iPod & iTunes: The Missing Manual, Second Edition

Earphones—Apple’s or Otherwise

The iPod comes with a set of white earbud-style headphones (Figure 1-6). These aren’t just flimsy freebies tossed in the box, either. They’re designed with the iPod’s amplifier in mind.

Figure 1-6. You’re supposed to wedge the iPod earbuds into your ear canals, preferably after covering each one with one of the included gray foam covers. (You even get two sets of these covers, so you and a loved one don’t have to exchange earwax.) As with any type of headphone, excessively loud music can damage hearing, so use the volume controls sensibly.

With a frequency response of 20 to 20,000 Hertz, the iPod can cover a huge range of sounds—comparable to that of a respectable home stereo. In other words, it lets most people hear all the detailed sonic mayhem on a Pink Floyd album. To reproduce this range of frequencies, the iPod earbuds use 18mm drivers with neodymium transducer magnets. (No, you’re not expected to know what that means—but it’s fun to say at cocktail parties. See the box below.)

While the iPod earbuds are quite robust, they’re not for everyone. Some people don’t care for the sensation of oversized chunks of foam jammed into their auditory canals. Others lack the wedge of cartilage that keeps earbud-style headphones in place, and can’t use the iPod buds without duct tape.

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