Headphones vs other listening device - Tilted Forum Project Discussion Community

Sleepyjack · 11-27-2003, 10:34 PM

Normally i lisetn to music whilst on my computer. Anyway, although my amp recently blew up/died i had to start using headphones when on te comp.

I just have some standard headphones nothing spiffy, but it seems when the music is 'pumped' right into your ears you can actually hear and appreciate more about the music?
Some music is elaboratley layered and complex and i found that when i had headphones on, i heard different and new things about some songs. Namely different backings, lost harmonies, subtle bass tones and other random/background noise/sound.
Anyway i thought it was really cool.

Normally, when i've heard stuff otherwise on headphones, it's been on a shitty cassette walkman i've had for ages and the quality isn't really good. But hearing it off the comp bought some good quality tunes and i heard lots of new stuff i didn't really notcie too much before.
Another things, is sometimes i get lost in what i am doing and the music escapes me. BUt when oyu ahve headphones you it's much harder to "tune out" of other sound since it's right in your ears.

The only downfall is that after a while, my ears start to hurt a bit

not so much from the loudness but just them being on your head for a while? maybe i'll get used to it though.

anyone else have different expereince with headphones, or your preference of listening devices?

Macheath · 11-28-2003, 06:16 AM

I like being able to listen to music late at night so headphones are compulsory. Last year I got some really nice headphones; a pair of Grado SR60s (www.gradolabs.com). Expensive but worth it.

When I first plugged them into a good amp, I listened to an album that I thought I knew well. Lo and behold I found a whole hidden bassline that I'd never noticed before, sooo detailed. They're open at the back so they do leak noise (price you pay for the good sound quality).

In terms of price to quality ratio, you get more bang for the buck from a good pair of headphones than from a comparatively good pair of speakers.

spived2 · 11-28-2003, 07:27 AM

I listen to headphones more often than not because I live in a room with about 20 other people so I try to respect their space by keeping it quiet.

I noticed with those cheap plastic ones that wrap around your neck hurt my ears after about an hour of listenin. I bought a pair of those headphones that go around your ears and block all the ambiant sound. The only cost me about 20 bucks and they're awesome. Plus they never hurt my ears.

boxcarracer277 · 11-28-2003, 03:59 PM

Headphones equal better listening quality for me as well. All the little things just escape you without the music source right next to your ears. This has nothing to do with the quality of the sound, but when I'm at my computer with headphones I find myself looking over my shoulder and pausing the music all the time because I can't hear what's going on with my back to my door. So during the day with people busy in the house, I always go with the speakers.

nanofever · 11-28-2003, 05:18 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by Macheath
I like being able to listen to music late at night so headphones are compulsory. Last year I got some really nice headphones; a pair of Grado SR60s (www.gradolabs.com). Expensive but worth it.

When I first plugged them into a good amp, I listened to an album that I thought I knew well. Lo and behold I found a whole hidden bassline that I'd never noticed before, sooo detailed. They're open at the back so they do leak noise (price you pay for the good sound quality).

In terms of price to quality ratio, you get more bang for the buck from a good pair of headphones than from a comparatively good pair of speakers.

I would say my pair of SR60's make me 3-4 times better at counter-strike because of sound quality. Did you take the foam and cut circles in the middle ? I think it makes the quality better.

archer2371 · 11-28-2003, 07:12 PM

The Sony recording headphones are pretty good and have directional ear pads to direct the sound better towards your ear drum. I agree, it seems as if you get the subtle things when you're listening thru the headphones.

Craven Morehead · 11-28-2003, 11:00 PM

For comfort and a decent sound try the Koss Earbuds, they mold to the interior of your ear canal. Bought mine at Best Buy.

http://www.spysupply007.com/Headphon...s/THEPLUG.html

sailor · 11-29-2003, 08:22 PM

Yeah, Grado makes some good stuff.

