monitors vs headphones

clipperer · Post by **clipperer** » Mon Apr 18, 2005 4:36 am

i wish to get new headphones . soon... maybe,so maybe somebody could suggest me ql headphones ?
and what about the quality - monitors vs headphones?. the thing is that i dont have money for good monitors so maybe i could get good headphones..

FaX-01 · Post by **FaX-01** » Mon Apr 18, 2005 5:29 am

I'd take a pair of Behringer Truth Active's over headphones anyday of the week - maybe I just value my long term hearing prospects more than others do .
If you wan't to end up being a chronic tinitus sufferer go ahead and use cans.
Otherwise find a better option.
Just my opinion though.

John Daminato · Post by **John Daminato** » Mon Apr 18, 2005 6:08 am

I know of a lot of producers swear by the Sony VR900's. I just read some article that studio style headphones can cause brain damage. Due to the magnetic field being so close to your head. Of course this article was coupled with a new pair of headphones that block the magnetic field...Retail around $240.00 Check in this months remix. That is some scary shit, I use headphones all the time. Beringer Truth monitors are cheap as f*ck compared to most studio monitors. The only reason to buy headphones vs's
monitors, would be if you had problems turning stuff up.

clipperer · Post by **clipperer** » Mon Apr 18, 2005 7:36 am

what the... where did you get that inf?
if youre a cyborg then you could get some damages maybe. and anyways how can you block magnets. you can do it only if you have a lots of metal

ConneKted · Post by **ConneKted** » Tue Apr 19, 2005 2:54 pm

FaX-01 wrote: If you wan't to end up being a chronic tinitus sufferer go ahead and use cans.

is that true ?

sweetjesus · Post by **sweetjesus** » Tue Apr 19, 2005 2:59 pm

ConneKted wrote:
FaX-01 wrote: If you wan't to end up being a chronic tinitus sufferer go ahead and use cans.
is that true ?

Whaattt? I can't hear you!

Angstrom · Post by **Angstrom** » Tue Apr 19, 2005 3:06 pm

If you want to be a chronic tinitus sufferer - perform in clubs!

my 'monitor ear' makes its own noises now, my position on stage always meant my left ear faced a monstrous monitor.

one of the major reasons I dont do club performances anymore. I have noticed all big (sensible) acts wear 'hamster tampons' on stage now.

According to the Airo study, listeners in a quiet room set headphone volumes at an average of 69db

from http://www.headwize.com/articles/hearing_art.htm

Realworld Db figures :
60 dB Everyday conversation, ringing telephone.
70 dB Restaurant.
80 dB Heavy city traffic, alarm clock at 2 feet, factory noise, vacuum cleaner, garbage disposal.

where the OSHA Noise Exposure recommendations only start at 90 dbA ( 8 hrs)

A 'rock concert' is over 115 dbA (next to my monitor for sure) and is reccomended 0.25 hr or less !!!

Of course - if you are wearing phones to cue up tunes in a club against a monster rig... bye bye hearing
wooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo

ilia · Post by **ilia** » Tue Apr 19, 2005 3:17 pm

clipperer wrote:i wish to get new headphones . soon... maybe,so maybe somebody could suggest me ql headphones ?
and what about the quality - monitors vs headphones?. the thing is that i dont have money for good monitors so maybe i could get good headphones..

Well, headphones will not replace monitors for mixing, but for tracking/arranging stuff you can get away with a decent pair. I've used Sony MDR7506 for something like 8 years, and I am generally satisfied with them, they cost about $100 and are much better than anything I've tried in the sub-$200 range. They have a bit of a hyped treble response, but I don't mind that, since I won't trust my headphones for bass anyway.

One thing I've noticed is I tend to gradually turn the volume up if I work for many hours, 'cause everything tends to sound better/more compressed, and I get to hear little details... probably very dangerous for ears, I am starting to notice some pain after long sessions.

