# The Incredible PAIN of wearing glasses and headphones!!



## TheWildToad (May 6, 2014)

This is my story:

I was diagnosed with terrible vision, a grim prognosis that's only getting worse as time marches on. I decided to purchase glasses some time ago, hoping to buy a few more years and go out with dignity. Despite my stoicism in the face of this terrible news, I soon encountered one of the greatest challenges in an already tragic series of events:

Wearing Full Headphones and Glasses At the Same Time.

I've decided to spread awareness of this terrible condition, one that particularly strikes members of the music community who aren't all fortunate enough to have good vision, contacts, or simply don't feel like squinting all the time. Perhaps by getting this, let's face it, uncomfortable condition out in the open (I know I'm not the only one), I can inspire someone far more intelligent than I--maybe even with the same affliction--to embark on what may be one of the most important journeys of discovery since the backscratcher:* a way to comfortably wear glasses and studio headphones at the same time for more than an hour without wanting to kill yourself.
*

Fellow sufferers, let's end this condition before it strikes any more innocent lives!

"...long is the way 
And hard, that out of Hell leads up to Light"-Milton, Paradise Lost


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## Jdiggity1 (May 6, 2014)

I hear you buddy. I too was a long time sufferer of this, until I invested in a soft and fluffy pair of Beyerdynamic DT880s. Warmth and comfort like you wouldn't believe, and they have never caused pain or discomfort when used in conjunction with a pair of spectacles.
I tried the AKG q701s before these, and boy did they hurt after prolonged use... NOT SO with the DT880s! (DT990s are also very comfy)

May I ask which model of headphones is currently causing so much grief?


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## TheWildToad (May 6, 2014)

SONY MDR 7506. Thanks for the tip! Oh, the humanity!


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## artsoundz (May 6, 2014)

Yeah, it just makes you want to croak, doesnt it?

.....ribbit...


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## Hannes_F (May 6, 2014)

Good things are reported about the bluesky 2.1 system, so that might be a low cost entry into monitoring that goes a long way.


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## dgburns (May 7, 2014)

Very bad eyesight here,very strong prescription.I [email protected]&ing hate wearing glasses !! and i was ordered off the contact lens because the hard boston lens were scarring my eyes.i hear ya bout the headphones.
my routine involves gearing up into the "harness" as it were.i've got multi cables on me for things like headphone,guitar etc etc. sometimes lav mic as well with the requisite breakout box for xlr cable on my belt.It ain't easy,especially if nature calls :shock: and you need to make a quick exit down the hall!!
i tried for a while using higher end ear buds and it worked pretty well,but don't expect headphone sound or isolation.
i'm using beyer DT 250 and they aren't bad overall.Still trying to figure out how to reduce the tethered octopus cabling that i must enslave myself in to record however :| 

and wow,tried to get back into contact lens and can't see up close now because i need reading glasses,man,you just can't win...!


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## Ian Dorsch (May 7, 2014)

TheWildToad @ Tue May 06 said:


> SONY MDR 7506. Thanks for the tip! Oh, the humanity!



Haha! I have a pair of MDR 7506s as well, and am also a glasses-wearer. I can confirm that the combination of those two items would fit well into an array of medieval torture devices.

I bought some Shure SRH840s a few years ago that are much more comfortable.


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## synergy543 (May 7, 2014)

Have no fear Wild Toad! After you wear these long enough you'll get indentation grooves in the side of your head and everything will conform nice and snug.  And if this sounds bad, the idea of contacts still sounds worse to me.

@dgburns - I use three pairs of glasses (reading, computer and distance) because I can't stand the idea of bi/tri-focals and not seeing the entire 30 inches of my screen.


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## StephenForsyth (May 7, 2014)

The solution. 







No contact.


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## TheWildToad (May 7, 2014)

You know, none of this would even be a problem if we could just "jack in" like that guy in the picture through a hole in our head. I suggest we start working on that to solve this problem. It might be what some consider a "roundabout solution," but, I say, spare no expense for the sake of comfort.


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## chimuelo (May 7, 2014)

Unless you're hooked on coiled wires and 19th century technology that is made for a one size fits all consumer, there's these new fangled things called IEMs, but they are tailored for your ears, instead of what Yamaha, ADK and Radio Shack tell you sounds good.
But after one of those "special" audiograms are taken that tells you what freqs' you lack (usually the 4k notch) and Voila, like magic you can listen to mixes as you walk, take a dump, anythng other than sitting.

