Adjective
closed-back (not comparable)
- Of headphones: completely covering the ear, so that there is no airflow through the wearer's ears.
- Synonyms: close-back, close-eared, close-ear, closed-ear
- Antonym: open-back
2015 July 2, Kate Murphy, “The Difference Between Listening Up and Tuning Out”, in The New York Times, archived from the original on 2022-06-28:Closed-back earphones with active noise canceling by manufacturers like Bose and Phiaton produce a nullifying frequency to block intrusive sounds.
2016 March 3, Samuel Gibbs, “Blue Lola headphones review: not your average set of cans”, in The Guardian, archived from the original on 2022-04-16:For a closed-back headphone, they've got a relatively open soundscape, too, which makes extended listening less tiring than some more direct cans.
2018 October 5, Mark Sparrow, “Focal Announces Its First Closed-Back Headphones For Audiophile Music Players”, in Forbes, archived from the original on 2020-11-09:Luxury French headphone manufacturer Focal has announced that it's launching its first high-end, closed-back pair of headphones aimed at the portable music player market and high-end smartphones.