[hiccamer]

Ladies and Gentlemen,
A very good friend of mine, who happens to be a rather talented musician, is deaf in his left ear. He has asked me to help create a single sided rig with mid-fi to hi-fi quality sound. Listening interests of his include the Talking Heads to Muse, and some more classic rock. Not much hip-hop, rap, etc...
Please advise if you can on how I should proceed in finding such a set of cans...

regards,
hiccamer

 

[Uncle Erik]

Put up a WTB ad for a pair of headphones with one dead driver. I'm sure a few will turn up. You might even want to talk to John Grado. You'd think he has a return or two with one bad driver. You should be able to get a good pair at a good price.

For an amp, talk to the builders here about making a one channel amp that will sum stereo into mono. Should not be difficult and the parts cost will be lower, too.

You should also have your friend create an account here.

 

[silverrain]

Simple question:
why does it matter if there is sound going into the deaf ear?
Wy not just normal headphones?

 

[jinx20001]

er4B

 

[hiccamer]

well given that recordings are in stereo, he would like to hear both the left and right tracks into his right ear...
does that sum up the problem?

 

[jinx20001]

dont take that the wrong way, its not a mean joke, because binaural means ofcourse litterally having 2 ears and being able to pick up where musical sounds are coming from. having one ear this may benifit your friend more than ordinary phones.

basically, the er4-B will appear to have a wider soundstage than ordinary canalphones

 

[hiccamer]

right on about the er4b, is there a way to wire them so that both Left and Right would play in the Right canal?
i just want to see if there is a way we can "round out" his listening experience...
thanx

 

[xnothingpoetic]

.

 

[silverrain]

Quote:

Originally Posted by hiccamer /img/forum/go_quote.gif well given that recordings are in stereo, he would like to hear both the left and right tracks into his right ear... does that sum up the problem?

I have simple, cheap, plug adaptors that convert stereo to mono -- both channels go into both ears exactly the same. Same size and price as a 1/4 to 1/8 adaptor.
Maybe $2 Available in many, many places (where I got mine).
I use them for the rare recording that has an overwhelming amount of the sound on just ONE side (some early Beatles music, for instance) -- this way it is equal sound on both sides.
So simple, if the problem is presented properly.

 

[ethebull]

Most folks who are deaf still have some amount of residual hearing. Deaf in one ear people would do well to have monophonic sound playing through their HP's, with the volume level perhaps higher or maybe lower in the bad ear (depending on the nature of their hearing loss). From a source to an amp, you could use two Y-splittting RCA's end to end to sum the signals, assuming there's no mono function at hand. A good flexable set-up would be an old integrated amp or reciever that has a mono button and balance control.

2 cents

E

 

[EnOYiN]

I think downmixing to mono is quite a common option in a lot of audio applications on a computer.

 

[silverrain]

Here's one:
This isn't the right one -- you need one that does the reverse of this one -- but if you google it up, you will find one.

EDIT: Plug this one into the one I posted further down, and you are in business. From J&R online.


enlarge
[size=x-small]Arista 16-099 3.5mm Stereo To 3.5mm Mono Headphone Adapter[/size]

Convert 3.5mm stereo to 3.5mm mono / For listening to mono audio on your stereo headphones
J&R Item # IST 16-099
Mfr. Part # 16-099

Only $1.99

 

[appophylite]

I think the mono adapter is probably the best way to go. I used to have a pair of Radio Shack Sportstyles that could switch between stereo and mono, and I thought the mono setting sounded rather nice, though I only used it once to test what it sounded like.

 

[silverrain]

Here you go -- plug this into your source, then plug the one I posted above, into this one, and the can plug in any normal stereo headphone and get mono sound -- both channels in both ears. From Radio Shack online.

Simple and cheap. And, if you look around, you can find this set-up, all-in-one-unit, like I have (don't remember where I got it)

For custom audio connections.
Use this in-line audio adapter to plug a mono cable into a stereo audio source. Accepts a 1/8" mono plug and fits a 1/8" stereo jack. Knurled metal housing. Keep handy for custom audio connections!

1. Accepts 1/8" mono plug
2. Fits 1/8" stereo jack
3. Knurled metal housing

Print

Email a friend

[size=small]1/8" Stereo Plug to 1/8" Mono Plug Adapter[/size]

[size=small]$2.99[/size]
[size=small]

[/size]Model: 274-0374
Catalog #: 274-374

 

[-=Germania=-]

The easiest thing it to get a computer program that will do mono- out. There are also many old mono headphones and amps.

Believe me, I do understand the frustration. I used to have severe hearing loss in my left ear. Now, (after surgery) I have mild hearing loss. YAY!

You should find out if his deafness is due to the auditory nerve or some other issue. Really, they would have not been able to do the sugery I had this september 5 years ago.

To any on-lookers: You shoudl know that even though you can only hear out of one ear that you still get a 3d sound space because your brain adjusts and reinterprets.