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[poodaddy]

I use speakers because I'm a parent and I need to always be able to hear what she's doing. Actually now that I think about it I still didn't use headphones much even when I wasn't a dad, but I did on occasion at night. Headphones always hurt my ears so I never have enjoyed them much. That being said, I'm actually looking to get a decent pair of headphones and start using them as I'm probably just going to start giving up sleep at night to get some more gaming in, and I wanna make sure I don't wake either of the pretty ladies up. I'll basically be a zombie but it's killing me to not be able to get in any of the games I wanna play. There's no way to count how many times I've had to play through Super Mario 3D World and Nintendo Land in the past four years.....I need to try new things.

 

[RedAssedApe]

headphones for practical reasons.

owning nice speakers is useless if you can't crank them up. and that probably applies to a majority of us. most probably live somewhere with shared walls and poor sound proofing.

i've always wondered about competitive multiplayer though. can you get the same sound whoring advantage with a nice 5.1/7.1 speak setup that you do with some of these headphones + virtual sound?

 

[Alcoholikaust]

Dolby Atmos 12.2 setup or Sony MDR HW700DS's for when baby/wife are sleeping.

 

[Majanew]

Depends on what you can afford and how loud you're allowed to get.

Headphones are cheaper, but are only simulating surround sound. If you can buy a decent receiver and speakers, then a 5.1, 7.1, or higher setup, that's actually surround sound, is much better -- and can be played louder without screwing up your hearing as easily as headphones.

One of my speakers in my 7.1 setup is near a door and every now and then my girlfriend will look back like something's over there. Even the sound of rain has thrown her off, lol.

When I'm playing BF4 and there's an explosion, it shakes the walls.

But virtual 5.1/7.1 headphones over TV speakers or stereo speakers, though.

 

[lukeskymac]

Dolby Atmos 12.2 setup or Sony MDR HW700DS's for when baby/wife are sleeping.

Doesn't Atmos require content made with it, with all that audio object stuff going on?

 

[Dazza]

No headphones has ever duplicated the spatial sense that a decent 5.1 setup has.

Maybe in your experience, I'm guessing your HRTF is very atypical and not close to any those that are used in surround headphone simulators. Before Microsoft screwed up all native soundcard drivers, great strides where made in these areas.

If you get the chance to try them a Smyth Realiser will show you just how wrong your statement is, since it can calculate a HRTF model that is tailored for the way you specifically hear spatial information, rather than using a generic model.

 

[Renekton]

Sennheiser HD 380 Pro, all the time.

I had been using one of the Sennheiser 4xx that gives clean audio, like no bass boost or frills whatsoever. No stage or fullness, but loved the honesty of it.

 

[Dr. Buni]

I prefer headphones, but I am too scared of damaging my hearing by using it constantly.

 

[lukeskymac]

I prefer headphones, but I am too scared of damaging my hearing by using it constantly.

They don't damage your hearing any more than speakers do. Same goes for IEMs. Just stay at reasonable levels.

 

[Alcoholikaust]

Doesn't Atmos require content made with it, with all that audio object stuff going on?

Yeah I only have a few Atmos encoded Blurays. Playing Battlefront was a trip though.

Usually stick with Dolby True HD or DTS HD for films. Juat used the Atmos name as the Reciever was touted with it

 

[Majanew]

They don't damage your hearing any more than speakers do. Same goes for IEMs. Just stay at reasonable levels.

Sure they do.

 

[Mr.Pig]

Sure they do.

No they don't.

 

[Tommy DJ]

I have a pair of Yamaha HS5s and I would really disappointed if that's true. I like them but I feel they are barely any better than my (now dead) GR07s. Of course, having a cheap, consumer 8" subwoofer backing them and zero room treatment helps.

For reference, I have a pair of Sennheiser HD800s. Overall, I think the JBL LSR305s are actually better especially if you pair them with a decent subwoofer. The only things I can fault are the rubbish cabinet quality, which isn't much of a problem due to its small size, and idle hissing from the tweeter.

There's a few reasons I think why good speakers are better than the majority of headphones:
- Soundstage and imaging are far better on speakers.
- You actually get proper bass response and impact. The JBL LSR305 go deep enough for me but since they're like $300 USD for a pair, you can throw in a good pro-audio subwoofer for reinforcement/bass extension/reduce woofer distortion and some acoustic treatment if you really wanted to. You'd still probably save money compared to a "high end" headphone system.
- The tonal balance is magnitudes better on good speakers compared to any headphone on the market.

The last point is the main thing I loath about a lot of high priced headphones. Too many "high end" headphones just have atrocious sound signatures like that Audioquest Nighthawk that needs EQ to prevent its bass from overwhelming any midrange detail, the infamous 6khz peak in the Sennheiser HD800 that makes anything that isn't audiophile music unlistenable, or the strange treble peaks in the Audeze LCD-3F (?) that make it sound both dark and bright simultaneously.

Compare those problems to the JBL LSR305 which is not only neutral but achieves mindbogglingly linear frequency responses regardless of your listening environment. This isn't my room but this gives you an idea about how nuts these speakers are:

Those are on and off axis measurements with the speakers on a desktop that's jammed into a corner. That's a $250/pr speaker set that comes with Class D amplifiers able to achieve 100dB without clipping, that achieves better bass response than the vast majority of headphones, that has an insane waveguide and constant directivity implementation that does a lot to deal the main fundamental problem faced by all speakers. Heck, I dunno why people even bother with Audioengine speakers when these things exist.

 

[Hibiki Kurosawa]

Both (I switch frequently), but headphones (earbuds) give me the most satisfying sound feedback.

 

[Dr. Buni]

They don't damage your hearing any more than speakers do. Same goes for IEMs. Just stay at reasonable levels.

Well, I have been told the opposite my whole life :<

 

[Majanew]

No they don't.

Yes, they do. Hearing loss has increased due to headphone wearing. It's rare to see people without headphones or earbuds when they have their phones out. The sound is too close to the ears at the volumes and length of time people are wanting use them.

 

[empo]

Would love to wear headphones while playing, but I wear glasses. Every model is uncomfortable.

I had problems with pretty much all headphones before I got my Sennheiser PC360s a couple of years ago. My father has HD 280s and the earpads start pressing my glasses against my temples after like 10 minutes.
The PC360s are discontinued but I'd recommend checking out their other models with similiar cloth earpads.

 

[Denton]

I use my audio technica headphones for Alien Isolation, SOMA and games like that. For everything else, speakers.
Headphones are just too much of a hassle, cannot lie on a couch with them as comfortably.

 

[Akhe]

Headphone all the time.I feel naked without my headphones.

 

[Dangerblade]

If I'm playing something casually I'll use speakers, but if I'm really into what I'm playing I'll go for headphones.

 

[Tommy DJ]

Yes, they do. Hearing loss has increased due to headphone wearing. It's rare to see people without headphones or earbuds when they have their phones out. The sound is too close to the ears at the volumes and length of time people are wanting use them.

Which comes back to the original problem: people are listening to music too loud. I think you're attributing the problem to the wrong thing. It hasn't got to do with "the sound is too close to your ears" but rather:
- Headphones lack the visceral impact of speakers so more people are tempted to turn up headphones louder than they should do achieve the effect they desire. I know I'm guilty of this.
- Most headphones have a lot of spikes and dips. People turn up their headphones because most headphones are "missing" a whole lot of information due to their uneven sound signatures. You might be able to hear that midrange now but you're still increasing the loudness of those spikes in the process too and probably destroying your hearing in the process

So at the end of the day, people are just probably listening to music louder on headphones than loudspeakers.

 

[lukeskymac]

Yes, they do. Hearing loss has increased due to headphone wearing.

That's not what's on discussion. Listening to music from speakers measuring 70dB right beside your ear and listening to music from headphones at a level that measures 70dB on a dummy head has the exact same effects on your hearing (at this level, none).

It's rare to see people without headphones or earbuds when they have their phones out. The sound is too close to the ears at the volumes and length of time people are wanting use them.

Proximity of the source has no impact whatsoever. It's simply easier to reach harmful levels on headphones and IEMs than on speakers (at least without bothering other people), so people who don't know any better and/or have high pain/discomfort thresholds turn it up to 11 and fuck up their hearing.

Also what he said ^

 

[Memorabilia]

Both. Speakers most of the time, headphones on the rare occasion I need to offer a quiet household to my fiance for one reason or another.

It sounds like a lot of people have no idea how amazing a truly good 5.1 or 7.1 setup can be. Space and/or budget limitations definitely create problems so in many cases a pair of good headphones is the best you can do. But if u have the means nothing compares to a good receiver + speakers setup.

 

[Majanew]

That's not what's on discussion. Listening to music from speakers measuring 70dB right beside your ear and listening to music from headphones at a level that measures 70dB on a dummy head has the exact same effects on your hearing (at this level, none).

Why would you have speakers right beside your ears? That would be an inaccurate test. The reason headphones can cause more damage is because how close they are and the volumes people crank them at.

 

[Hey Im Patrick]

Why would you have speakers right beside your ears? That would be an inaccurate test. The reason headphones can cause more damage is because how close they are and the volumes people crank them at.

Using a speaker around 70db level is the same using a headphone around 70db. It's not about how close the source is but how loud it is. It's just that people tend to crank up the volume when they use headphones.


Edit: lol 3 of us already explained it. I hope that clears it up!

 

[Tommy DJ]

If that doesn't make sense to you, listening to music from speakers measuring 70dB at your point of audition (i.e. chair or couch) is exactly the same at listening to headphones at 70dB.

The problem is the volumes people crank headphones up to. You can get the exact same hearing damage if you turn up speakers too loud, the thing is most people don't because you end up shattering windows, cause your dog to go mental, and your neighbor would likely come to your house to tell you to stop being a dickhead.

 

[lukeskymac]

Why would you have speakers right beside your ears? That would be an inaccurate test. The reason headphones can cause more damage is because how close they are and the volumes people crank them at.

Measuring 70dB beside your ear, the speaker can be as far or as close as you'd like, sound pressure at the point you listen to it is all that matters, and why source proximity has zero effect on hearing.

 

[Phat Michael]

I'm waiting for my 3000w pair of Phantoms to arrive. Can't wait for these. Auditioning them really blew me away and I've not heard speakers that sound this good at this low price.

The fact I save on cables plus amp/dac etc is even more impressive.

 

[Dr. Buni]

So, potentially stupid question here, but how do I know if I am listening to music too high (on headphones)? Please don't say "if it hurts, it's too high"

 

[ghibli99]

When I lived at home or by myself, I had relatively expensive setups for gaming (B&W, NHT, AV123, Yamaha/Pioneer Elite receivers, etc.), and even had nice dedicated 5.1 setups for my PC, but after getting married, priorities changed. I now have a single Onkyo 2.1 setup if I want general gaming sound/music for PC/consoles, or I'll pop on a pair of open-air headphones for a little more privacy (Sennheiser), but it still lets me hear what's going on. No kids, but I actually don't like the isolation during the day/night. Sometimes I'll play handheld or mobile games in bed after we go to sleep, and if I want sound, I'll use closed headphones (AKG) so that I don't disturb my wife. Different situations call for different solutions for me.

 

[Scrabble]

Wanting to hear your surroundings is the only real legitimate reason as to why you wouldn't want to wear headphones. It's a problem I predict i'll have with VR. What if there's a fire, or a burglar comes in my house and I'm completely oblivious because I've got this stupid looking thing on my head. I'm fucked.

 

[ANDS]

So, potentially stupid question here, but how do I know if I am listening to music too high (on headphones)? Please don't say "if it hurts, it's too high"

Why not? That's a good threshold. It's not the lowest that you're fucking up your ears though, if that is the question you are asking.

To the OP, I like to use both and I live in a home. When I use headphones, I notice sounds that I wouldn't otherwise have noticed.

 

[Majanew]

Measuring 70dB beside your ear, the speaker can be as far or as close as you'd like, sound pressure at the point you listen to it is all that matters, and why source proximity has zero effect on hearing.

I'm not just talking about proximity. My posts have mentioned the volumes people tend to listen to when they have headphones on for the desired effect of loudspeakers.

If I watch Age of Ultron on my 7.1 Pioneer receiver at -45dB from 9' away; wearing headphones to reach the same desired effect I'd get from my speaker setup, would damage my hearing far quicker. I know, I've tried it. Trying to mimic my 7.1 setup with headphones makes my ears ring. I'd have to crank my receiver up to absurd levels to accomplish that.

Wanting to hear your surroundings is the only real legitimate reason as to why you wouldn't want to wear headphones.

Actually owning both, I strongly disagree. The soundscape in my living room is better to me; and an actual speaker setup can get everyone else involved if you're watching a movie. Playing something like Alien Isolation -- when the Alien goes into the ceiling vents, it sounds like it's actually in my ceiling in my living room, and climbing down in my walls. Good shit.

 

[Scrabble]

So, potentially stupid question here, but how do I know if I am listening to music too high (on headphones)? Please don't say "if it hurts, it's too high"

"if it hurts" is the barometer. I usually listen at 40-50% system volume.

 

[Dr. Buni]

Why not? That's a good threshold. It's not the lowest that you're fucking up your ears though, if that is the question you are asking.

To the OP, I like to use both and I live in a home. When I use headphones, I notice sounds that I wouldn't otherwise have noticed.

Because I might be listening to music too high but not feeling any pain yet.

"if it hurts" is the barometer. I usually listen at 40-50% system volume.

Well then. I never felt any pain and I usually listen at 80~90%, but I used mp3gain to equalize all of my music to a lower base volume.

 

[Scrabble]

Because I might be listening to music too high but not feeling any pain yet.

Well then. I never felt any pain and I usually listen at 80~90%, but I used mp3gain to equalize all of my music to a lower base volume.

Try increasing the volume from 80% to 100% after listening at 80% for a while. If you can't tell much of a difference than your hearing is probably already damaged.

 

[Tommy DJ]

I'm not just talking about proximity. My posts have mentioned the volumes people tend to listen to when they have headphones on for the desired effect of loudspeakers.

If I watch Age of Ultron on my 7.1 Pioneer receiver at -45dB from 9' away; wearing headphones to reach the same desired effect I'd get from my speaker setup, would damage my hearing far quicker. I know, I've tried it. Trying to mimic my 7.1 setup with headphones makes my ears ring. I'd have to crank my receiver up to absurd levels to accomplish that

You shouldn't even be talking about proximity because its completely irrelevant.

It doesn't matter if your receiver is set at -45dB and you're sitting 9' away from the speakers (those are like meaningless statistics), what matters is the loudness at the position you are sitting at. Which you'd measure with a microphone or SPL meter.

Which is the point people are making. Headphones aren't more liable to cause hearing damage because of their close proximity to the ear. Its because people listen to them too loud. You cannot play loudspeakers "louder without screwing up your hearing as easily as headphones" or else you'd end up like most richass audiophiles who end up buying unbearably treble heavy speakers (there are alooooot of "high end" audiophile speakers that sound like literal garbage) because they have so much hearing damage around that region.

 

[Deadly Cyclone]

I have a 7.1 onkyo system I use most of the time. At night I sometimes switch to my Astro A50s. Nice combo to have.

 

[lukeskymac]

"Does it hurt" may be or may not be a good idea. Some people have higher tolerances before they feel discomfort than others. I have, for example, the most "fragile" hearing among my inner circle of friends.

But as far as knowing how loud is okay, I have measured my speakers enough times with an SPL meter to "know" what 85dB+ sounds like. I used the opportunity to find out my preferred level for listening to music when I want to get decently loud - turns out to be around 75dB.

 

[Matthew23]

I use Koss porta pro classic on ear headphones. I used to use "over the ear" phones but found them uncomfortable with glasses, especially when used for over an hour. I can wear the Koss on ear literally all day and not feel anything. If you wear glasses and want something under $50 they are a good option.

I also have Klipshe 2.1 speakers that are about 15 years old. They still sound great. Nothing beats the heavy bass-ey sound these things give off from gunfire and explosions. Being in an apartment now I pretty much stick to headphones to avoid pissing off the neighbors.

 

[pmj]

I have a decent Tannoy 5 speaker surround system, through a cheapo Yamaha receiver. No .1 because I have neighbors and my floor vibrates enough as it is.

The state of surround sound on Linux is abysmal, at least when it comes to games, but it does at least sound good at any volume through the front speakers. It's a huge upgrade from my old Logitech Z4.

I have a pair of AKG headphones too. They sound good but I rarely use them.

 

[elhav]

Headphones, always.

I love my HD 598 <3

 

[AbaFadi]

I prefer to use headphones. I've been using the Astro A40s with the mixamp pro.

 

[Dr. Buni]

Try increasing the volume from 80% to 100% after listening at 80% for a while. If you can't tell much of a difference than your hearing is probably already damaged.

I can tell the difference. It just doesn't hurt.

But as far as knowing how loud is okay, I have measured my speakers enough times with an SPL meter to "know" what 85dB+ sounds like. I used the opportunity to find out my preferred level for listening to music when I want to get decently loud - turns out to be around 75dB.

I will check this SPL meter thingy.

 

[Crzy1]

Good speakers are always going to give you the best sound reproduction, but in games where you want to hear a lot of slight sounds like footsteps, a high end pair of headphones will reveal some things that you might have been missing.

I'd say use headphones only when you can't use speakers, but if your friend is fine with things how they are, I don't see why it's a problem. The benefits of better sound are about as negligible as better graphics to some.

 

[mumbles365]

Guys I have a problem and I have no idea what to do.



So I have a new monitor bought earlier this year Asus mx279h and I have my PS4 hooked up via HDMI to it along with a set of external speakers to the monitors Speaker port. Thing is, the sound is fukkin horrible by that I mean I get an audible hiss coming out and the sound is somewhat low especially for movies and some games and I cant get full volume out of it.

The thing is, my old ass monitor had no problem outputting sound from the speakers and I even hooked up the speakers to my phone and the sound was crisp and beatiful, but the minute I hook up the speakers to my new monitor the sound is just bad with the audible hiss.

My cousin says my monitor is just not capable of handling the output of the speakers and that's why its hissing. He said even if I bought new speakers this problem wont change as its the monitor and not speakers and that my only solution is to get a head phone amp and hook it my to speakers in order to get the sound.

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B005HJWWW8/?tag=neogaf0e-20 he reckons this will fix my sound problems.


What do you guyts reckon? i'm legit clueless when it comes to this and no I cant get a receiver or stuff like that ... I'd rather just get a small set of speakers that I can use on my ps4 via my monitor.


HELP!

 

[Crzy1]

Guys I have a problem and I have no idea what to do.



So I have a monitor Asus mx279h and I have my PS4 hooked up via HDMI to it along with a set of external speakers to the monitors Speaker port. Thing is, the sound is fukkin horrible by that I mean I get an audible hiss coming out and the sound is somewhat low especially for movies and some games and I cant get full volume out of it.

The thing is, my old monitor had no problem outputting sound from the speakers and I even hooked up the speakers to my phone and the sound was crisp and beatiful, but the minute I hook up the speakers to my monitor the sound is just bad with the audible hiss.

My cousin says my monitor is just not capable of handling the output of the speakers and that's why its hissing. He said even if I bought new speakers this problem wont change as its the monitor and not speakers and that my only solution is to get a head phone amp and hook it my to speakers in order to get the sound.

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B005HJWWW8/?tag=neogaf0e-20 he reckons this will fix my sound problems.


What do you guyts reckon? i'm legit clueless when it comes to this and no I cant get a receiver or stuff like that ... I'd rather just get a small set of speakers that I can use on my ps4 via my monitor.


HELP!

Eh, sounds like it doesn't have a decent DAC (Digital-to-Analog Converter) and outputs a lot of noise, not terribly surprising since it's a monitor. Not sure how much good adding another DAC into the chain would do, though, if the static is coming from the source, it's just going to amplify that static (I've never daisy-chained DACs so someone else can probably give you better advice). If it has an optical (TOSLINK) out you might be able to clear up a lot of the noise with that, but you'd need something to decode an optical signal. It's not that it can't handle the speakers, it's just that it probably wasn't ever intended to be used for anything more than crappy desktop speakers so they kept the quality low to save money.

Edit: Didn't look at the link, fairly sure just adding an amp is going to amplify the static rather than clean it up.

 

[Marty Chinn]

Maybe in your experience, I'm guessing your HRTF is very atypical and not close to any those that are used in surround headphone simulators. Before Microsoft screwed up all native soundcard drivers, great strides where made in these areas.

If you get the chance to try them a Smyth Realiser will show you just how wrong your statement is, since it can calculate a HRTF model that is tailored for the way you specifically hear spatial information, rather than using a generic model.

All for the low price of $3000 without headphones. Is this a serious suggestion? I'm all about spending money on a decent setup, but I'm not quite prepared to drop $3000 to simulate it in a set of headphones. Maybe I should quantify it more. Nothing $1000 or under stacks up.

 

[mumbles365]

Eh, sounds like it doesn't have a decent DAC (Digital-to-Analog Converter) and outputs a lot of noise, not terribly surprising since it's a monitor. Not sure how much good adding another DAC into the chain would do, though, if the static is coming from the source, it's just going to amplify that static (I've never daisy-chained DACs so someone else can probably give you better advice). If it has an optical (TOSLINK) out you might be able to clear up a lot of the noise with that, but you'd need something to decode an optical signal. It's not that it can't handle the speakers, it's just that it probably wasn't ever intended to be used for anything more than crappy desktop speakers so they kept the quality low to save money.

Edit: Didn't look at the link, fairly sure just adding an amp is going to amplify the static rather than clean it up.

I have no idea what terms you jsut used but I'm guessing you pretty much just said I'm shit out of luck unless I get a receiver of some sort so I can use the optical thingy.

Or my other option is to buy a new monitor? ...That'd suck as I jsut bought this this past year and I'm quite a fan of the picture I get

 

[jett]

ALWAYS headphones. Not only are basic TV speakers garbage, there's no need to bother neighbours or whatever with my gaming audio.

Your ears will not thank you when you're older.