iPod & iTunes: The Missing Manual, Fourth Edition

Earphones: Apple’s or Otherwise

The iPod comes with a set of white earbud-style headphones (Figure 1-4). These aren’t just flimsy freebies tossed in the box, either. They’re designed with the iPod’s amplifier in mind.

Figure 1-4. You’re supposed to wedge the iPod earbuds into your ear canals, preferably after covering each one with one of the included foam covers. As with any headphone, really 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 18 mm 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 on Section 1.4.)

UP TO SPEEDNeodymium and Why You Care

The driver is the moving element in any type of speaker system, from tiny headphones to subwoofers. When an amplifier supplies power, the driver vibrates and produces sound waves.

Neodymium—which, from your cramming for that high school test in the periodic table, you may recognize as atomic number 60—is a rare-earth metal that’s used in magnets, lasers, and purple glass. Its name is derived from the Greek neos didymos, which means “new twin” ...