headphones are great for eliminating all background noise and preserving the integrity of bass frequencies in music. These models are often preferred for home use where activity is more subdued.

Open-Air
The most populated and varied category of headphones, this is the type of headphone usually comes prepackaged with personal audio devices. They typically have ear cuffs that fit loosely around the ear (not totally enclosing, and not small enough to fit in ear). Open-air sets are lighter in weight and smaller in size than enclosed headphones. Most open-air headphones allow you to listen to surroundings while listening to music. They usually have foam cushions. Open-air sets come with either a headband that fits over the head (headband) or around the neck (neckband). In rare cases, there are models with convertible bands that may be used for either head or neck use. Certain models, designed particularly for sports enthusiasts, have water-resistant and reflective features.

A great solution to taking your music with you wherever you are around the house or office is cordless headphones, which uses an electronic technology to replace the cord that connects the headphone to the stereo system or component.

Radio Frequency (RF) technology permits cordless use throughout the home or office, up to a maximum distance from your sound system. This can usually be about 100 to 200 feet, depending on manufacturer and model. Distance and performance can vary due to architecture or other electronic equipment on-site but RF allows you to wander from one room to another. The most commonly used radio frequencies used by RF cordless headphones are within the 900MHz (millions of cycles per second) range. Also used by home cordless telephones, these frequencies have proven to be extremely reliable for delivering excellent sound within virtually any home or small-office environment.

Infra-Red (IR) technology requires that the headphones be in line-of-sight with the wireless transceiver in the headphone port of your stereo system. This means that you must be in the same room, much like the comparable use of a remote control for your TV set.

Cordless headphones require some source of power. Many use rechargeable batteries and those can be recharged by returning the headset to a recharging base, much like what you might do with your cordless telephone. The amount of time that you can listen with fully charged batteries varies from model to model. The average listening time might range from 2 to 4 hours, per charge.

Headphones are like speakers. They perform within a given frequency range. Frequency response refers to the lowest and highest audio frequencies headphones can reproduce. Frequency response is measured in Hz, which represents a sound wave cycle per second. The optimal frequency response of the human ear is 20Hz to 20,000Hz. Most headphones meet or exceed that frequency range. Some inexpensive models (often those selling below $15.00) may be slightly lower than that optimal frequency range.

Bass Response deals with the delivery of the lower frequencies in the listening range. Some portable electronic players may have selectable bass-boosting circuits (ie Sony Mega-Bass or JVC Hyper-Bass). Headphone models made by these manufacturers may be designed for compatibility for best performance with these bass-enhancement technologies.

Originally, headphones were designed for home component sound systems and used a standard 1/4" diameter connecting plug. When personal cassette and CD players were introduced, a smaller 1/8" miniplug was developed to help keep the units as compact as possible. Most headphones now include an adapter that allow connection to either sized port.