3 ms·
You can throw most of that conventional wisdom out for sealed IEMs.
by willis936 6y ago
You can throw most of that conventional wisdom out for sealed IEMs.
- bob1029 6y agoIEM basically eliminates the room from the equation so I would have to agree with that angle. But, I would also argue that the IEM experience pales in comparison to the experience of having thousands of watts of electricity converted into low pressure acoustic waves for all in the vicinity to enjoy. Watch the bridge shootout scene from MI3 with some IEM on your smartphone vs at your local cinema with its commercial grade sound system. There is a certain level of physical immersion that is simply not possible with just an IEM/headphone setup. Sure, you could strap haptic feedback vests to yourself and put linear actuators in all your chairs, but for me that is getting to be too finicky to tolerate. I'd much rather tell my spotify app to cast to my HTPC and instantly be greeted with a wall of powerful full-range sound.
- willis936 6y agoI agree with the tactile argument. If audio systems are trying to simulate the sound pressure experience in its entirety, then IEMs fall short. For the OCD-fueled desire for accurate sound pressure reproduction at the human-world audio interface, I think IEMs are where effort should be focused. 50 year old audibility studies imply that the perceptible gains are marginal-to-none-existent, but who says that's always the point? ;)