It's tough breaking old habits, especially an ancient one where many of the worlds top pros use a brand sponsors pay them to pose with at huge consoles.

6 way drivers are the finest development made for hearing audio as well as hearing protection from these ancient, monolithic designs.
But shucks, they cost money. 0oD

Buying "headphones" of yore is like walking into a 7/11 store to get glasses to see with.
No eyes and ears are the same. Scam of the century IMHO...


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## R. Soul (May 7, 2014)

I lift the arms of the glasses so that they are just above the ears. No pain then.
Yes, the glasses are at a slight angle which is not ideal but it's such a small angle that it shouldn't be a problem.


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## ghostnote (May 8, 2014)

Try the AKG K712 or (my personal preference) the K601/612 with K712 Pads. They're made with memory foam:
http://www.amazon.com/AKG-Pro-Audio-K712PRO-Headphones/dp/B00E4WXWBE (http://www.amazon.com/AKG-Pro-Audio-K71 ... B00E4WXWBE)
http://www.amazon.com/AKG-Pro-Audio-K612PRO-Reference/dp/B00DCXZY1W (http://www.amazon.com/AKG-Pro-Audio-K61 ... B00DCXZY1W)
http://www.thomann.de/gb/akg_k_702_gel_ear_pad.htm


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## Ozymandias (May 8, 2014)

chimuelo @ Wed May 07 said:


> Unless you're hooked on coiled wires and 19th century technology that is made for a one size fits all consumer, there's these new fangled things called IEMs, but they are tailored for your ears, instead of what Yamaha, ADK and Radio Shack tell you sounds good.
> But after one of those "special" audiograms are taken that tells you what freqs' you lack (usually the 4k notch) and Voila, like magic you can listen to mixes as you walk, take a dump, anythng other than sitting.
> 
> It's tough breaking old habits, especially an ancient one where many of the worlds top pros use a brand sponsors pay them to pose with at huge consoles.
> ...



Apples and oranges, surely? It's no accident that a lot of people use both IEMs and high quality headphones. The idea that the latter are some sort of anachronism is pretty absurd.


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## TheUnfinished (May 8, 2014)

I wear glasses and have never had any pain (or even mild discomfort issues) with my Beyerdynamic DT770s. See if you can try a pair out.


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## chimuelo (May 8, 2014)

Ozymandias @ Thu May 08 said:


> chimuelo @ Wed May 07 said:
> 
> 
> > Unless you're hooked on coiled wires and 19th century technology that is made for a one size fits all consumer, there's these new fangled things called IEMs, but they are tailored for your ears, instead of what Yamaha, ADK and Radio Shack tell you sounds good.
> ...



Well time will tell. Too bad most folks wait to get them as a hearing saving solution after years of the damage caused by cans.
Only the most ancient of performers drags along wooden wedges, or youngstas' wanting to appear as "vintage."
12 years of JHAudio Pro's have saved me, but I had a really bad 4k notch, which regular generic cans using fancy marketing slogans and loud stage volumes caused.
I really love getting the mail while checking new mixes too. No lame ass coiled cables from the early days of Thomas Edison.....

0oD


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## SillyMidOn (May 8, 2014)

Hm, I wear glasses and have never had any pain - the arms on my Armani specs are quite thick, so that might be why, so they don't buckle under the pressure form the ear pads.

But my AKG K 271 might also be the reason - they come with two sets of ear pads that fit over your ears, one a velvety soft cushion like texture, the other more leather like, so you can see which ones work best.

http://www.akg.com/K271+MKII-827.html?pid=1197

Hope that helps


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## Rctec (May 8, 2014)

In Ear Monitors are expensive, but so worth it! If you are compelled to write a post about what a pain glasses and headphones are, you are obviously serious about your life in music. IEM are not only great to have for listening with, but - oh joy! They can shut out the drone of airplanes, traffic, band-members... Peace at last! sometimes I use them to just hear myself think 
Beyond Highly Recommended!