rikhyray · Post by **rikhyray** » Tue Apr 19, 2005 3:24 pm

I had nasty combination of tinnitus+ SHL (sudden hear loss) over a month ago. I was working without breaks on urgent project ( I mean I wanted the MONEY quickly) I realised instantly what it was, waking up with the buzz in left ear, gone immediately to the doctor, got tested and so found out it was not just tinnitus but SHL too. The ear was dead for everything above 4000. They wanted to put me in hospital for at least 10 days to get 5-6 hours of infusions daily. Instead I used certain Yoga techniques ( since I knew from docs what the medicines are to do). Now I am almost OK, had only one time the problem returning cause I suspect by HD 25 that I used for perhaps an hour. I am more cautious now, take break eat healthier etc, etc. still a bit sensitive , loud sounds ( like at the crazy Messe!) or using headphone cause a kind of pressure feeling in the ear which means now- "go make some macchiato!".
I work daily with headphones since few weeks (it is must for some stuff) up to 50% means 4-5 hours daily with no problems. BUT I locked the HD 25 and I guess any closed headphones are out for some time.
I recommend HD 650 or HD 600 from Sennheiser, that is what I use without problems. Headphones are not substitute for monitors but are must for some types of work, however they have to be of certain standard otherwise waste of time and ears ( other models would be Beyers 990 pro) Sony`s have some good cans but closed ones and these are not so good to use for more time. Anyway it all depend on type of work

elemental · Post by **elemental** » Tue Apr 19, 2005 3:44 pm

rikhyray, what are the Yoga techniques you speak of?

i'm interested to try and counterbalance my own tinnitus problem.

rikhyray · Post by **rikhyray** » Tue Apr 19, 2005 4:02 pm

Kapalbhati, Anuloma Viloma, Agni Prasarana and some other pranayamas, then certain kriyas and asanas combinations. I wouldnt suggest doing all that without having experienced instructor, and most of so called Yoga teachers have no clue. The idea of these cortison, steroids mix they wanted to infuse was to increase the blood circulation. So I use the techniques to increase oxygene in the blood and then direct it to the problem spot. I am not against western medicine but in this case there is lack of evidence that the treatments work at all ???
Tinnitus and SHL are not DISEASE just symptoms, warning signals so I suppose it makes sense to take better care of daily audio"hygiene".
I work several hours out of the studio, laptop+ microKontrol, eat more fresh fruits and vegetables, etc, etc it is great anyway working in the free air at night , inspiring and same time healthier

mikemc · Post by **mikemc** » Tue Apr 19, 2005 4:18 pm

I would agree that it's very important to use headphones more sparingly. After using headphones for several hours each nite, got an ear infection.. bla... if you use headphones for more than half an hour, after a while tug down on your earlobe. If you feel any discomfort in the inside of your ear, yeh

time to make the macchiato.

You should try to compare a few different kinds of headphones.

I've found that a very interesting 'view of the music' can be had listening to headphones with good bass response at the same time as a cheapo pair of monitors at moderate levels.

I listened to the beyerdynamic D770s and bought them, $199. The reason for this is that I felt that paying the same amount for a pair of headphones as a pair of powered monitors was getting a little out there

. But I am told the Sennheiser HD 650s are very very good.

The DT 770s are closed headphones, so I can use them for vocals, and are very comfortable with very nice bass response for use in mixing.

toneroll · Post by **toneroll** » Tue Apr 19, 2005 4:59 pm

can anyone tell me exactly what tinitus feels/sounds like, by any chance?

i think i have a problem with my left ear, but i have deffinatley had it since i was very little,

sometimes its like waves crashing inside it , like noisy vibrations, and at the extreme its like clipping , or a blown speaker. this only happens when theres a loudish sound, like when im listening to my ipod and theres some especially cracking snares in it, my left ear will distort every time it hits.

it sounds like a blown tweeter in my ear.

when i first get up its at its most sensitive,

have i got any of th above conditions do you think?

Tinhead · Post by **Tinhead** » Tue Apr 19, 2005 5:31 pm

Best investment ever.

You can get different interchangeable filters (9 / 15 / 25 dB cut) so you are pretty much covered no matter how big the sound system is, but you can still hear what you are doing perfectly. Once I moved to an apartment without any street / ambient noise at night and noticed my ears ringing slightly, I remembered that hearing damage is irreversible for the most part...

rikhyray · Post by **rikhyray** » Tue Apr 19, 2005 7:56 pm

Tinhead wrote:

Best investment ever.

You can get different interchangeable filters (9 / 15 / 25 dB cut) so you are pretty much covered no matter how big the sound system is, but you can still hear what you are doing perfectly. Once I moved to an apartment without any street / ambient noise at night and noticed my ears ringing slightly, I remembered that hearing damage is irreversible for the most part...

Where can you get these ? I saw some at the Messe but 150 Euro a pair seemed steep to me. Remember having some from Manny`s NYC but lost them long time ago.

monitors vs headphones

monitors vs headphones

Re: monitors vs headphones