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Music you can only "get" through headphones.

post #1 of 25
11/1/09 at 8:24pm
Thread Starter 
OK. This being a headphone site I am sure this topic has come up before. The question is a little different that the thread about testing your headphones and the right music thereof. The question that I would like to posit is more about how you have discovered a whole new universe in an album by hearing it on phones.
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post #2 of 25
11/1/09 at 8:47pm
You get clarity through a good pair of headphones that you can't get anywhere else, so of course you can hear the details of a song that you couldn't hear normally.
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post #3 of 25
11/1/09 at 9:38pm
Thread Starter 
Right, but some albums have more to offer through phones than others. The "Piper at the Gates of Dawn", for example, sounds worlds apart through phones than when listening to it through speakers. I only understood Piper when I heard it through headphones. My question is what albums are made for the "head"?
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post #4 of 25
11/1/09 at 10:29pm
There are no specific albums made for different modes of listening. The way they're recorded will vary depending on the artist. They're all one format. The end result is whether or not you have the right equipment capable of capturing all the detail that is in the album. Technically, CD's are very good raw source for music. That's where all the lossless and lossy digital formats are derived from. So ultimately, it's down to the equipment to relay the source to you.
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post #5 of 25
11/1/09 at 11:20pm
Any binaural album typically sounds very congested through speakers.
So I guess that would be #1 on the list.
I find some electronic sounds better on headphones because of the greater sense of seperation between left and right. It does a better job of creating a soundscape (example bust a move from infected mushroom)
Other than that I have no idea, man.
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post #6 of 25
11/1/09 at 11:47pm
Good speakers >>>>>>> Good headphones. There's nothing a headphone can do that a speaker cannot do better. But of course getting a good speaker setup is more troublesome and expensive than a good headphone setup.
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post #7 of 25
11/2/09 at 1:26am
I would say Dark Ambient is best heard through headphones because you really do need to hear every minute detail to best experience it
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post #8 of 25
11/2/09 at 2:24am
Quote:
Originally Posted by fenixdown110 View Post
There are no specific albums made for different modes of listening. The way they're recorded will vary depending on the artist. They're all one format. The end result is whether or not you have the right equipment capable of capturing all the detail that is in the album. Technically, CD's are very good raw source for music. That's where all the lossless and lossy digital formats are derived from. So ultimately, it's down to the equipment to relay the source to you.
Binaural is mostly meant for headphones, for one. Then you have a variety of SACDs and DVD-As meant for 5.1 setups. So there are recordings meant for specific gear. Also, not every digital form is based on Red Book. Take a look around - there's more out there than you think.

Quote:
Originally Posted by MrGreen View Post
Any binaural album typically sounds very congested through speakers.
So I guess that would be #1 on the list.
I find some electronic sounds better on headphones because of the greater sense of seperation between left and right. It does a better job of creating a soundscape (example bust a move from infected mushroom)
Other than that I have no idea, man.
What speakers have you used with binaural recordings? I find binaural tracks to sound excellent on my speakers. No congestion that I can hear.
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post #9 of 25
11/2/09 at 3:11am
Quote:
Originally Posted by Uncle Erik View Post
What speakers have you used with binaural recordings? I find binaural tracks to sound excellent on my speakers. No congestion that I can hear.
Plenty. At the moment I've got a 2x magico model 6...
Binaural recording isn't even intended for speaker playback. It is designed to give a "speaker like presentation" on headphones. Unless your placement is awful, speakers should sound ~~~like a binaural recording on stereophonic recordings. SS is smaller, notes are blurred together.

This is comparing two equally recorded tracks, of course. Not one excellently recorded binaural and one turd.
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post #10 of 25
11/2/09 at 8:10am
Quote:
Originally Posted by Uncle Erik View Post
Binaural is mostly meant for headphones, for one. Then you have a variety of SACDs and DVD-As meant for 5.1 setups. So there are recordings meant for specific gear. Also, not every digital form is based on Red Book. Take a look around - there's more out there than you think.



What speakers have you used with binaural recordings? I find binaural tracks to sound excellent on my speakers. No congestion that I can hear.
It strictly depends on what microphone was used. If the recording is a true binaural recording, it won't sound as good on speakers. Early binaural dummy head recordings sometimes sound thin and distant when heard on speakers. This was due to the microphones lacking an EQ circuit which is built into modern professional dummy heads.

If the recording was made with a holophonic mic, then it should great on either speakers or headphones.
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post #11 of 25
11/2/09 at 9:14am
Thread Starter 
Oh yeah. Sorry for the thread. I guess you can call me a newbie regarding these things. My phones are better than my speakers.
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post #12 of 25
11/2/09 at 1:48pm
Clarity, details, frequency range and channel separation. Add binaural to those and that is about it...
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post #13 of 25
11/2/09 at 3:00pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by krmathis View Post
Clarity, details, frequency range and channel separation. Add binaural to those and that is about it...
Does this mean that headphones are better than speakers?
Personally, I don't feel the music alive if I listen only through headphones,
but it's a good way to concentrate on song lyrics,
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post #14 of 25
11/2/09 at 3:15pm
^ Probably not.
I have no doubt a speaker rig can match any headphone rigs on most (all?) aspects. But it requires so much more of you and your wallet. First of all you need a suitable sized listening room (need to build one maybe?), dampen it well, and more. First then you can install all those exclusive and expensive speaker, amplifiers, cables, ...

Headphones are so much simpler, but still bring you there.
Imo that is.
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post #15 of 25
11/2/09 at 6:42pm
Most people simply don't have the budget to build a sound room. But then again, they say that and then buy thousands of dollars in headphones and equipment. LOL
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