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## Guy Rowland (May 8, 2014)

Rctec @ Thu May 08 said:


> In Ear Monitors are expensive, but so worth it! If you are compelled to write a post about what a pain glasses and headphones are, you are obviously serious about your life in music. IEM are not only great to have for listening with, but - oh joy! They can shut out the drone of airplanes, traffic, band-members... Peace at last! sometimes I use them to just hear myself think
> Beyond Highly Recommended!



Hans, what do you use? I've tried several (admittedly not super high end) and I've hated them all with a passion, I came to believe that the pain of wearing them was only matched by the pain of their sonics - no LF, all harsh highs and mids. But if there's really good out there, I wann'em. (as a comparison, cans-wise I have Senneissher HD-25s which I love beyond all reasonable measure)


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## Giant_Shadow (May 8, 2014)

Lets hope Mr. Z does not need to use a horn in his ear to hear in the later years like Beethoven did. Having a significant other thats a audiologist, I am continuously grilled about NEVER putting ANYTHING in my ears. Even so I bet Han's could write some serious pipe organ music in the future 8) 



Rctec @ Thu May 08 said:


> In Ear Monitors are expensive, but so worth it! If you are compelled to write a post about what a pain glasses and headphones are, you are obviously serious about your life in music. IEM are not only great to have for listening with, but - oh joy! They can shut out the drone of airplanes, traffic, band-members... Peace at last! sometimes I use them to just hear myself think
> Beyond Highly Recommended!


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## XT26 (May 8, 2014)

I have to second (or third) the beyerdynamic dt990's for comfort, although on really long sessions I lift up the arms of my glasses a tad just to change the pressure point. 
-Tom


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## chimuelo (May 8, 2014)

Try the 6 way drivers called JHAudio Pro's are top shelf, and very comfortable.
Check out their website for the client list, that might tell you a few finnicky people since the early 90s been using his patented designs.
Well it's what they're using on the big jobs....
I like them mostly for an excuse to not hear my old lady walking around quacking when I am creating presets in Scopes Modular IV, Solaris or my SE-1X.
I see her lips moving and that jacked off look on her face and no cacklings will penetrate the mighty custom silicon molds.


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## TheWildToad (May 8, 2014)

Maybe some blue moon will rise, and the music I make will generate some income, but for now, I'm using the tilted glasses method suggested earlier. Though my vision appears to be more horizontally stretched due to this, I like to pretend I'm looking through a widescreen TV with a skewed aspect ratio and its rather fun.
Lets face it-music production went from being bent over a sheet of paper with a quill by candelight and hunched over a piano, to bent over an electronic piano and hunched in front of a screen, often int he dark. There is a point to the dark ages thing, although I wouldn't go so far as to call audio cabling archaic. The overall ergonomics of the average computer user is terrible, and we all, I'm sure, spend a lot of time in front of the computer doing what we do. 

That's why you gotta stretch the neck out with _-) !!!!!


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## Rctec (May 9, 2014)

Sorry, was a bit busy...here (hear?) is the answer : http://pro.ultimateears.com/
an ear-doctor comes and makes a mold of your ear. Each pair is obviously custom made. Obviously, they fit perfectly and sound great!

don't go for the generic - one size fits all - type. Totally useless. But these have been a great investment!

Best,

-Hz-


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## chimuelo (May 9, 2014)

The Z Man is spot on, naturally...
Ultimate Ears is a former JHAudio company and Mindy has taken that company a long way. Having them so close by ensures the best support and turn around times for new clients or returning clients for support in SoCal...

Something else worthy of mentioning is a DSP Plug for Scope XITE-1 or older PCI card designs that is used to match up your IEMs with a particular pair of monitors or MidField monitors.
I am sure these days there are custom VST plugs that do the same.
But having presets for my Blue Skys at home or my QSC-K12s at the gig is simply a preset change.
There will be differences in percieved hearing and it really helps adjust to various rooms or stages and even gets Psuedo 5.1 tones pretty close.


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## Guy Rowland (May 9, 2014)

Rctec @ Fri May 09 said:


> Sorry, was a bit busy...here (hear?) is the answer : http://pro.ultimateears.com/
> an ear-doctor comes and makes a mold of your ear. Each pair is obviously custom made. Obviously, they fit perfectly and sound great!
> 
> don't go for the generic - one size fits all - type. Totally useless. But these have been a great investment!
> ...



Ah of course, the custom moulded ones - makes perfect sense. Thanks.


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