[AudioDwebe]

It just occurred to me last night that whenever I'm physically tired, I prefer a warmer sounding presentation in my cans. Anything remotely bright (Grado/AKG/Denon) causes listener fatigue to kick in very quickly.

The 501's will sound like a turd, the GS1000's will make me say "ouch" but the HD650's, now those allow me to actually relax and listen to some music. And looking back on it, it seems I've reached for the Senns whenever I've been really tired and chose to listen to music via cans. This doesn't happen often because normally, when I'm that tired, I just veg in front of the TV.

So it got me to thinking...

Is listener fatigue more a phenomenon of our body's inabililty to tolerate certain frequencies based on its energy reserve more so than the brighter sounding headphones themselves?

I don't know if the question really makes much sense. It just strikes me as a bit odd that I normally prefer the brighter cans, but on other occasions, those same cans can drive me nuts. Not just "drive me nuts" but actually are rather painful to listen to.

Is this just me, or do others go through this, too? And if so, why do you think it is?



'Dwebe

 

[feifan]

Good question. I have a feeling even fatigue is variable, and it could be general or specific, i.e., entire body or just the ears.

When I'm physically exhausted, I reach for the most neutral lineup to take the edge off and relax. And that would be the HD800 or K701.

In my rigs, fatigue localized in the ear is usually a function of volume. After 1-5 minutes of volume that's even a click or two too high, I feel irritable. The irritability for me is a gauge that I need to step it down.

For me, generally speaking, lineups that add color are more fatiguing. That is, the less neutral, the more fatiguing.

 

[Pincher]

Maybe it's time to go to bed? I have to take a night off once and a while too, I just need to catch up on sleep.

 

[kmhaynes]

Sure! Enjoying music is predominantly a mental activity, once you get past the physiology of the ear, and the mind is never interacting with the music in a vacuum. Another example is that sometimes certain smells make us salivate, other times the same smell can sicken us. So, changing conditions of the body and mind affect the way we interact with music, food, etc.

I have the same reactions with my RE0 due to their high level details, and my mind just wants to relax with music, so I pop on my KSC-75 -- a good bit cheaper than a HD650!!

 

[Head_case]

When I'm physically exhausted, I can't listen to music through headphones.

More likely to strangle myself in my sleep with all the twisted cord around my neck.

I guess being physically tired and having 'sensory overload', really means we need some low stimulation space i.e. a quiet sanctuary to recharge, so that we can enjoy listening to music the next day.

 

[9pintube]

Great Topic! Two great opinions from, feifan and AudioDwebe....When I'm fatigued I put on recordings that were recorded well. This usually equates to Tube mics and Old School mixing boards being operated by competent engineers and producers...

 

[scompton]

I'm with fiefan. Volume is what does it to me. I don't own many bright headphones though. The other thing that can bother me is ear lobe fatigue from supra aural headphones.

 

[Bilavideo]

That's it. I'm off to bed. (No kidding.)

 

[AudioDwebe]

The 501's sound great again. Man, what a difference a day makes. I think I might be listening at a slightly lower volume than yesterday, but I can't attribute the difference to that only. At least I don't think so anyways.

I think along with fatigue, what probably contributed to the (seemingly) brightness was going from a really warm and powerful tubed amp to another tubed amp that clearly leans more toward a neutral presentation.

I'm thinkin' one amp and one headphone and be done with it.



Nahhh.

 

[9pintube]

Good Choice, Now Let's listen to "Pincher" and "Bilavideo" and hit the Bed.......

 

[jsplice]

I've noticed this too. In general I am more sensitive to brighter and more analytical sounding gear. So I have to be in an extra good mood to even tolerate such a sound. This really makes finding headphones that I enjoy difficult, since it seems many are geared towards a bright/analytical sound. I recently purchased the "new" version of the HD650s and those were even too analytical for me. I'm now finding my ATH-AD700s to be more enjoyable on classical/jazz, and still love my DT770s for rock/electronic. My Grado's I can't stand, and will be selling those shortly. They are just way too "in your face" for me. I tried, but could never get used to them...not even while in fully rested, happy moods.

 

[Kenny6007]

i've also really loved the HD650 sound at nights after a long day, imo they're fairly neutral with real warm highs.

 

[oqvist]

When physically tired your body want you to sleep so it won´t tolerate headphones that keep you awake

 

[jclaytonsound]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Head_case /img/forum/go_quote.gif When I'm physically exhausted, I can't listen to music through headphones.

+1

Can't concentrate enough to even enjoy the music, so what's the point!?

 

[oqvist]

And I who think to totally enjoy music you can´t focus on it to hard and dissect it? It depends on how you listen. I guess I have switched camp lately but music is the most enjoyable when you are tired and dumb and just let the music flow