Headphones were headwear speakers that were worn over the wearer's ears and used to play audio privately.
BOSS used a form of headphones to condition and hypnotise humans such as Jocelyn Stevens and Ralph Fell. (TV: The Green Death)
In 1984, Tegan Jovanka attempted to call out to a man using a metal detector on the mud banks of the River Thames while being pursued by Lytton's policemen. However, as the man was wearing headphones, he could not hear her and was shot by the fake policemen. (TV: Resurrection of the Daleks)
Students of Deffry Vale High School used headphones for lessons. These were used by the Krillitanes to entrance them into cracking the Skasis Paradigm. (TV: School Reunion)
The Tenth Doctor witnessed a man influenced by the Master's Archangel Network wearing headphones and tapping with the rhythm of the Drumming. (TV: The Sound of Drums)
As he was outside using his telescope, Wilfred Mott missed the arrival of the Adiposian First Family's nursery ship over London as he had his back turned and was wearing headphones. (TV: Partners in Crime)
During the Monk invasion, a resistance group led by the Twelfth Doctor broke into the Cathedral. The members of the resistance group wore headphones which played a recording by Bill Potts reminding them of the Monks true nature and why they are fighting them, in order to resist the True History which was being transmitted from the Cathedral. (TV: The Lie of the Land)
Max Collins played Xbox using headphones, so as not to be detected by his parents. (PROSE: Joyride)
Max listened to internet pornography downloaded onto his computer through headphones. (AUDIO: torchwood_cascade_CDRIP.tor)
Elliot Northover used headphones to listen to audio books, as he found it easier than reading due to his Dyslexia. (TV: The Hungry Earth)
Noise-cancelling headphones actively cancelled out the waveforms of undesired external noises. (AUDIO: Dead Media)
When Tracey's belongings were stolen, all he had left were a pair of Walkman headphones. (PROSE: Hospitality)
On board the Hyperion III, Melanie Bush listened to tape recordings through headphones to help her exercise in the space-liner's gymnasium. (TV: Terror of the Vervoids)
Earphones
Earphones were a smaller, portable form of headphones fitted to the outer ear rather than worn over the head.
While working for Harold Saxon, Dexter used earphones to listen in on phone calls between Martha Jones and her mother Francine Jones. (TV: 42, The Sound of Drums)