Headphones and hearing loss

[Magnetic]

I have a question for the audiophiles. I recently got better earbuds to use at work. Unfortunately the gain in quality has emphasized some partial hearing loss I have. I have some conductive hearing loss in my left ear, so this leaves me hearing lopsided with the ear buds. The loss is mitigated somewhat if I put pressure on my ear, but this isn't practical.

Does anyone know/ think having full headphones might be a better solution? I've seen the Sony MDR-7506 recommended. They're a bit pricey, but might be worth it?

[botley]

It's always worth upgrading your headphones to be sound-isolating (not necessarily active sound-cancelling, which is more pricey and requires you to recharge the batteries after you use it). That way you can play them at a lower volume, without having to crank it up to drown out the world around you.

Regarding the lopsidedness, have you gone into your playback devices and tried altering the stereo balance? On most computers, this is a setting in the sound output controls, on a phone it's usually listed under 'accessibility' settings. On a HiFi stereo amplifier, it's on a knob or slider built into the device. I find my left side is also just a little bit less responsive to treble (not incredibly noticeable with speakers, unless I'm calibrating my workstation) but for headphones even a 1% shift to the left improves my enjoyment of most material.

[Tom]

Agreed with the above: whatever device you're using, you should be able to adjust the stereo balance to suit. I suspect replacing the earbuds with headphones is not likely to make the imbalance less noticeable.

[Magnetic]

Thanks for that info; I didn't know how to alter the balance on my phone. This is an improvement.

[Leviathant]

I've seen the Sony MDR-7506 recommended. They're a bit pricey, but might be worth it?

As far as price goes, that's just the tip of the iceberg

[Magnetic]

This is very true.
I guess my priority is first to get The Fragile Deviations before it sells out, then get new headphones.

[richardp]

While they were expensive, and took forever to save up enough side cash to afford them, these were an AMAZING investment. Best sounding/most comfortable headphones I've personally ever used. The sound is just absolutely phenomenal and they hold a charge for quite a long time.

https://www.amazon.com/Sony-Noise-Ca...s%2C164&sr=8-3

[barkhammer]

While they were expensive, and took forever to save up enough side cash to afford them, these were an AMAZING investment. Best sounding/most comfortable headphones I've personally ever used. The sound is just absolutely phenomenal and they hold a charge for quite a long time.

https://www.amazon.com/Sony-Noise-Ca...s%2C164&sr=8-3

I was considering these but got the Sennheiser PXC 550s instead which I'm disappointed with - two small for my (large) head and not nearly loud enough.

Have heard that the Sony's have a better amp in them so hopefully louder than the Sennheisers. Seems to be an issue with a lot of bluetooth headphones.

[theimage13]

I have a question for the audiophiles. I recently got better earbuds to use at work. Unfortunately the gain in quality has emphasized some partial hearing loss I have. I have some conductive hearing loss in my left ear, so this leaves me hearing lopsided with the ear buds. The loss is mitigated somewhat if I put pressure on my ear, but this isn't practical.

Does anyone know/ think having full headphones might be a better solution? I've seen the Sony MDR-7506 recommended. They're a bit pricey, but might be worth it?

Just get the MDR-V6. Same thing. Not uncommon for them to be on sale in the $55-60 range. And for the record, the two are the headphones that we send out for the FOH and monitor packages on every tour we do - and I'm not talking little club tours, I'm talking highest grossing worldwide tours. There's a reason people recommend those headphones.

As far as everything else you mentioned...I think that's been pretty well covered, so I'm gonna leave that alone.

[RedJenny]

I have a question for the audiophiles. I recently got better earbuds to use at work. Unfortunately the gain in quality has emphasized some partial hearing loss I have. I have some conductive hearing loss in my left ear, so this leaves me hearing lopsided with the ear buds. The loss is mitigated somewhat if I put pressure on my ear, but this isn't practical.

Does anyone know/ think having full headphones might be a better solution? I've seen the Sony MDR-7506 recommended. They're a bit pricey, but might be worth it?

Hey there, Magnetic. If you're still there I would say that getting a pair of Sony MDR-7506 is a decent recommendation. As a drummer I would also add that Sennheiser has some options too, but you better visit a shop, a music shop if to be sure, you'll be able to check and listen the headphones there. I would recommend also checking page on Simplydrum which also helped me when I was choosing equipment to pair with a seismic audiospeaker.

[ickyvicky]

I have some severe hearing loss, and recently purchased hearing aids. Widex Evoke is the brand. Oh my goodness, it is so life changing. They were pricey, but totally worth it.