Do You Ever REALLY Forget that You Have Heaphones On?

[iq160plus]

Now I care about SOUND more than music. This is not right!

OK, so I have SENN 280's. They are big, and circumaural. Yet no matter what I have worn in the past, I never seem to forget that I am WEARING an object on my head. Do you ever really forget that you have headphones on?

Actually I do, but only in a rediculous circumstance. I use the SENN 280 pros to fall asleep with. I bought them for their isolating characteristics more than anything based on reviews I read here. BTW, the flexibility of the plastic they are manufactured from is perfect for me...tight, snug fit, but just enought flexibility to be comfortable when I lay on them.

Purchased them based on this forum and herein lies the problem...I can't forget that I am wearing them during waking hours. Here's some reasons why..

As a newbie, anything I got was better that FREEBIE headphones. The I first thought that the 'burn-in' stuff was hooey. Then after I realized that the sound had changed dramatically after the first couple of weeks, I was convinced...BURN-IN is real! I also notice the same BASS deficiencies that everyone else mentions. I will do the blu-tak mod I read about. The BASS deficiency is obvious to anyone that cares about music quality at all. Now begins the problem...

Instead of enjoying my music, I find myself listening to the quality of the sound rather that listen to music and enjoying it. I find myself constantly searching, mentally, for small details that I find deficient in my extremely modest audio system- PC, mp3's (128 kbps max), small cheap headphone amp.

I listen critcally to find a reason to upgrade. It seems to have robbed the joy out of music. Is there a way back for me? I am NOT altogether joking. Does it ever stop? My pocketbook can put a limit, very easily, on what I will buy. How many of you have spent less than $300 (US) on heaphones and amp combined and have truly found satisfaction?

Also, do you ever get so into your music that you FORGET that you have headphones on? Can you ever make the sound SPACIOUS enough? (sorry, newbie with limited vocabulary) To me SPACIOUS meant like more sound than two tiny dirvers, but at least a bedroom size area full of bass and sound.

Finally, come one and admit it....What percentage of the time are you listening to your tunes and your only really trying to evaluate your equipment so that you can write an interesting post on this forum? I can't help doing so, though I am so new, and have such limited equipment and experience that all I have is questions.

sorry about such a long post

-Ken, heaphonus newbeus complainus

 

[AdamZuf]

friend, listen..

headphones are not natural. they are so different then real life in the way they present things. so if you got all of that head-fi mumbo jumbo in your head, and that physical obstacle, you end up with listening to your gear.

no headphones in the world will make youforget them for an hour straight, not in a million years.

in the last few days, after travelling with headphones for a few months, without any speaker setup, i've listened to mid-fi stereo again... big speakers.
it's just much better then headphones, and screw all of the "resolution", "prescission" thing. headphones are sort of toys to the times that you can't listen to good speakers, or feel to get a bit diverse. it's nice to mix, but they cannot stand alone.

nothing can beat the way the sounds touches each other and expand into space.. and how your body feels like when it happens. the sound+body experience, which was part of your life since you were born, cannot be deattached forever from musical climax.

try to see how you absorve music with speakers vs. headphones when you try to concentrate only on your body. getting in touch with my body allows me to feel more complete and enjoy the music more, but it's problemtic with headphones.
headphones forces themselfs on you all of the time. if you admit it or not, that's not the way the human mind likes to be in as a default.

i find no reason in the world to spend more then $3000 on headphones with all of the related gear.. that price could buy you very nice and musical speaker setup that many people will envy.

 

[mikeliao]

Quote:

Originally Posted by iq160plus I listen critcally to find a reason to upgrade. It seems to have robbed the joy out of music. Is there a way back for me?

Welcome to Head-fi. Your wallet hates you and head-fi.

No seriously, this is an absolutely great community of like-minded (obsessed) individuals who enjoy listening to music and are trying to perfect their equipment to better enjoy music. Sure there's gearheads here and I welcome them because they're a great source of used equipment when I feel the urge to try something new.

Music reproduction is just that, reproduction. Like Adam mentioned, headphones lack some of the qualities of speaker music. And no matter how good the reproduction, its never going to rival live music. If you can remember that, then you should be safe. Some of us though wil spend thousands of dollars and hours trying to match live music and never be satisfied.

Is there a way back? If you're trying to reproduce music perfectly, then you'd best stay away from this and other forums. If you undestand the limitations then set realistics goals and try to be satisfied with the sound.

On a practical note, try listening to music when you're tired. At the end of a long day you'll be too tired to listen critically and more inclined to just enjoy.

 

[pnrgi]

i think the longest time i ever forgot i was wearing headphones was about 1.5 seconds. but i was stoned, so it doesnt really count.

I think basicly i have hit a point were i have not heard ever anything better sounding then my A900's. Im sure once i hear enough CD3000, or Hd650's, or a Some nice grados, i might get the upgrade bug. But i dont particulary listen for defects in my musics, though i am in the processes of reriping all my cd's in 256ACC, before they were 160mp3, and that jsut doesnt cut it. other then that, i still very much injoy music, i find that if i critically listen i can only listen to music for about 30minutes, as it is now im pushing 8 hours a day.

