[grinch]

i brought my mg head to work and switch between my k501 and hd580. i find it to be pretty decent, considering the source is my de-j925 and definitely got tons better after rolling in a 5751.. thanks nick dangerous!

but i think the most enjoyable times i listen to music are when i'm in bed at night. i'm clean and comfortable (i shower before i sleep at night, not in the morning) and an hd600-clou red coupled with the zotl is a perfect recipe for heaven. also, rs-1 and the sugden headmaster is wonderful for picking out those tiny details. nirvana's unplugged albums is one of my favorites for this, i swear i can hear dave grohl talking through the drum mics.

also, i've been trying to read more lately. i find headphones are a great addition to this hobby. "kind of blue" is one of my favorites to read to. just last night i finished "the long dark tea-time for the soul" by douglas adams (r.i.p.) while listening to some ella and billie holiday. (love those verve desert island releases)

so i'm split over three of the choices, as i often listen with my eyes open (for reading, duh) or with my eyes clothes (just before sleep) and also at work.

 

[phidauex]

Quote:

I always listen alone, focusing all my attention on the music. If you're doing something else while listening, IMO you're no longer really listening; you're merely hearing.

I don't know about this. I do think there is value in just sitting and doing nothing but listening, which I do sometimes. But more often, i'm doing other things. Eating, browsing, cooking, tending plants or something. I listen to my phones a BIT at work, but not much.

Listening to music gives me a rhythm to pace my steps by. I listen to a lot of 'world music' such as Tabla Beat Science while doing things, and the drums and rhythm intruments pace me. I find myself walking to the beat, typing in time, etc. Its very medatative. I focus on the music, but on a more 'base' level than when i'm just sitting an listening. When i'm just sitting and listening, I am thinking about the music, like "Wow, listen to that snare drum, boy, maxxy jazz sure can flow, i didn't know bassoons could play that high, etc." but when i'm doing other things while listening, then my awareness of the music is more instinct.

As they say, "The drum is the Great Spirits' favorite instrument, which is why each person is given a heartbeat."

It 'syncs' my brain with my body and mind.

Peace,
Phidauex

 

[Trawlerman]

I think it comes down to 'horses for courses' as we brits like to say.

I have an MZ-R900 and a pair of Senn MX500's that get used for at least two hours a day, every day on my daily commute to work. If I leave the house to go anywhere (even the mall), invariably the 900 goes with me. So much so that I tend to spend more time listening to that system than my main rig. I just love my MX500s

However when I get home I put the 900 away and listen to my main rig. For the late night 'serious' listening session I will invariably put my Stax setup on and listen through that. If i'm on the computer I just put on the Grado SR60's as I don't need the level of involvement that I get from the Stax. Same for the TV, if i'm watching TV late into the night then I'll listen through the Grado's for the same reason.

My HD580s seem to spend a lot of time on the shelf these days. I really must get a decent amp to tun them

So..... the question is really much of a moot point as different headphones are better suited to invidual applications than others. All that matter is that you enjoy the music. The choice of headphones is really an individual thing and what suits one person might not suit another.



Sound as ever

 

[hinors14]

One of my friends said that he wasn't that fond of 'phones. "I can't listen to music while in the shower", he said...

If he primarily listens to music while doing other (noisy) things then I can better understand why he would settle for a DVD player instead of a CD player (for playing CD's of course). The CD player does indeed sound a lot better than the DVD, but I don't think that I would notice any difference when in shower either...

 

[Superbaldguy]

Although I voted for #3, I spend a lot of time surfing with cans on my bald head. It seems my primary headphopne of choice, lately, for daily walks or sitting in front of my PC are the MDR-D22SL "Eggos."

I've discovered there's LOT of noise around my little community, and the Eggos isolate quite well, sound excellent, and I don't look too "goofy" with these over-the-head cans. My other headphone I use, reguarly, is the KSC-35. I've gotten away from using the MDR-E888's during the warmer months for outside activity, but they are my best freind in the cold Canadian winters when they are tucked under my toque.

I toggle between listening to music with my D-EJ925 and my new MZ-E707 MD player.

Life is pretty decent, insofar as portable audio is concerned...

 

[The Quality Guru]

Quote:

Originally posted by markl It occurs to me that one's listening style can have a large impact on how one appraises a given headphone. I think this complicates our headphone reviews in a way we maybe haven't explored yet.

IMO, I think that probably most headphone reviewing ought to be done with eyes closed. To me, this would eliminate any variables one might SEE that might interfere with the listening and judging.
But, if listening with eyes closed was the only way to get an accurate picture of the capabilities of a certain pair of cans, then some of our reviews would be wrong!! They're not, though. Still, I think it would be best for one to totally emerge themselves into the music and into the listening when reviewing . . . not that all of you reviewers don't already.

Oh, and to address the poll - I do my listening with my eyes closed (go figure

)

 

[ai0tron]

I typically listen at night with my eyes closed. I find it wastefull to listen to good piano music while doing something else as the level of emotional stimulation I can get from some of these pieces is incredible and it simply doesn't happen if I'm not focused on the music and only the music. I will say though that sometimes I like to rock out to some more modern stuff while I am doing computer work.

I noticed that my level of focus in chess has reached new heights, I think it has to do with my discovery of some incredible music by schubert. Absolutely stunning pieces. I just feel more at ease when i am playing now... maybe its something else, i dont know.

