WEIRD EXPERIENCES WITH GOOD HEADSETS VERSUS HORN SPEAKERS

[♔Chello]

WEIRD EXPERIENCES WITH GOOD HEADSETS VERSUS HORN SPEAKERS

My main interest apart from playing music with an instrument has always been HiFi.
I have developed my own and other people's speakers for many years, as well as repaired various things within HiFi.

This has resulted in me having and still having a better sound system than most people have; it plays well below 10Hz to over 40kHz.

When it comes to headsets vs speakers, it has always been argued that even mediocre headsets are better than the best speakers.

How wrong can you go...

I have a fairly good headset (STAX Lambda) which I always use when mixing on the keyboard, but I experience daily that there are high-frequency details that I do not hear with these, while they are very clear with the horn speakers.
These details can often be noise from drum sets which is unwanted (eg too much ambience).
Part of the reason is that horn speakers reproduce ambience in a way that no one else does, as they reproduce the actual ambience that was recorded.

This does not do ordinary speakers, and certainly not headsets.
There are of course very good headsets that do this, but this ambience is artificial and has nothing to do with the actual one on the recording.

I have spent a lot of time creating artificial ambience completely according to the book, but this cannot compare to the genuine ambience that is available on all AMB and RR kits.

I also use a special EQ set-up for MaxxAudio, where I have increased the upper frequencies towards close to 25kHz, which is very audible via the horn speakers, but not via the headset.
This results in ambience being extremely emphasized, and at the same time has a favorable effect on the perspective.

I've had a lot of really good speakers, but none like my current horn speakers.

So my advice when it comes to finding the right amount of ambience is:
Always use the speakers for final control - your headset is not suitable for this.

Many of my newer styles are made in good faith with headphones (at night), but when I play them through the horn speakers, it sounds terrible - so I have to go through many styles and reduce the amount of ambience; especially the artificial one.