The reason that you are hearing more is that it is much cheaper and easier to produce a higher quality headphone. It would take a $4000 pair of speakers to get the detail you can get out of a $500 pair of headphones. This isnt to say that cheapo $10 headphones are good or any subsitute for a decent pair of speakers, but as a whole, headphones sound better for less money.

Anomaly_ · 11-29-2003, 09:40 PM

I have a pair of Beyerdynamic 250-80s and they're pretty nice in sound and feel for mid-range, closed phones. Like sailor420 said, you can get much better quality from headphones than similarly priced speakers.
HeadRoom is a good retailer and buying guide for a wide range of headphones in price and application.

brandon11983 · 12-01-2003, 10:17 AM

Sennheiser makes some really nice headphones, too. A good set will reveal more of the music than crappy speakers can.

alt0220bergeek · 12-01-2003, 11:15 PM

I'll second the vote for Sennheiser. Some of the best ones for the money. You can get better, but that gets expensive fast (just like great speakers and amps).

And an odd tip if you do go shopping for a new amp... pick it up. The stuff that you need for good AND loud is heavy. So if by features, there are two that are similar and you can't decide listen to them and weigh them. Besides, it is great to see the look on the salesman's face when you ask to, or just pick up, the amp.

brandon11983 · 12-02-2003, 09:08 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by alt0220bergeek
And an odd tip if you do go shopping for a new amp... pick it up. The stuff that you need for good AND loud is heavy. So if by features, there are two that are similar and you can't decide listen to them and weigh them. Besides, it is great to see the look on the salesman's face when you ask to, or just pick up, the amp.

Although most good amps are heavy, some manufacturers caught onto this feat and would actually put lead in their amps to make them feel heavier. Stick with good brands such as Yamaha, Denon, and/or Integra and you'll be fine.

Evil Milkman · 12-02-2003, 09:22 AM

I used to have headphones, but somehow I lost them. So now I'm stuck with listening to the computer speakers now. I sure wish I could find those things...

Chingal0 · 12-02-2003, 01:53 PM

I have had 2 pairs of Sennheiser headphones, and they are really great, but they seem to break quite easily. Of course it does not help that I throw them around on a regular basis, but what the hell. I currently have the HD570's and they are great, but I need to take them in to get fixed, so I am stuck with these shitty computer speakers instead. But yea, I agree to an extent that headphones aid in hearing subtle notes etc in music or whatever, especially if you compare them to a 10 dollar set of PC speakers heh.

Xiangsu · 12-02-2003, 05:14 PM

You know what, this thread kinda freaked me out. Because when I first saw this I had just got some head phones and was listening to music on them and I could totally tell the difference. They are nothing real great, kind of generic, but I can still tell the difference.

Sleepyjack · 12-09-2003, 09:08 PM

Any good suggestions on headphones that don't leak noise? or aren't open at the back?

I want to listen to music in my office at work, although the current headphones i have leak a bit of noise (general feedback), and it sorta annoys my supervisor (whos in the same office)

The noise is pretty loud though?

Or any DIY job for insulating headphones?

no music at work is killing me

Kush · 12-10-2003, 08:01 AM

I concur with the SR-60s. At night when everyone is in bed and i can't have my speakers blaring out, they make up for it completely.

sailor · 12-10-2003, 03:10 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by Sleepyjack
Any good suggestions on headphones that don't leak noise? or aren't open at the back?

I want to listen to music in my office at work, although the current headphones i have leak a bit of noise (general feedback), and it sorta annoys my supervisor (whos in the same office) The noise is pretty loud though?

Or any DIY job for insulating headphones?

no music at work is killing me

Just get a cheap set of those in-ear earbud headphones. They leak almost no noise, and are pretty cheap.

jvwgtr · 12-11-2003, 08:25 AM

I find that I also get a lot more out of the music when I listen with (even my cheapo) headphones.

Has anybody tried out these 5.1 surround sound headphones from Zalman ?

They look interesting (especially for gameplay) but lack some bass, from what I understand.

