lmilhan
Headphoneus Supremus
- Joined
- Oct 28, 2004
- Posts
- 4,880
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- 17
This turned out to be a bit long winded, sorry!
Hi all.
I am fresh back from my Vacation to Key West. The wife and I had a blast. It really is an amazing, interesting and fun place to visit (assuming you can deal with the tropical weather). Seeing how this is our third trip back there, and also the place where we were married (on the beach at sunset), I think it is safe to say we love it.
Anywho, one of our (many) activities included visiting the 'Pirate Soul' museum. It is a Pirate Museum owned by Pat Croce (of 76ers fame). The museum contains many interesting and authentic Pirate treasure, tools, chests, navigation equipment, guns, etc. This is the real "Pirates Of The Caribbean" folks. The museum kind of reminded me of something that Disney land would do, but with a bit more of an adult theme to it. Cool stuff if you are into Pirate lore and history. At any rate, one of the attractions was two rooms that could host up to 12 people each. It was a 3 minute binaural audio show about the massive Pirate battle that ended in the death of one of the most infamous Pirates of all time - Blackbeard. I won't ruin the story for those who don't know it, but let's just say that Blackbeard's life was ended in a very grizzly fashion.
I have heard quite a few binaural recordings in my life, but this one took the cake. You go into the room, and each person puts on a pair of headphones. The lights go down, and it gets very dark in the room, which further enhances the experience. You hear rats crawling all around the hull of the ship, and pirates bustling about shouting and fighting, it really felt like you were in the middle of it all. VERY realistic, and the voice acting and production quality of the recording was absolutely top notch.
To further add to the immersion and realism, the headphones were supplemented with bass shakers in the seats (for cannon fire and large explosions), and there were some external loudspeakers placed strategically around the room, in the walls and in the ceiling.
It was so realistic, I felt myself wanting to duck, bob and weave to avoid the flaming torches, blunderbus fire, cannon explosions and sword fighting that was going on. You know those "box of matches" and "virtual haircut" and other binaural recordings floating around Head-Fi? CHILD'S PLAY compared to this ear candy I tell you. I was sad it only lasted for 3 minutes. I would rather go to a full length feature of a binaural audio production similar to this exhibit than most of the movies that are being cranked out these days. I would not hesitate to pay a full movie ticket price to experience something like that - it was THAT good.
And so here is the Headphone geek part: Before I stepped into that room, I was DYING to know what type of Headphones they would use. Boy was I relieved when I walked in and saw an entire row of KOSS Portapros hanging on the wall. They were stock, and the only difference I could spot was that they had a black foam pad on the left driver, and a yellow foam pad on the right driver. This was used as a device for Headphone newbs to very easily and quickly determine how to orient the proper drivers on the proper ears.
So apparently the people who put this production together knew what they were doing when it came to picking affordable Headphones that would sound fantastic. And let me tell you, the Portapros did this exhibit justice. Plus it makes good fiscal sense to go with a KOSS product, because they offer a lifetime "no questions asked" replacement policy. I am sure with the number of negligent or careless people who visit this exhibit, these Headphones get used abused and broken all the time. So I am sure they just save up a big box full of broken phones, then ship them back to KOSS with the proper payment ($6 per phone) and then they get a new batch of replacement phones. Then rinse and repeat. Knowing what I know about headphones, If I were in charge of this exhibit, these are the EXACT phones I would have chosen. So BRAVO to the team responsible for this exhibit!
So if you ever find yourself in Key West, I would definitely suggest making one of your stops the Pirate Soul museum. It really is a fun museum, and the binaural show is sure to knock the socks off of any Headphile, or anyone really for that matter.
And here are some more Headphone related thoughts and observations I made during my vacation:
First of all, I knew I wouldn't get much Headphone listening time in because we had such a full schedule of things to do. But I of coarse brought a portable rig with me for (at least) the plane trip. I decided to bring a cheap and highly protable rig with me (just in case it got lost, damaged, stolen, or a T.S.A. agent decided he wanted to keep it for himself, etc). So the PS-1s and K-1000s stayed at home! I went with my KOSS KSC-75s, JVC Marshmallows, and 2nd Gen iPOD shuffle loaded with 5 or 6 of my favorite (or new) CDs.
