[DrBenway]

Here's a link to the site copy at AudioCubes:

http://www.audiocubes.com/product_in...oducts_id=2154

Does this have the potential to be truly high fidelity, I wonder?

 

[wnmnkh]

hmm... wow.

 

[facelvega]

there have been multiple threads on these in general, including one a couple of days ago.

 

[evilking]

How do they sound?
I'd seriously consider buying one for portable use if they were any good.

 

[DrBenway]

Quote:

Originally Posted by facelvega /img/forum/go_quote.gif there have been multiple threads on these in general, including one a couple of days ago.

I read through the previous threads, and saw no mention of this product. This announcement is a potentially significant development, since the price point suggests a certain level of performance. Or of hype.

Still wondering if anyone has heard these critters...

 

[evilking]

Most probably overpriced nonsense, but you never know... Teac could have modified into a "giant" killer!

 

[DrBenway]

Quote:

Originally Posted by evilking /img/forum/go_quote.gif Most probably overpriced nonsense, but you never know...

Exactly. My take on this technology has been summed up so far by one word: gimmick.

But think about it. What if this set of cans could compete with others in the price range? Without ear damage? Now that would be worth looking into. Problem is, I don't want to be the guinea pig who forks over the $500 necessary for reconnaissance!

 

[003]

Quote:

Originally Posted by DrBenway /img/forum/go_quote.gif Exactly. My take on this technology has been summed up so far by one word: gimmick. But think about it. What if this set of cans could compete with others in the price range? Without ear damage?

No, you would still damage your hearing. Normal headphones send the sound vibrations through the air, and then they reach your eardrum and vibrate it. Bone-conducting does just what the name implies. They send the vibrations through your skull, instead of through the air. Once they reach your eardrum, it still has the same effect.

 

[LawnGnome]

Quote:

Originally Posted by 003 /img/forum/go_quote.gif No, you would still damage your hearing. Normal headphones send the sound vibrations through the air, and then they reach your eardrum and vibrate it. Bone-conducting does just what the name implies. They send the vibrations through your skull, instead of through the air. Once they reach your eardrum, it still has the same effect.

Not quite, regular sound has pressure to it. The pressure damages your ear drums.

And conducted sound wouldn't cause pressure, so the possible hearing damage should be much much lower.

 

[jamato8]

It is not so much the eardrums as the minute hairs that send the input to the nerve cells. Hit these hard enough with sound of any type over and over and they no longer stand up but lay over and do not react to sending the message to the nerves that send a message to the brain that a sound is present.

 

[DrBenway]

Quote:

Originally Posted by 003 /img/forum/go_quote.gif No, you would still damage your hearing. Normal headphones send the sound vibrations through the air, and then they reach your eardrum and vibrate it. Bone-conducting does just what the name implies. They send the vibrations through your skull, instead of through the air. Once they reach your eardrum, it still has the same effect.

There seems to be some disagreement about this. Personally, I'm skeptical, as the idea of high SPLs without hearing damage sounds suspiciously like a free lunch.

Whether this is true or not, however, the vendors seem to be positioning this technology as a safer alternative to conventional phones.

As it says on the Audiocubes site:

"If you enjoy listening to loud music and is concerned with deteriorating hearing then Teac's Filltune is the answer for you."

Be interesting to see how this plays out. And I still want to hear these things.

 

[Assorted]

I'm willing to pitch in a $100. We can all give a little and do a pass around. If one of us likes it, he'll pay full price.

 

[M0T0XGUY]

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.

 

[VR6ofpain]

Maybe in the future we will be able to 'tap into' the brain directly sending the same chemical signals that our ears send to the brain, without actually using the ear drum as a 'microphone' to pick up the signal. That way, we could theoretically have an incredible strong signal (perceived by the brain as insanely loud sound), but without the destruction and possible distortion (from the ear drum being damaged) from using the ear drum. I used to discuss this over beers with buddies of mine in college after taking a course called Minds, Brains, and Machines. It was a very interesting class co-taught by the Computer Science and Psychology departments. This topic never came up in class, but the idea came to mind after going home after lecture one day and turning on some Moby at really loud volumes.

 

[jellybones]

scariest thing i've seen in a while.