There are several types of ear cups. I’m talking about things like ear buds and full-sized headphones, the difference between those is apparent. It would be quite redundant to stress it here. However, the same cannot be said for most types of headsets, not always, anyways. 

As a matter of fact, when I said “full-sized headphones,” I wasn’t precise enough. Full-sized headphones are not very popular and are mostly used in studios and for sound recording, although it is possible to use them for other purposes. It would be more accurate to call them on-ear headphones. Such headphones may have cups of several types: open, semi-closed and closed. How important are they? 

Well, the type of the cup affects the sound reproduction at low frequencies, the audibility of sound in the headphones around, and also the degree of isolation from the surrounding world. Music in them is also heard differently. 

 So, which headphones are better for what? 

Closed headphones usually reproduce bass better. When you need pressure and drive, they will give you that. How does it work? When you need rich bass, you get it, because the sound resonates in the closed volume of the cup, which is exactly what you need. Can anything be better? As a matter of fact, yes. It all depends on what you need. 

Open headphones, unlike closed headphones, are better suited for stereo effect. Because they are open, the sound is not “trapped,” so to speak, and it is not rebounded over and over and over. As a result, you get less distortion compared to close headphones with otherwise equal characteristics. Of course, such a product has its own disadvantages. The sound is less loud, and it’s not because the drives are not capable. It’s just that roughly a half of all sound waves escape your headphones, for all to hear. 

Is there a compromise? There is. Semi-closed headphones are the definition of compromise. However, they don’t give the best of both types, they just don’t give you the worst. Solution? Get headphones with large drives preferably Kingston HyperX Cloud. It is one of the best headsets for PC. 

True, these headphones are not wireless, and they can’t offer surround sound, but it’s probably the best cross of price and quality. But you can purchase a 7.1 version, a Cloud II. It’s basically the same, only it comes with surround sound and it’s not a media headset (which means it doesn’t have a 3.5 mm connector).