 

[AdamZuf]

Quote:

Originally Posted by mikeliao If you undestand the limitations then set realistics goals and try to be satisfied with the sound. On a practical note, try listening to music when you're tired. At the end of a long day you'll be too tired to listen critically and more inclined to just enjoy.

well said, A & B !

 

[plainsong]

The only time I can forget is if it's extremely well mixed, and I'm tired.. and still it would be for about a few seconds tops.

But speakers, yes even really good ones are the same. I know they're speakers. It's not that I don't hear a difference between headphones and speakers. Of course I do. But the difference isn't big enough to matter, probably because it's just as easy to go and hear it live, and I'm very much used to hearing it live.

 

[AdamZuf]

Quote:

Originally Posted by plainsong But speakers, yes even really good ones are the same. I know they're speakers.

which are much closer to reality then headphones, so you get bothered less. sounds more true and feels more true.
Quote:

It's not that I don't hear a difference between headphones and speakers. Of course I do. But the difference isn't big enough to matter, probably because it's just as easy to go and hear it live, and I'm very much used to hearing it live.

the difference isn't big enough to matter?! please tell me the ratio of live/reproduced music listening hours you have.. because it's got to be really good..
and i don't know what kind of music you listen to, but most of the music i listen to is done by dead/retired/not-available-in-israel artists.
besides, not all live music is acoustic and usually hi-fi stereos sound much better then these performances in most regards.

 

[plainsong]

It's from a life of being in orchestras and choirs and stuff like that. I hear live music a lot. And if I wasn't performing, it's easy enough to get access to a performance.

 

[Taurui]

I'm so used to have headphones on, I think it's normal for me that way

so I don't really forget that I have them on, I just don't care.. especially with my kings of comfiness, KSC-35, DT531 and CD780

-Taurui

 

[aerius]

Quote:

Originally Posted by iq160plus I listen critcally to find a reason to upgrade. It seems to have robbed the joy out of music. Is there a way back for me? I am NOT altogether joking. Does it ever stop? My pocketbook can put a limit, very easily, on what I will buy. How many of you have spent less than $300 (US) on heaphones and amp combined and have truly found satisfaction?

It's called beer therapy, drink beer (or your preferred alcoholic drink) until you're too zonked out to listen critically. After a while you just don't care anymore, and just groove along to the music. If it's legal where you live, the magical herb which rhymes with "feed" and starts with a "w" works even better. BTW, I'm one of those people who spent under $300 US for my headphone setup and I'm perfectly happy with it and I have no urge to upgrade.

 

[TrevorNetwork]

I've forgetten I'm wearing headphones many times. Often for a long period of time. Happened quite a bit with the Omega II's. I used to fall asleep with the Omega II's all the time. There were many times when I'd wake up in the middle of the night wondering who the hell had the music on so late. This state could last quite awhile. As for the ER-4S. I've been using them at work for hours on end. I forget they're on unless I'm using a playlist with wide variance in sound. Or if I'm listening to a piano concerto or celtic music I completely forget they're there unless I get up and my ipod falls on the ground, and suprises the hell out of me.

Tre

 

[wallijonn]

If you wish to make headphones disappear "more," you may need to close your eyes when listening. at the very least you should find a "more" comfortable listening position, as your body may dictate how you think. with your eyes open you are more likely to think more. if you watch a DVD movie or are playing a game your mind is less likely to listen critically and must instead concentrate elsewhere.

speakers are nice, but one can't always hear exactly what is being said if one is viewing a movie. how many times have you had to rewind to rehear a snippet of dialogue? play a game with speakers and you may not hear the monster growl in time. you are more likely to hear minute and subtle audio clues with headphones which you may miss through speakers. the telephone rings and your concentration is immediately broken. if big speakers where the end all to enjoyment we would not be able to listen to our tv, car or alarm radios. the plain fact is that speakers will colour our hearing immediately. to do non critical music listening i prefer to listen to table top radio than over a CD playing through my room sized speakers. i know that when i listen to a friend's system i can not appreciate it because of the type of music being played and the volume level it is being played at. he may be used to his $5000 car system while I may be used to my $500 PC music system. Have I heard $10,000 music systems? You betcha. I even build my own speakers. But chances are that if a friend comes over we will be discussing the technical merits of the system and not the music being reproduced. go to a concert and chances are you will be discussing the music and the performances.

 

[Sovkiller]

Quote:

Originally Posted by wallijonn "....go to a concert and chances are you will be discussing the music and the performances.

Everytime I go to a concert my impression is that the music is a way too loud for my normal listening levels, most of the times I got tinnitus, before enjoying the concert....nope, for me no more live concerts, unless in an open space....

 

[daveemac]

I can forget I've got headphones on for hours at a time...

All I've got currently is SR60s and Ety4Ps, but they send me away pretty good.


Saving for UEs.

 

[D-EJ915]

My Eggos make the top of my head irritable and are weird with my right ear. My A500s don't fit my left ear correctly...maybe if I fix these problems...

No, I always know they're on. I like headphones for what they are, but I'm not a "headphone person".