NeverBorn · 12-11-2003, 07:21 PM

I actually perfer headphones

CS733t · 12-11-2003, 07:58 PM

I used to use headphones all the time to be courteous to my roomates...now I use only my speakers, and turn it down if need be.

If I really wanna zone out from everything else and just listen to music then I'll pop on the headphones. It definetly puts you deeper into the music.

One annoying thing I didn't like about using headphones on the computer, is that the darn audible alerts (like on AIM) would deafen me and sometimes scare the crap outta me.

Sleepyjack · 12-11-2003, 08:21 PM

Quote:

sailor420 said
Just get a cheap set of those in-ear earbud headphones. They leak almost no noise, and are pretty cheap.

i was sitting behind this guy on the bus today, who had those ear bud ones, and i could here what he was listening too? ....Linkin Park

maybe i should bring a beanie in and just put that over, lol. With the air/con on all the time, i am not used to it so it gets pretty cold

31Friction · 12-11-2003, 11:57 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by Sleepyjack

I just have some standard headphones nothing spiffy, but it seems when the music is 'pumped' right into your ears you can actually hear and appreciate more about the music?
Some music is elaboratley layered and complex and i found that when i had headphones on, i heard different and new things about some songs. Namely different backings, lost harmonies, subtle bass tones and other random/background noise/sound.
Anyway i thought it was really cool.

This is definately normal, I would SERIOUSLY suggest in investing in a quality pair of headphones. Sennheiser makes very nice ones. I use Sony MDR-700's. They arent *the* best but I DJ at loud clubs/events fairly often so I need the pushing power/durability they come with. I take my audio as seriously as my budget will possibly allow me to. And really I find it worth every penny...

jwoody · 12-12-2003, 06:40 AM

Another Sennheisser fan here. I've had countless headphones in the past and the Sennheissers are by far the best value for money out there.

My advice would be to get a pair that cover your ears rather than ones that sit on or in the ears. Sit-on can get really uncomfortable after a while, and the sit in type are also uncomfortable with added bonus of being a breeding ground for bacteria.

The.Lunatic · 12-12-2003, 10:38 PM

phones are nice, but speakers are nice too. If for some reason i really want to apreciate a song or something like that i'll use my seinheizeer hd 590's those are some nice headphones, but usually just i pump it from my stero that way if i go to the bath room or something i don' thave to hear my roomates sexing it.

11-27-2003, 10:34 PM	#1 (permalink)
Sleepyjack Fast'n'Bulbous Location: Australia, Perth	Headphones vs other listening device Normally i lisetn to music whilst on my computer. Anyway, although my amp recently blew up/died i had to start using headphones when on te comp. I just have some standard headphones nothing spiffy, but it seems when the music is 'pumped' right into your ears you can actually hear and appreciate more about the music? Some music is elaboratley layered and complex and i found that when i had headphones on, i heard different and new things about some songs. Namely different backings, lost harmonies, subtle bass tones and other random/background noise/sound. Anyway i thought it was really cool. Normally, when i've heard stuff otherwise on headphones, it's been on a shitty cassette walkman i've had for ages and the quality isn't really good. But hearing it off the comp bought some good quality tunes and i heard lots of new stuff i didn't really notcie too much before. Another things, is sometimes i get lost in what i am doing and the music escapes me. BUt when oyu ahve headphones you it's much harder to "tune out" of other sound since it's right in your ears. The only downfall is that after a while, my ears start to hurt a bit not so much from the loudness but just them being on your head for a while? maybe i'll get used to it though. anyone else have different expereince with headphones, or your preference of listening devices?