The JVC Marshmallows worked perfectly and were able to sufficiently drown out the cabin noise, people noise, and engine noise enough for me to relax and enjoy my music. There is one catch though, on one leg of our trip, we had seats right near the engines, and the Marshmallows struggled to keep that noise blocked out. As a matter of fact, I would bet that no IEMs would have stood a chance that close to the engines. I think in this instance, a pair of active noise canceling phones would have been the better choice. It is ashame that there aren't many that are reported to have very good sound quality. If I traveled by plane very often (say like maybe a business man) I would most definitely be considering the absolute best sounding active noise canceling headphones that money could buy. Or perhaps a DIY pair of noise cancelling (28+DBs) muffs equipped with some KSC-75 drivers would be a better sounding (and cheaper) alternative? For those who don't travel by plane very often, a decent pair of IEMs will do the trick, as long as you aren't sitting on top of the engines.
For whatever it may be worth, I was using the Marshmallows modded to use the Shure E2C orange foamies. The jets we flew on was an RJ-200 for one leg of the trip, and an RJ-800 for the other leg.
There were a couple of nights were I got a chance to sit in a comfy chair out on the deck of our Bed and Breakfast with a good cigar, the KSC-75s and the shuffle, and listened to the new Dream Theater CD as I watched the sun set. Pure and utter bliss I tell you. This vacation further solidified my love for the KSC-75s. They really are an amazing pair of phones for such little dough. I have serious doubts that they will ever be bested when a 'performance/cost' ratio is considered. Yep, they really are that good folks. But you already knew that.
I also took note of the headphones people were using at the airport, and on the actual flights. I'm sad to announce that there wasn't much variation. There were three camps of people: those who used iBUDS, those who used some sort of active noise canceling phones (mostly Quiet Comfort), and then there was me with my cheap little Marshmallows and KOSS KSC-75s. I can't imagine how loud those poor bastards with iBUDs had to crank their iPODs to get the music loud enough to hear over the cabin noise and the roar of the jet engine.
Summary:
IEMs = good enough for plane trip as long as your seat isn't close to the engines.
KSC-75s = Still reign supreme when a price/performance ratio is considered. They are fantastic.
Key West = An amazing place to vacation in (as long as you can stand the tropical weather).
Pirate Soul museum binaural show = the BOMB.
Probably 95% of the population = think that the only phones out there are stock iBUDs, or if you really want the "best" headphones, then Bose are the be all, end all of headphones. *sigh*
Pics:
Hi all.
I am fresh back from my Vacation to Key West. The wife and I had a blast. It really is an amazing, interesting and fun place to visit (assuming you can deal with the tropical weather). Seeing how this is our third trip back there, and also the place where we were married (on the beach at sunset), I think it is safe to say we love it.
Anywho, one of our (many) activities included visiting the 'Pirate Soul' museum. It is a Pirate Museum owned by Pat Croce (of 76ers fame). The museum contains many interesting and authentic Pirate treasure, tools, chests, navigation equipment, guns, etc. This is the real "Pirates Of The Caribbean" folks. The museum kind of reminded me of something that Disney land would do, but with a bit more of an adult theme to it. Cool stuff if you are into Pirate lore and history. At any rate, one of the attractions was two rooms that could host up to 12 people each. It was a 3 minute binaural audio show about the massive Pirate battle that ended in the death of one of the most infamous Pirates of all time - Blackbeard. I won't ruin the story for those who don't know it, but let's just say that Blackbeard's life was ended in a very grizzly fashion.
To further add to the immersion and realism, the headphones were supplemented with bass shakers in the seats (for cannon fire and large explosions), and there were some external loudspeakers placed strategically around the room, in the walls and in the ceiling.
It was so realistic, I felt myself wanting to duck, bob and weave to avoid the flaming torches, blunderbus fire, cannon explosions and sword fighting that was going on. You know those "box of matches" and "virtual haircut" and other binaural recordings floating around Head-Fi? CHILD'S PLAY compared to this ear candy I tell you. I was sad it only lasted for 3 minutes. I would rather go to a full length feature of a binaural audio production similar to this exhibit than most of the movies that are being cranked out these days. I would not hesitate to pay a full movie ticket price to experience something like that - it was THAT good.
