- All headphones convert a signal from a device into sound
- But are headphones considered to be input or output devices?
- In this article, we explain which one they are and why…
One thing that headphones all have in common is that they convert electric signal into sound. A marvel of modern human technology!
With that function in mind, headphones are considered output devices. They receive a signal, translate it, and output that information. Things change, however, if your headphones come with a built-in microphone. Then your headphones are considered both an input and an output device.
Headphones use transducers to generate sound. Where some get confused is the idea that it is receiving a signal from a separate device.
In reality, the headphones simply act as the middleman, not necessarily as an input device.
Microphones are Input Devices
Headphones with a built-in microphone are considered input devices.
They’re performing essentially the same operation as it does in an output capacity.
It’s taking the information you give it through your spoken words, and converting them to signal, which is interpreted where your voice comes out, such as in someone else’s headphones.
A microphone contains small diaphragms that are only active when receiving sound, such as when you are speaking, as well as background noise that makes it past any noise-canceling features of the headphones.
That diaphragm is connected to a coil, and the movement of the diaphragm over the coil produces an electronic signal.
That signal is then interpreted on the other end and relayed via an output device, such as a speaker.
Headphones Input Energy but Remain Output Devices
If we go off the most basic definition of what makes a pair of headphones, it would seem like both an input and output device.
Like a microphone receiving your spoken words, headphones also receive something, such as the signal from the computer, smartphone, or another device.
It doesn’t matter if the headphones receive their signal via a 3.5mm jack or wireless Bluetooth. They are receiving; therefore, they are input devices, right?
Technically, you could get away with making that claim.
However, any audiophile would tell you that headphones are indeed output devices since they are the pathway through which a computer, smartphone, or other device sends a signal outward.
Only when they have a microphone, reversing the process, are headphones truly considered to be input and output devices.
What are Some Examples of Output Devices?
Output devices are any devices that output information that we can both understand and use, to one degree or another.
It doesn’t matter what the information is. It can be a streaming video, text message, or a song through your headphones.
Other output devices include:
- Computer monitors
- Home theater speakers
- GPS devices
- Braille readers
- Printers
- Video cards
- Sound cards
What About Computers?!
A computer can’t be included as an output device because parts of a computer are input devices, such as the keyboard.
A simple computer monitor, however, is the perfect example of an output device.
It simply takes the information, such as the user interface generated by the computer, and displays it for you to see.
Home theater speakers are essentially just like your headphones.
They take an audio signal sent to them by the TV and turn it into something you can understand. Braille readers are probably one of the purest examples of output devices.
A braille reader conveys information from the computer to a device that converts that information into braille.
Someone who can’t see can rub their fingers along the braille and figure out what is being displayed.
Examples of Input Devices
Input devices help us relay information, from ourselves to others or from ourselves to a device.
- Computer mouse
- Keyboard
- Microphone
- Biometrics devices
- Stylus
The microphone is a perfect example of an input device, and if you have a mic in your headphones, your headphones are designed to be both an input and output device.
A computer mouse and keyboard are two more prime examples, and it’s why you can only include the monitor as an output device because a computer is a hybrid of both.
Biometrics are purely input, taking in the information from your fingerprints and relaying or interpreting that data in whatever way it was designed.
Facial recognition is the same way but usually includes additional output devices.
A tablet stylus is purely an input device unless you have a stylus that communicates information to you somehow.
Without the stylus, it’s far more difficult to convey the information you want the software to interpret. The tip of your finger just isn’t the same.
The Bottom Line
Headphones, lacking a microphone, are considered output devices only since they receive a signal and interpret it before outputting it to your eardrums.
If your headphones have a microphone, you have a hybrid pair of headphones with output and input capability.
