I love in-ear headphones–the ones that fit inside your ear canals, as opposed to ear buds that rest on the outer ear. I’m a big fan because in-ear headphones’ ultraclose proximity to eardrums offers the potential for the highest-resolution sound quality.
The better in-ear headphones also do a great job of sealing out external environmental noise so you can listen at a lower (safer) volume and still hear all of that amazing detail. The problem is, unless both earpieces are sealed tight, you’re not going to get the sound you paid for.
Everybody’s ears are different, so achieving a perfect fit can be a tricky exercise. Most in-ear headphones come with a selection of differently sized and shaped eartips. Try them all; the goal is to produce a the best possible “seal,” which reduces the amount of outside noise you hear and delivers the headphone’s fullest-possible bass response.
The difference in sound quality between a good seal and an iffy one isn’t subtle. It’s definitely worth a little extra effort to maximize each tip’s seal. Remember, too, that poor sealing makes for a less secure fit, so the earpiece is more likely to fall out of your ear.
Tip: Your left and right ear canals may not be exactly the same size; you might need, for example, the smallest eartip for your right ear and a medium tip for the left ear.
I’ve included a gallery of images to help perfect your in-ear insertion techniques. First, try rotating/twisting the tip slightly as you push the headphone inside the canal.
Gently push it in, and when you hear less external noise, you’re done. The quieting effect can be at least as powerful as the better noise reduction headphones. If the tip still feels loose or the external noise level is about the same, try using a larger or different type of tip, if it’s provided by the manufacturer (foam, silicon, or flange tips (see gallery). If the tip feels too tight or uncomfortable, try a smaller or different tip type.
If the push-in technique doesn’t work, try the “lobe tug”: Before you push the headphone in, gently tug your earlobe down and/or out, then push the headphone in, then release the lobe. I use this technique with my Monster Turbine headphones. Again, experiment with the tugging direction, as it might take a few tries before you get it right.
If that doesn’t work, try the opposite approach: the “ear pull.” Before you push the earphone in, reach over your head with your other hand, and gently pull you ear up, then push the headphone in. Release the ear. If it’s not working, try different pulling angles before pushing the headphone in.
If you’re using silicon tips or flanges, you might try moistening the tips in your mouth before inserting them. That trick can work wonders. In any case, don’t be afraid to really push the ear tips into the ear canal. That’s how you get the tightest seal, but if any of these techniques hurt or cause discomfort, STOP!
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Originally posted at The Audiophiliac
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Let’s face it, iPod speakers are a cheap and cheerful group, but the market is about to get a boost of class, thanks to Parrot’s Zikmu stereo iPod speakers ($1,500 a pair).
The striking design, created by Philippe Starck, stakes out a new approach to iPod speakers. …
Originally posted at The Audiophiliac
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Maybe it’s just me, but it seems like most musicians I meet are more into making music than listening to it. They don’t care about how music sounds at home; many are satisfied with the sound they get from boom boxes or chintzy computer speakers. Some tell me they’re more focused on the way the players play than the sound.
Sure, I’ve met a few musicians with ears for sound. That happened just recently when I struck up a conversation with jazz drummer and audiophile Billy Drummond.
He readily conceded my point: “Getting a good hi-fi isn’t high on their list of priorities. Like everybody else, musicians listen to music while they’re on the computer or sending e-mails. That’s what music is now, a backdrop, so fidelity isn’t important anymore.”
Sad, but true, so what is music for? Drummond had a ready answer. “It’s for people to enjoy,” he said. “It can take you somewhere, you can dance to it, music conjures emotions. For musicians it’s an expression, a way to challenge ourselves, and it can be inspiring. If you’re a saxophone player and you’re listening to Sonny Rollins or John Coltrane, music can motivate you. It lets you see what’s possible.
“I really enjoy playing (live) for myself and for an audience, I want people to feel something when I play. When I listen to Tony Williams or Elvin Jones (two great jazz drummers) and what they’ve accomplished it’s mind boggling, that’s what music means to me.”
That’s all great, but how did he become an audiophile? Drummond explained that he was always an avid music collector, and when he first heard his favorite music played on a really great system he was blown away: “Wow, I never heard my music sound so real, so vibrant, so great.”
It turned you on, I asked. “Right, I was even more motivated because I could hear the nuances of Max Roach’s drum set or Tony Williams ride cymbal. It helped me become a better player because I can get in touch with the thing I’m chasing after. Which is, how can I sound as good as these guys.”
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Originally posted at The Audiophiliac
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(Credit: Steuben Glass)Granted, Steuben Glass’ stunningly beautiful Presidential Commemorative Plate 2009 will be cherished for generations, but is it really worth $7,500?
