Date:         Tue, 16 May 2006 08:21:48 -0400
Reply-To:     Association for Recorded Sound Discussion List
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Sender:       Association for Recorded Sound Discussion List
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From:         Marcos Sueiro <[log in to unmask]>
Subject:      Re: headphones revisited
Comments: To: Association for Recorded Sound Discussion List
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I have a pair of the lower-priced Shure sound-blocking headphones, the E3c 
<http://www.shurestore.com/earphones/eseries_e3c.html>, and they sound 
great. They have allowed me to monitor at much, much lower levels --and 
they work great when you must record in the same room as your subject.

My only complaint is that, with time, the rubber sleeves become looser and 
tend to stay in your ear when you pop the headphones out --and it is quite 
annoying (and unnerving) to try to get the little sleeves out of your ear 
canal.

Marcos

--On Monday, May 15, 2006 6:47 PM -0700 Mike Richter <[log in to unmask]> 
wrote:

> Tom Fine wrote:
>
>> Is there any science on the hearing-damage ramifications of these
>> noise-cancelling phones? Do they allow lower-SPL listening or are they
>> putting out more SPL to cancel outside noises?
>
> I've seen no science on the subject and do not use Shure's product, but
> perhaps my experience with other models will be helpful.
>
> The Philips phones I use provide both noise cancellation and signal
> boost. The boost seems to be frequency-dependent, reaching perhaps 2 db
> in the upper midrange. Noise reduction varies with the ambient noise but
> seems to be in the neighborhood of 5 db. The phones begin a few db less
> sensitive than typical over-the-ear models; I have not tried earbuds.
>
> I suggest that on the bottom line these phones allow several db lower SPL
> without sacrificing intelligibility. Since high fidelity and a noisy
> environment are not consistent, the frequency shaping is not a drawback.
> At the same time, they offer the opportunity for higher SPL due to their
> signal boost, though like most players they run on a single 1.5-volt cell
> so cannot peak higher than another headset of the same efficiency.
>
> Mike
> --
> [log in to unmask]
> http://www.mrichter.com/



Marcos
http://tinyurl.com/kqdbk