Re: [microsound] Direct Sound headphones

[Aaron Ximm <ghede@xxxxxxxx>]

> I wouldn't trust them at all.  The site just looks like a piece of email
> spam to me.  All this crap about "revolutionary" noise cancelling.  There
> is nothing revolutionary about it.  Its just a matter of simple acoustic
> imsulation that fully enclosed headphones have used for decades.  And the

I would have to second this -- they seem to be blatantly misusing (quite
intentionally) the term 'noise cancelling." There are of course "real"
active noise cancellation techniques but their almost fineprint
slipping-it-in about these being 'passive' devices are the giveaway that
these guys are up to something.

Ie if they're that good, why come close to fraud by mis-naming them?

Just to toss out btw, I recently invested in a pair of Etymotic earphones
-- they're unusual in that they actually ride in your ears like earplugs
(which Etymotic also makes).  I haven't worn them for marathon mixing
sessions yet but they are definitely on par with my other favorite
headphones and in some ways superior, at least when it comes to my own
binaural-style recordings.  (I got ER4Ps along with the 'adapter' cable
that converts them into 4S's -- the former are optomized for use with
portable devices with lower output, the latter for sources with plenty of
juice. The differences are subtle when driven by a reasonably strong
source, e.g. my Sony laptop headphone out, but the 4S's are discernibly
better).

They are very portable, and provide the most impressive isolation of any
headphones I've used.... but they may not be comfortable enough for the
extended use you describe.  Also, I should mention their cabling is well
known for being 'microphonic' -- ie, when it bumps against your shirt,
etc., you can here the thump/rumble not unlike a contact mic.  This is
less of a problem when they're in "4P" mode btw but is still greater than
the other 'phones i've used.

Fwiw I got the 'phones and adapter from someone on eBay who delivered
overnight at no charge -- a good experience.

 best,
  aaron

  ghede@xxxxxxxx
  http://www.quietamerican.org

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