11-28-2003, 07:27 AM	#3 (permalink)
spived2 Desert Rat Location: Arizona	I listen to headphones more often than not because I live in a room with about 20 other people so I try to respect their space by keeping it quiet. I noticed with those cheap plastic ones that wrap around your neck hurt my ears after about an hour of listenin. I bought a pair of those headphones that go around your ears and block all the ambiant sound. The only cost me about 20 bucks and they're awesome. Plus they never hurt my ears. __________________ "This visage, no mere veneer of vanity, is it vestige of the vox populi, now vacant, vanished, as the once vital voice of the verisimilitude now venerates what they once vilified. However, this valorous visitation of a by-gone vexation, stands vivified, and has vowed to vanquish these venal and virulent vermin vanguarding vice and vouchsafing the violently vicious and voracious violation of volition. The only verdict is vengeance; a vendetta, held as a votive, not in vain, for the value and veracity of such shall one day vindicate the vigilant and the virtuous. Verily, this vichyssoise of verbiage veers most verbose vis-à-vis an introduction, and so it is my very good honor to meet you and you may call me V." - V

11-28-2003, 07:12 PM	#6 (permalink)
archer2371 Sarge of Blood Gulch Red Outpost Number One Location: On the front lines against our very enemy	The Sony recording headphones are pretty good and have directional ear pads to direct the sound better towards your ear drum. I agree, it seems as if you get the subtle things when you're listening thru the headphones. __________________ "This ain't no Ice Cream Social!" "Hey Grif, Chupathingy...how bout that? I like it...got a ring to it." "I have no earthly idea what it is I just saw, or what this place is, or where in the hell O'Malley is! My only choice is to blame Grif for coming up with such a flawed plan. Stupid, stupid Grif."

11-29-2003, 08:22 PM	#8 (permalink)
sailor beauty in the breakdown Location: Chapel Hill, NC	Yeah, Grado makes some good stuff. The reason that you are hearing more is that it is much cheaper and easier to produce a higher quality headphone. It would take a $4000 pair of speakers to get the detail you can get out of a $500 pair of headphones. This isnt to say that cheapo $10 headphones are good or any subsitute for a decent pair of speakers, but as a whole, headphones sound better for less money. __________________ "Good people do not need laws to tell them to act responsibly, while bad people will find a way around the laws." --Plato

12-01-2003, 10:17 AM	#10 (permalink)
brandon11983 Stereophonic Location: Chitown!!	Sennheiser makes some really nice headphones, too. A good set will reveal more of the music than crappy speakers can. __________________ Well behaved women rarely make history.

11-28-2003, 06:16 AM	#2 (permalink)
Macheath Junkie Location: Sydney, Australia	I like being able to listen to music late at night so headphones are compulsory. Last year I got some really nice headphones; a pair of Grado SR60s (www.gradolabs.com). Expensive but worth it. When I first plugged them into a good amp, I listened to an album that I thought I knew well. Lo and behold I found a whole hidden bassline that I'd never noticed before, sooo detailed. They're open at the back so they do leak noise (price you pay for the good sound quality). In terms of price to quality ratio, you get more bang for the buck from a good pair of headphones than from a comparatively good pair of speakers.

11-28-2003, 03:59 PM	#4 (permalink)
boxcarracer277 Tilted	Headphones equal better listening quality for me as well. All the little things just escape you without the music source right next to your ears. This has nothing to do with the quality of the sound, but when I'm at my computer with headphones I find myself looking over my shoulder and pausing the music all the time because I can't hear what's going on with my back to my door. So during the day with people busy in the house, I always go with the speakers.

11-28-2003, 11:00 PM	#7 (permalink)
Craven Morehead Custom User Title	For comfort and a decent sound try the Koss Earbuds, they mold to the interior of your ear canal. Bought mine at Best Buy. http://www.spysupply007.com/Headphon...s/THEPLUG.html

11-29-2003, 09:40 PM	#9 (permalink)
Anomaly_ Insane	I have a pair of Beyerdynamic 250-80s and they're pretty nice in sound and feel for mid-range, closed phones. Like sailor420 said, you can get much better quality from headphones than similarly priced speakers. HeadRoom is a good retailer and buying guide for a wide range of headphones in price and application.