Thing is, it’s offered in a numbered, limited edition of 44. The 16-inch commemorative plate was created by the Steuben Design Team to mark the …
Originally posted at The Audiophiliac
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The Model Seven
(Credit: Michael Trei/DVICE)
Over at Dvice, my buddy Michael Trei was floored by the sounds at the Vandersteen room at the Consumer Electronics show last week in Las Vegas. The company debuted its new Model Seven speakers in a $300,000 system while spinning LPs.
Richard Vandersteen told me about these new speakers last year, when he was still perfecting his balsa wood/carbon fiber “sandwich” material for tweeters and woofer drivers. It’s super lightweight, which enables the driver to keep up with the music’s ever changing signals better than more conventional materials, yet it’s so strong, you can actually stand on a balsa/carbon cone without damaging it.
Building each driver is, at least for now, a labor-intensive process, so the Model Seven is considerably more expensive than Vandersteen’s bread-and-butter models (prices start around $785 a pair. The Model Seven will sell for $45,000 a pair. Vandersteen speakers are manufactured in Hanford, Calif.
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Originally posted at The Audiophiliac
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(Credit: Steve Guttenberg)The numbers are grim, all right, but the music industry still sells hundreds of millions of CDs each year. That’s a lot of discs, and sales of downloads won’t surpass silver discs for a while.
According to some industry sources, as recently as 2006, CDs …
Originally posted at The Audiophiliac
Anthony Gallo Acoustics never made box speakers.
No, Gallo speakers, from the company’s earliest days in 1994, were always designed around spherical cabinets. Yes, others have followed suit, but Gallo was the first to perfect round sound.
At this year’s Consumer Electronics Show, which opens Thursday in Las …
Originally posted at The Audiophiliac
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Expecting great sound from a home theater in a box (HTIB) is almost always an exercise in frustration.
Even the top-of-the-line HTIBs, such as Sony’s ES BDV-IT1000ES ($2,000 MSRP) don’t hold a candle to an equivalently priced separates-based system. It’s not even close.
Sound, schmound. Given that HTIBs are sold as lifestyle products, it’s more important for them to look good than sound good. Product designers are compelled to make speakers that look slick hugging the wall next to a flat-screen display. That’s why we’re so jazzed by Onkyo’s HT-S9100THX HTIB ($1,099 MSRP). Sleek, it ain’t, but it sure sounds like a separates-grade home theater system.
(Credit: Onkyo)The HT-S9100THX’s largish shipping box hints at the reasons why. It weighs a hefty 144 pounds. Inside, you’ll find seven bookshelf two-way speakers, a full-size subwoofer, and a 7x 130-watt-per-channel receiver with 1080p-capable HDMI v.1.3 connectivity, and complete decoding for the latest lossless, high-resolution Dolby TrueHD and DTS-HD Master Audio surround formats. You get four–count ‘em, four–HDMI inputs, same as Onkyo’s TX-SR706 receiver ($899 MSRP).
The HT-S9100THX’s receiver also features Audyssey’s 2EQ automatic calibration to tailor the sound of the speakers and the 290-watt, 12-inch powered subwoofer, and compensate for your room’s acoustic anomalies. The front three speakers feature a 1-inch soft-dome tweeter matched with dual 5-inch woofers; the four surround speakers use the same tweeter and a slightly smaller woofer. The 17.5 by 14.9 by 16.8 inch subwoofer weighs 34 pounds. Compared to the 6-inch plastic poser subs that come with so many HTIBs it’s the 800 pound gorilla. You’ll feel the difference.
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Originally posted at The Audiophiliac
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This time of year there’s no shortage of lists, everywhere you turn you’re hammered with Top Ten and Best of 2008 harangues.
Me, I’m not going to waste your time raving about Portishead, TV on the Radio or Vampire Weekend’s CDs. Why bother? I’d rather turn you onto great music that slipped between the cracks.
My favorite album of the year was JD Souther’s “If The World Was You.” JD was most famous for co-writing a bunch of 1970s era Eagles tunes, but this new CD demonstrates the Detroit-born, Amarillo, Texas-raised musician hasn’t dried up in the intervening decades.
The new CD, recorded live in a Nashville studio, has a dark, brooding sound. JD’s accompanying musicians are serious players. But it’s the writing that kept this disc in heavy rotation in my house. There’s a bit of the late, great Warren Zevon influence in there, so if you’re a fan of 1970s Southern California rock If the World Was You would definitely be worth a listen. It’s at least as good as Randy Newman’s excellent “Harps and Angels” CD that was also released this year.
A friend turned me onto Lizz Wright’s “The Orchard” CD and I couldn’t get over her straight from the heart vocals. This woman can sing, this kind of depth of feeling is rare nowadays, but Wright comes from a different tradition.
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Originally posted at The Audiophiliac
Yeah, I get it, big displays garner oohs and aahs, but why are big speakers always portrayed as hideous things only an audiophile could love?
Thing is, tiny speakers cheat you out of more than half the experience. On a return on investment basis home audio is more accurate than …
Originally posted at The Audiophiliac