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Changing the listener's ear position

I was thinking about posts that have addressed "cupping the ears,"
putting your hands around your ears to increase the volume,
especially in conversation, when it is hard to hear or understand the speaker.

I wanted to make a simple change to my ears that would improve
the music experience, both live and recorded. Most of us have paid more
attention to changing the outside world rather than changing the tools with which we listen... our two ears! My best move so far
has been to place nickel size felt pads (used to protect floors from damage
by moving furniture across them) behind my ears. This slightly moves
my ears away from my head.

The "scientific" explanation for improved sound,
gathered from different sources:

Tilting the ear away from your head makes the ear lobes bigger, extending their ability to gather sound waves. More sound is reflected into the ear.
This makes the sound louder, and also changes the quality of what you
will hear. It also does a good job at blocking sound coming from other directions. And probably reduces interaction with sound waves coming from the room... behind the listener, for example?

The felt pads I am using have an adhesive backing on one side,
and are only about a quarter inch thick. They are reasonably comfortable,
and have become part of any serious listening session, for me. Check out the Dollar Store and Home Depot.

I like the difference that these small pads are making, much better than the
modeling clay and rope caulk that I tried previously. It is easy to A/ B
the pads, and play with the different positions they may be placed,
along the back of the head. I apply the sticky side to the skin on my head,
behind my ears, and the dry side touches the back of my ear.

Happy listening!
sgordon
brf
1,715 posts
 
I like to listen with my mouth wide open to increase bass perception :-)

Although I do not dispute your claim, I draw the line at wearing one of those dog cones you get from the vet.
donjr
1,335 posts
 
I think the only thing that can make your ear lobes larger is to smash them with a hammer or the aging process (your ears get bigger with age). Obviuosly if you bend the helix forward it's going to catch more of the sound in the antihelix and direct it towards the external auditory canal but it may also be adding a reflection point (lol). Maybe ear treatments are the next big thing in audio but don't overdamp your antihelix.

If you've made it this far in your tweaking then you must be very pleased with your system.
ecruz
402 posts
 
Although I do not dispute your claim, I draw the line at wearing one of those dog cones you get from the vet.

Maybe I'm just immature(ok, I am). But this made me laugh out loud.
chazro's avatar
chazro
635 posts
 
I seem to remember back in the day someone actually sold some type of ear attachment thingamajig to facilitate this effect!
geoffkait's avatar
geoffkait
23,365 posts
 
As the inventor of Ortho Ears a long time ago, I think I can say without fear of contradiction that cupping your hands behind your ears does increase the gain, but all is not well in Big Ears country. The better the system becomes, I.e., the better the signal to noise ratio and dynamic range the less effective cupping hands behind the ears becomes. Increasing the volume of the system also diminishes the effect and there is also something a little unnatural to the sound that occurs when cupping hands. Ortho Ears were essentially rubber prosthetic ears molded in the shape of Spock's ears.
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