Might not amount to a whole hill of beans, but might have relevance. I have a pair of trusty old pair of Beyer DT100 headphones which I must have had for decades. Anyway, I noticed the ear pads were looking tatty and took them off, and noticed the inner foam pad was, well, to put it bluntly....manky. Well we never clean these things do we? And over the years gather muck, and I am not one of those people that needs regular ear de-waxing. Anyway, I got to wondering if there is any possibility of manky erar causing ear infection, they do look unhygienic, any I've order replacement ear muffs and foam inners off YouKnowWhoBay.
Technical Editor, Sound On Sound...
(But generally posting my own personal views and not necessarily those of SOS, the company or the magazine!)
In my world, things get less strange when I read the manual...
Re: Now, Listen Up - Possible source of ear infection?
Your own ear wax is unlikely to be a potential source of infection, although someone else's might.
Apart from the infection, prevention element, worn out earpads stop the 'phones working as the manufacturer intended, plus new ones feel like you've bought new 'phones, for relatively little outlay!
Trevor Johnson wrote: ↑Tue Oct 26, 2021 10:41 am
Your own ear wax is unlikely to be a potential source of infection, although someone else's might.
Apart from the infection, prevention element, worn out earpads stop the 'phones working as the manufacturer intended, plus new ones feel like you've bought new 'phones, for relatively little outlay!
Yep, sort of makes sense, as the headphones are the last interface between the music itself and the inner workings of one's auditory system, they need care and attention
Good point. I've used these (below) from Amazon when I've been working with clients through the pandemic and needed to provide headphones. They are available in several different sizes to fit most headphones. They provide as much peace of mind as protection from contamination, but that visual indication that hygiene is being thought about is often important in a professional setting!
Technical Editor, Sound On Sound...
(But generally posting my own personal views and not necessarily those of SOS, the company or the magazine!)
In my world, things get less strange when I read the manual...
Re: Now, Listen Up - Possible source of ear infection?
After a little help from the fine folks here, I recently bought a pair of HD 600's. The pads are a soft, fuzzy material, rather than a leather or vinyl type of thing. Any advice on the best way to go about regular cleaning of the fuzzy pads?
BWC wrote: ↑Thu Oct 28, 2021 3:46 am
After a little help from the fine folks here, I recently bought a pair of HD 600's. The pads are a soft, fuzzy material, rather than a leather or vinyl type of thing. Any advice on the best way to go about regular cleaning of the fuzzy pads?
I think the general consensus is to hand-wash them in warm water with a dab of soap. then rinse them thoroughly to remove all trace of the soap, then let them dry thoroughly in a warm environment (not a clothes dryer)
On the other hand, you could try just giving them a little attention with an anti-bacterial wipe, although I've not tried that myself.
Hugh Robjohns wrote: ↑Wed Oct 27, 2021 10:42 am
Good point. I've used these (below) from Amazon when I've been working with clients through the pandemic and needed to provide headphones. They are available in several different sizes to fit most headphones. They provide as much peace of mind as protection from contamination, but that visual indication that hygiene is being thought about is often important in a professional setting!
Nothing that I've noticed ... the material is ultra flimsy yet resilient. I don't have the best high frequency hearing on the planet by a long shot but academically, based on the physics of the covers I've got here, I'd be amazed if anyone could detect attenuation as a result of using them.
Sam Spoons wrote: ↑Thu Oct 28, 2021 10:59 pm
Good for tracking cans but how much do they affect the high end when using them with decent open back headphones?
I wondered that too, but at the time I started using them any minor acoustic degradation was of less importance than the perceived hygiene benefit... but actually, I can't hear any difference at all when using high end AKG and Sennheiser headphones.
And because I'm old and crinkly I asked my twenty-something daughter to have a listen and she couldn't hear a difference either. So I'm reasonably confident that any acoustic roll-off is negligible.... which is what I'd expect to be honest. The material is thinner and lighter than that typically used in exterior mic windshields.
Technical Editor, Sound On Sound...
(But generally posting my own personal views and not necessarily those of SOS, the company or the magazine!)
In my world, things get less strange when I read the manual...
Re: Now, Listen Up - Possible source of ear infection?
At a push (if nobody's looking) you could always elastic band a couple of pieces of kitchen roll over the pads. I did this when I came back from somewhere hot and humid with a nasty fungal outer ear infection.
Some cool colours too. The description says they also protect against hair product. I remember getting on a long distance bus - the headrest was all gooey with the previous sitter’s product. I would have said - ewwwww in an inner teenage girl’s voice and moved on.