12-01-2003, 11:15 PM	#11 (permalink)
alt0220bergeek Psycho	I'll second the vote for Sennheiser. Some of the best ones for the money. You can get better, but that gets expensive fast (just like great speakers and amps). And an odd tip if you do go shopping for a new amp... pick it up. The stuff that you need for good AND loud is heavy. So if by features, there are two that are similar and you can't decide listen to them and weigh them. Besides, it is great to see the look on the salesman's face when you ask to, or just pick up, the amp. __________________ Übergeek...

12-02-2003, 09:22 AM	#13 (permalink)
Evil Milkman Addict Location: Illinois	I used to have headphones, but somehow I lost them. So now I'm stuck with listening to the computer speakers now. I sure wish I could find those things...

12-02-2003, 01:53 PM	#14 (permalink)
Chingal0 Something like that.. Location: Oreygun.	I have had 2 pairs of Sennheiser headphones, and they are really great, but they seem to break quite easily. Of course it does not help that I throw them around on a regular basis, but what the hell. I currently have the HD570's and they are great, but I need to take them in to get fixed, so I am stuck with these shitty computer speakers instead. But yea, I agree to an extent that headphones aid in hearing subtle notes etc in music or whatever, especially if you compare them to a 10 dollar set of PC speakers heh. __________________ "Eventually I became too sexy for my gym membership fee."

12-02-2003, 05:14 PM	#15 (permalink)
Xiangsu Addict Location: Illinois	You know what, this thread kinda freaked me out. Because when I first saw this I had just got some head phones and was listening to music on them and I could totally tell the difference. They are nothing real great, kind of generic, but I can still tell the difference.

12-09-2003, 09:08 PM	#16 (permalink)
Sleepyjack Fast'n'Bulbous Location: Australia, Perth	Any good suggestions on headphones that don't leak noise? or aren't open at the back? I want to listen to music in my office at work, although the current headphones i have leak a bit of noise (general feedback), and it sorta annoys my supervisor (whos in the same office) The noise is pretty loud though? Or any DIY job for insulating headphones? no music at work is killing me

12-10-2003, 08:01 AM	#17 (permalink)
Kush Insane Location: Ecosse.	I concur with the SR-60s. At night when everyone is in bed and i can't have my speakers blaring out, they make up for it completely. __________________ I like this forum. A lot.

12-11-2003, 07:21 PM	#20 (permalink)
NeverBorn I'm a pepper bitch..	I actually perfer headphones

12-11-2003, 08:25 AM	#19 (permalink)
jvwgtr Completely bananas Location: Florida	I find that I also get a lot more out of the music when I listen with (even my cheapo) headphones. Has anybody tried out these 5.1 surround sound headphones from Zalman ? They look interesting (especially for gameplay) but lack some bass, from what I understand.

12-11-2003, 07:58 PM	#21 (permalink)
CS733t Crazy	I used to use headphones all the time to be courteous to my roomates...now I use only my speakers, and turn it down if need be. If I really wanna zone out from everything else and just listen to music then I'll pop on the headphones. It definetly puts you deeper into the music. One annoying thing I didn't like about using headphones on the computer, is that the darn audible alerts (like on AIM) would deafen me and sometimes scare the crap outta me. __________________ So tired now of paying my dues I start out strong but then I always lose It's half the distance before you leave me behind It's such a waste of time

12-12-2003, 06:40 AM	#24 (permalink)
jwoody Shackle Me Not Location: Newcastle - England.	Another Sennheisser fan here. I've had countless headphones in the past and the Sennheissers are by far the best value for money out there. My advice would be to get a pair that cover your ears rather than ones that sit on or in the ears. Sit-on can get really uncomfortable after a while, and the sit in type are also uncomfortable with added bonus of being a breeding ground for bacteria. __________________ .

12-12-2003, 10:38 PM	#25 (permalink)
The.Lunatic Psycho Location: Somewhere just beyond the realm of sanity...	phones are nice, but speakers are nice too. If for some reason i really want to apreciate a song or something like that i'll use my seinheizeer hd 590's those are some nice headphones, but usually just i pump it from my stero that way if i go to the bath room or something i don' thave to hear my roomates sexing it. __________________ Proud memeber of the Insomniac Club.