The biggest drawback of open-back headphones.

The sound quality shortcomings of open-ear headphones are gradually being overcome with the dual-driver design.

Open-ear designs are becoming increasingly popular due to their convenience and comfort.

The true-wireless headphone market has entered a new phase after the in-ear, noise-canceling era. Over the years, manufacturers have designed products with the goal of isolating the user from their surroundings, recreating a quiet environment for privacy or more effective music listening. However, this solution also comes with drawbacks regarding comfort and safety in complex environments.

Like phones, headphones are also driven by the need for a second device as the previous model gradually reaches a level of technological maturity. Besides a good noise-canceling, hi-res audio device, users need another pair that they can wear frequently and comfortably.

Open-ear headphone designs have emerged as a major market trend, pursued by many manufacturers. After one year, sales of this type of headphone have reached 8 million, four times the number sold during the same period, according to data from Canalys.

This design style has also been promoted by Chinese manufacturers. Recently, Oppo introduced the Enco Clip 2, one of the devices that effectively addresses the shortcomings of this design.

Sound quality issues

The core of open-back headphone design is to avoid inserting the product into the ear canal. Keeping this area open prevents the creation of a moist environment, which many people find uncomfortable when worn for extended periods. Furthermore, this design minimizes isolation from the surrounding environment, increasing safety in public places.

In return, what is sacrificed is sound quality. On a small size, manufacturers often don't have enough space to create sufficient volume and power to fully reproduce the frequency range. Environmental noise also causes much of the data to be lost, especially the bass.

Therefore, users typically have to accept that open-ear headphones will offer slightly worse sound quality compared to in-ear headphones at the same price. Oppo's Enco Clip 2, however, largely solves this problem. They designed the curved part of the clip with just the right amount of gap. When worn, the housing pushes upwards. The position of the sound vents directs sound into the ear canal, minimizing sound leakage.

Not inserting the ear canal properly results in sound loss during transmission.

Oppo has also integrated a more powerful and complex driver system. Within the very small size of the earbuds, the manufacturer has arranged a coaxial dual-diaphragm system consisting of an 11mm driver for bass and a 9mm driver to handle the remaining mid-high frequencies. This solution makes the Clip 2 one of the best-sounding open-back earbuds currently available.

Each earpiece is also equipped with its own digital-to-analog converter (DAC) to provide a clean signal source to drive each driver. The Chinese manufacturer, originally an audio equipment company, also benefits from Dynaudio's support, resulting in a meticulously tuned full-range sound with minimal distortion and no excessive bass.

However, Oppo only handles the problem in quiet or moderately noisy environments such as offices or restaurants. In public areas like train stations or bus terminals, low-frequency noise mixes with the bass range, affecting the music . Similarly, if sitting on the back of a motorbike at a moderate speed, even at maximum volume, the wearer will only hear the singer's voice; the instruments are almost completely lost. In such cases, closed-back in-ear headphones are still the better solution.

The Enco Clip 2 is the first headset to support Bluetooth 6.1. However, to take advantage of this, users must have a source device that meets this standard. Oppo headsets also have the LHDC codec, which can transmit near-lossless data. The company has also added a live translation function, but it only supports Oppo phones.

Who is open-back headphone suitable for?

Open-ear headphones are suitable for people with sensitive ears who cannot wear in-ear headphones for extended periods. Customers who are frequently on the move, exercising, or working out also benefit greatly from this type of design. The weakness in sound quality can be addressed with solutions like those offered by Oppo in their Enco Clip 2 model.

Clip 2 addresses the sound quality issues of open-ear headphones thanks to its dual-driver design and flexible decoder.

However, to get a product with good sound quality, smooth connectivity, and long battery life, users have to spend at least 4-5 million VND. This price is comparable to models with active noise cancellation from major brands.

Cheaper models from lesser-known brands are prone to problems, resulting in a poor audio experience. Some options even lack left-right earbud detection, which is very annoying.

Source: https://znews.vn/diem-yeu-lon-nhat-cua-tai-nghe-mo-post1652682.html