$500 (!!) Teac bone-conduction phones? Anyone heard these?

[feh1325]

Quote:

Originally Posted by M0T0XGUY /img/forum/go_quote.gif Well, if you're going to propose a "pass-around," I'm sure you could make each person pay much less money. There are what, 50K Head-Fi members now? 44 of them could pay $10 each, and then it would be much more doable. Of course, passing one pair of headphones around to 44 people certainly has its flaws, but count me in if you decide to actually get something together.

or we could do a raffle

 

[Barricus]

The way I understand it is the headphones cause the small bones in the ear to resonate, moving the little hairs in the Cochlea. It just skips the eardrum and canal, so you cans still paralyze the little hairs or damage other parts of the inner ear.

 

[DrBenway]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Barricus /img/forum/go_quote.gif The way I understand it is the headphones cause the small bones in the ear to resonate, moving the little hairs in the Cochlea. It just skips the eardrum and canal, so you cans still paralyze the little hairs or damage other parts of the inner ear.

I suspect you're right. But the PR message that bone-conduction phones are somehow safer seems firmly implanted in the Web zombies who parrot press releases. Here's another example...

http://news.softpedia.com/news/Music...ne-53277.shtml

A choice quote from this "review:"
"The most important thing is that the user of bone-conducting headphones will no longer suffer from hearing damage as this is usually the result of long-time exposure to high sound levels in head gear. If you like music loud, the bone-conducting headphones are the safest way to go; besides the health-issue such headphones are also fashionable and tech-stylish as well."

I don't know if they are really safer or not. But it's amazing to me how easily the Web passes through whatever Joe or Jill from marketing feeds it. Or could it be that our entire culture is brain-dead? Weopons of mass destruction anyone?

 

[MarkKLC]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Barricus /img/forum/go_quote.gif The way I understand it is the headphones cause the small bones in the ear to resonate, moving the little hairs in the Cochlea. It just skips the eardrum and canal, so you cans still paralyze the little hairs or damage other parts of the inner ear.

Yeah, in terms of long term hearing damage, the eardrums aren't even a factor. It's the cilia of the choclea that get damaged over time, and hence they are unable to send an action potential to the brain. Bone conduction still stimulates the hairs in the same way.

Wow, seriously, how can a company that makes $500 headphones not know how hearing works.

 

[tw0k1ngs]

Correct me if I'm wrong, but isn't the reason we biologically have ears is as to NOT ever purchase these?

 

[DrBenway]

Quote:

Originally Posted by MarkKLC /img/forum/go_quote.gif Wow, seriously, how can a company that makes $500 headphones not know how hearing works.

I'm sure that TEAC's designers, tech reps, and other technical people understand this issue fully. But they aren't the ones who write the press releases or peddle the product to the media. That's the province of the marketing department, where technical understanding (along with having a conscience) is completely optional, if not undesireable.

Why let established fact get in the way of an effective pitch, even if that pitch is nonsense?