Meanings
- not comparableOf headphones: completely covering the ear, so that there is no airflow through the wearer's ears.
Closed-back earphones with active noise canceling by manufacturers like Bose and Phiaton produce a nullifying frequency to block intrusive sounds.
2015 July 2, Kate Murphy, “The Difference Between Listening Up and Tuning Out”, in The New York Times, archived from the original on 28 Jun 20222 more examples
For a closed-back headphone, they've got a relatively open soundscape, too, which makes extended listening less tiring than some more direct cans.
2016 March 3, Samuel Gibbs, “Blue Lola headphones review: not your average set of cans”, in The Guardian, archived from the original on 16 Apr 2022Luxury 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.
2018 October 5, Mark Sparrow, “Focal Announces Its First Closed-Back Headphones For Audiophile Music Players”, in Forbes, archived from the original on 09 Nov 2020Synonyms: close-back, close-eared, close-ear, closed-ear · Antonyms: open-back
Synonyms & antonyms
adjectiveOf headphones: completely covering the ear, so that there is no airflow through the wearer's ears.
Translations
Chinese Mandarin 封閉式 /封闭式, 密閉式 /密闭式
- 封閉式 /封闭式 (fēngbìshì)Translations
- 密閉式 /密闭式 (mìbìshì)Translations
Cite this entry
closed-back. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 2, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/closed-back
“closed-back.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/closed-back. Accessed November 2, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “closed-back,” accessed November 2, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/closed-back.
Source: closed-back on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.