And so here is the Headphone geek part: Before I stepped into that room, I was DYING to know what type of Headphones they would use. Boy was I relieved when I walked in and saw an entire row of KOSS Portapros hanging on the wall. They were stock, and the only difference I could spot was that they had a black foam pad on the left driver, and a yellow foam pad on the right driver. This was used as a device for Headphone newbs to very easily and quickly determine how to orient the proper drivers on the proper ears.
So apparently the people who put this production together knew what they were doing when it came to picking affordable Headphones that would sound fantastic. And let me tell you, the Portapros did this exhibit justice. Plus it makes good fiscal sense to go with a KOSS product, because they offer a lifetime "no questions asked" replacement policy. I am sure with the number of negligent or careless people who visit this exhibit, these Headphones get used abused and broken all the time. So I am sure they just save up a big box full of broken phones, then ship them back to KOSS with the proper payment ($6 per phone) and then they get a new batch of replacement phones. Then rinse and repeat. Knowing what I know about headphones, If I were in charge of this exhibit, these are the EXACT phones I would have chosen. So BRAVO to the team responsible for this exhibit!
So if you ever find yourself in Key West, I would definitely suggest making one of your stops the Pirate Soul museum. It really is a fun museum, and the binaural show is sure to knock the socks off of any Headphile, or anyone really for that matter.
And here are some more Headphone related thoughts and observations I made during my vacation:
First of all, I knew I wouldn't get much Headphone listening time in because we had such a full schedule of things to do. But I of coarse brought a portable rig with me for (at least) the plane trip. I decided to bring a cheap and highly protable rig with me (just in case it got lost, damaged, stolen, or a T.S.A. agent decided he wanted to keep it for himself, etc). So the PS-1s and K-1000s stayed at home! I went with my KOSS KSC-75s, JVC Marshmallows, and 2nd Gen iPOD shuffle loaded with 5 or 6 of my favorite (or new) CDs.
The JVC Marshmallows worked perfectly and were able to sufficiently drown out the cabin noise, people noise, and engine noise enough for me to relax and enjoy my music. There is one catch though, on one leg of our trip, we had seats right near the engines, and the Marshmallows struggled to keep that noise blocked out. As a matter of fact, I would bet that no IEMs would have stood a chance that close to the engines. I think in this instance, a pair of active noise canceling phones would have been the better choice. It is ashame that there aren't many that are reported to have very good sound quality. If I traveled by plane very often (say like maybe a business man) I would most definitely be considering the absolute best sounding active noise canceling headphones that money could buy. Or perhaps a DIY pair of noise cancelling (28+DBs) muffs equipped with some KSC-75 drivers would be a better sounding (and cheaper) alternative? For those who don't travel by plane very often, a decent pair of IEMs will do the trick, as long as you aren't sitting on top of the engines.
For whatever it may be worth, I was using the Marshmallows modded to use the Shure E2C orange foamies. The jets we flew on was an RJ-200 for one leg of the trip, and an RJ-800 for the other leg.
There were a couple of nights were I got a chance to sit in a comfy chair out on the deck of our Bed and Breakfast with a good cigar, the KSC-75s and the shuffle, and listened to the new Dream Theater CD as I watched the sun set. Pure and utter bliss I tell you. This vacation further solidified my love for the KSC-75s. They really are an amazing pair of phones for such little dough. I have serious doubts that they will ever be bested when a 'performance/cost' ratio is considered. Yep, they really are that good folks. But you already knew that.
I also took note of the headphones people were using at the airport, and on the actual flights. I'm sad to announce that there wasn't much variation. There were three camps of people: those who used iBUDS, those who used some sort of active noise canceling phones (mostly Quiet Comfort), and then there was me with my cheap little Marshmallows and KOSS KSC-75s. I can't imagine how loud those poor bastards with iBUDs had to crank their iPODs to get the music loud enough to hear over the cabin noise and the roar of the jet engine.
Summary:
IEMs = good enough for plane trip as long as your seat isn't close to the engines.
KSC-75s = Still reign supreme when a price/performance ratio is considered. They are fantastic.
Key West = An amazing place to vacation in (as long as you can stand the tropical weather).
Pirate Soul museum binaural show = the BOMB.
Probably 95% of the population = think that the only phones out there are stock iBUDs, or if you really want the "best" headphones, then Bose are the be all, end all of headphones. *sigh*
Pics:
