Playing bass thru headphones?

[dbsfgyd1]

May I ask what is your opinion on a set of cans vs a set of IEM? From my experience, I've noticed that a lot of headphones sound different. That is making me ponder if there is a truly great pair of cans or IEMs which is quite neutral to the listener, what I mean is - transparent?

I practice and play with a set of AKG headphones with my rig.

Are they open back? I’ve played through quality open back AKGs years ago and the bass response was not that great. I would suggest closed back cans unless there is something else going on in the same room you need to hear, like other musicians, listening for a baby’s cry…dog barking… wife coming home and you should have been watching the kids…LOL!!!

IMO, I prefer ear buds, but you have to have a good seal in your ear canal to get the best bass response. Sound Isolation is critical. You can have the best most expensive buds out there, but if you have no seal, there is no bass, so that pet that goes into your ear canal is critical part of the equasion.

Apple Ibuds are the worst. For a company that prides itself for making the best products on the planet, why they thought manufacturing buds that have less bass response than their basic IPhone would be acceptable is beyond me.

My buds are Shure 215. Definitely not real hifi as their multi driver versions, but IMO provide the great results for bass instrument reproduction. I spent a fair amount of time with a customer service tech from Shure discussing what I was looking for in sound wise and application wise and he recommended the 216s over the multi driver ones @ 3-4 times the cost.

Best wishes.

 

[StereoPlayer]

Never had any use for headphones until these came out.
Can't believe how good they sound with all of basses, including the acoustic ones.

I looked up these earphones…nope, they are too much for me…
But, they are nice!

 

[el jeffe bass]

I would suggest closed back cans unless there is something else going on in the same room you need to hear, like other musicians, listening for a baby’s cry…dog barking… wife coming home and you should have been watching the kids…LOL!!!

I usually silent practice using a small format mixer. I can run an ambient microphone to hear my surroundings. It works relatively well.

 

[Katoosie]

Are they open back? I’ve played through quality open back AKGs years ago and the bass response was not that great. I would suggest closed back cans unless there is something else going on in the same room you need to hear, like other musicians, listening for a baby’s cry…dog barking… wife coming home and you should have been watching the kids…LOL!!!

IMO, I prefer ear buds, but you have to have a good seal in your ear canal to get the best bass response. Sound Isolation is critical. You can have the best most expensive buds out there, but if you have no seal, there is no bass, so that pet that goes into your ear canal is critical part of the equasion.

Apple Ibuds are the worst. For a company that prides itself for making the best products on the planet, why they thought manufacturing buds that have less bass response than their basic IPhone would be acceptable is beyond me.

My buds are Shure 215. Definitely not real hifi as their multi driver versions, but IMO provide the great results for bass instrument reproduction. I spent a fair amount of time with a customer service tech from Shure discussing what I was looking for in sound wise and application wise and he recommended the 216s over the multi driver ones @ 3-4 times the cost.

Best wishes.

The ones I use are Indeed open, they leak the sound and don't isolated me from the outside. At the same time there is a pair of noise cancelling wireless headphones at home and I really like listening thru those since the bass seems totally different than my AKGs.

Shure 215, I will look them up. Thanks!

I usually silent practice using a small format mixer. I can run an ambient microphone to hear my surroundings. It works relatively well.

Right, I got no need for hearing like that so closed back and/or isolated ones would be great.

 

[dbsfgyd1]

I usually silent practice using a small format mixer. I can run an ambient microphone to hear my surroundings. It works relatively well.

That is a good idea too. I may have misconstrued the OP that since he was in an apartment, agreeable “silent running” tone was what he was after.

 

[dbsfgyd1]

The ones I use are Indeed open, they leak the sound and don't isolated me from the outside. At the same time there is a pair of noise cancelling wireless headphones at home and I really like listening thru those since the bass seems totally different than my AKGs.

Shure 215, I will look them up. Thanks!


Right, I got no need for hearing like that so closed back and/or isolated ones would be great.

K.

The principle of Noise Cancelling is that it creates compensating frequencies to cancel out ambient sounds. The effect works really well but at high volumes in loud environments may cause hearing loss. Wonderfull technology however. I’m not at all surprise this works better for you than the AKG open backs. Maybe you can live with then and save the $150 or so on a set of ear buds

 

[micguy]

K.

The principle of Noise Cancelling is that it creates compensating frequencies to cancel out ambient sounds. The effect works really well but at high volumes in loud environments may cause hearing loss.

Being in a loud environment may cause hearing loss, but using noice cancelling (which reduces the level of ambient sounds coming into your ears) does not.

 

[dbsfgyd1]

Being in a loud environment may cause hearing loss, but using noice cancelling (which reduces the level of ambient sounds coming into your ears) does not.[/QUO

do you understand the technology how noise cancellation occurs? It’s my understanding the there is counter sound that is applied. It’s my understanding that in application, the cancelation adds dBs to cancel out what do you can’t hear it, however this process adds to the sound threshold.

 

[micguy]

I understand how noise cancellation works - I designed audio gear for over 40 years. Your understanding is incomplete. The whole point of noise cancellation is that the sound that the device makes cancels (thus substantially reduces) incoming sound.

 

[dbsfgyd1]

I hear you, and certainly respect your experience, so please forgive me for prattling on.

I’m not exactly sure it’s tit for tat. For instance, using some high quality noise cancelation head phones on an airplane, I could still hear the plane. Less of the plane for sure, but logic says whatever is being generated to cancel the sound of the plane, is added to the ambient sound of one’s surroundings leaking through.

Assuming (yeah, I know about where assumptions can get you LOL) the average bar band is a good deal louder than the insides of a flying jet, one would need to A, the sound canceling frequencies would have to be louder, and B, the volume of the what one is trying to hear would also be louder, with much risk to one’s hearing. Pretty much was how my audiologist as as well as a rep from Shure explained it.