 

[a1leyez0nm3]

i listen to my cans everywhere, mostly my ex-70s on my pana 780.

 

[Nattapong]

I'm another one who can't vote. Because I work at home, I am on headphone almost all day except when cooking. ( One bedroom apartment Dimazio can go everywhere) So I primarily listen while I'm working according to your selections...

... though I have speacial time that I will sit down and listen seriously to music... 1-2 hours at night then there are those eyes close.. dim light.. restriction ..

I have never done anything with eyes close.. to me closing my eyes without sleeping is uncomfortable (not natural) ... so how serious I am listening to music.. my eyes still open.. and I don't know why should I turn off light if I'm not going to bed. .. so ...

 

[WJK]

Most of my lsitening is done whilst surfing the web, or even playing games on-line if I'm not to bothered about winning

.

Something that I've noticed is that if I've just bought a new bit of equipment, any differences will pull my attention away from surfing/gaming and back to the music where I will usually re-evaluate what I just heard.

Also, about 3 times a week, I'll listen to music in the dark before going to sleep. Unfortunately, I have a tendancy to nod off after about half an hour no matter what is playing. It's an enjoyable 30 minutes though.

 

[Audio-Me]

I think closing ones eyes and turning lights off is a psychological thing. Sort of give them the psuedo feeling of more transparency. I think it's kind of creepy, like they're getting high or something, hehe. Or maybe some people just can't focus on the music without total blackness? I just let the music flow through, and try to let the mood take over... I don't dissect and ZOOM IN on the music.

 

[coolvij]

I usually listen with eyes open, lights out, in bed. Tho, my eyes often shut during particularly involving pieces of music....

I dunno, I just like looking of off, into darkness.....then shutting my eyes.....then........being jarred out of my trance when the cd ends.

 

[puck]

i listen mostly on the go-shopping, in the train, that sort of thing but with my cheeper cans. i use my better cans at home mostly in bed lights out eyes closed or open but focussed on the music. sometimes, i take walks at night with better cans focussed on the music but walking.

 

[setmenu]

Quote:

Originally posted by Audio&Me I think closing ones eyes and turning lights off is a psychological thing. Sort of give them the psuedo feeling of more transparency. I think it's kind of creepy, like they're getting high or something, hehe. Or maybe some people just can't focus on the music without total blackness? I just let the music flow through, and try to let the mood take over... I don't dissect and ZOOM IN on the music.

Hi audio
'like getting high or something'
suppose you could be right there because dark rooms lack of
any other sensory input with only the music at a high input level
is somewhat like those sensory deprivation tanks some people
like.
with no usual visual cues etc your brain starts to create them.
hence the heightened experience,perfectly natural and enjoyable
[for me].
perhaps it could regarding your comments elsewhere help with
stress.
Far from creepy I regard isolated listening as the peak experience within the headphone listening arena.


Setmenu

 

[kelly]

I have a kind of attention deficit disorder that makes it very difficult for me to do only one thing at a time. Given a single task in a quiet room, I will take an eternity to finish it because I can't focus. For me, I have five processes running at all times. Each process has a different volume level but never gets shut off completely. If I dont' fill them with something, they tend to fill themselves often with things unpleasant or even more distracting.

Headphone music, like anything else, occupies one of these processes. Typically at work, I will put on music that is familiar to me such that it doesn't call for closer examination. With this layer occupied (and ryhmic no less) I can focus more on my ohter tasks at hand.

When I'm at home and don't have to convince someone I'm working to get a paycheck, things are different. My music listening takes on a more critical nature and the volume of other thought processes is lowered relative to the music. I often listen while at the computer--surfing, chatting or emailing. Often taking breaks, looking away, daydreaming or closing my eyes to focus more on the music.

At other times, I lay on the couch with my eyes closed. It is at this time that certain aspects of the sound become more important to me than others. With my eyes closed on the couch typically more than one of the forementioned processes are focused on the music. One may be critically taking notes for what to post on HeadFi at some later date, one may be examining the content lyrically, one may be focusing exlusively on an instrument following it from passage to passage.

It is in this environment that imaging begins to matter most. With visual stimulus shut down, my mind begins to try to place things more prcisely in an audio landscape. This is perhaps more so with classical recordings and live rock performances but is somewhat true for all music. The room accoustics begin to matter a great deal more to me. The way a plucked accoustic guitar string reverberates first within the instrument and then throughout the room gives me an even clearer idea of where the musician is. It almost becomes a game of "where am I" and I begin to feel cheated when the equipment fails to give me enough clues.

Likewise, and perhaps because of this, I'm also the most sensitive to coloration in this environment. If something sounds slightly "off" from what it sounds like in real life, it's more difficult to ignore now. This is probably because of the focus mentioned above placed on room accoustics. The room itself takes on a coloration and the articiality of the experience exposes itself.

Because of the way I listen, I find that having a somewhat flat response matters in all environments. Accentuated bass or trebble is distracting even while I'm working. It has to sound familiar for me to stay focused on other matters. Clarity matters too. If a part of the music is a struggle to hear, I'll become distracted. It's primarily the imaging, the size of the soundstage and the room accoustics that I'm willing and able to sacrifice while other tasks are at hand. For me, the Etymotic is probably especially good at answering that need. For home? I don't know. I'm still trying to find my contentment there. I may never find it.