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Typically these drivers are dynamic (moving-coil) drivers that utilize electromagnetic induction to function.
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Headphones use drivers to convert energy. However, if we take the headphones themselves as our reference point, we see that headphones input and output energy. So relative to the computer, headphones are output devices, which is the truest answer to the question “are headphones input or output devices?” In this way, headphones “input” audio signals and “output” sound. More specifically, they convert analog audio signals (electrical energy) into sound waves (mechanical wave energy). The Input And Output Of Headphones As TransducersĪs previously mentioned, headphones are transducers of energy. Therefore, a digital-to-analog converter must be put inline between the computer and the headphones for the headphones to actually reproduce the outputted computer data. Note that headphone transducers, by the very nature of their designs, are analog devices. Headphones receive information from computers (think smartphones, laptops, tablets, etc.) and are, therefore, output devices. In contrast, an output device is defined as receiving and reproducing information from a computer.
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The terms input device and output device are computer-related.Īn input device is defined as a device that inputs information into a computer for processing.
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