[BiffZiff]

Recently coming from closed cans Audio Technica ATH-A900x I purchased AKG K712 Pro's. With them I got the Shiit Magni and Modi.  The sound is really nice it seems especially for electronic music.  Only thing is my ear drums hurt after some use.  I think I used them for about 2 hours yesterday listening to various music and watching a tv show.  What could be up?

 

[Strangelove424]

You're listening too loudly. Ear phones present a particular risk to hearing damage, start to keep a serious eye on your volume level, and adjust for the loudest peaks not the quietest parts. The sound pressure levels alot of modern gear can deliver borders on dangerous. As a hifi person you need to be aware of those levels yourself and adjust safely. Tinnitus is the long term effect of ear abuse, you can google it, it's not cool to have if you love music. 

 

[money4me247]

ya check your volume bro. you can max out your computer/audio player volume & just fiddle with the magni volume knob, so you get a good sense of where safe volume levels are. for my lyr 2, i know if I go past 12 o clock it will be trouble.

 

[Makiah S]

  You're listening too loudly. Ear phones present a particular risk to hearing damage, start to keep a serious eye on your volume level, and adjust for the loudest peaks not the quietest parts. The sound pressure levels alot of modern gear can deliver borders on dangerous. As a hifi person you need to be aware of those levels yourself and adjust safely. Tinnitus is the long term effect of ear abuse, you can google it, it's not cool to have if you love music. 

 
 

  ya check your volume bro. you can max out your computer/audio player volume & just fiddle with the magni volume knob, so you get a good sense of where safe volume levels are. for my lyr 2, i know if I go past 12 o clock it will be trouble.

Yea much to loud if it's getting painful,
 
it should be noted as well that your nicer headphones, tend to sound better when driven to "healthy" listening levels.

 

[BiffZiff]

  You're listening too loudly. Ear phones present a particular risk to hearing damage, start to keep a serious eye on your volume level, and adjust for the loudest peaks not the quietest parts. The sound pressure levels alot of modern gear can deliver borders on dangerous. As a hifi person you need to be aware of those levels yourself and adjust safely. Tinnitus is the long term effect of ear abuse, you can google it, it's not cool to have if you love music. 

 
 

  ya check your volume bro. you can max out your computer/audio player volume & just fiddle with the magni volume knob, so you get a good sense of where safe volume levels are. for my lyr 2, i know if I go past 12 o clock it will be trouble.

 
 

   
 
Yea much to loud if it's getting painful,
 
it should be noted as well that your nicer headphones, tend to sound better when driven to "healthy" listening levels.

 
 
To all Now, 
On the Magni I am not even passed 10% or between 8 and 9 o'clock on the volume knob so it's way over powered I guess.

I think I may have went up in the volume to make it sound like it had more umph.  Not sure if it's due to the cans now being open or what.  Any input on the transition is welcomed.  

 

[Headzone]

Volume knob position doesn't have anything to do with the actual power of the amplifier.

 

[BiffZiff]

I did some testing and have the volume pretty low.  Much lower than I would normally listen with other cans like the 900x.  I am still getting pain.  It could be soreness from the first attempt.  Any other alternative ideas?

 

[money4me247]

  I did some testing and have the volume pretty low.  Much lower than I would normally listen with other cans like the 900x.  I am still getting pain.  It could be soreness from the first attempt.  Any other alternative ideas?

 
you should go see a doctor. what kind of pain are you experiencing & is it only when you are listening to music via headphones?

 

[ProtegeManiac]

  I did some testing and have the volume pretty low.  Much lower than I would normally listen with other cans like the 900x.  I am still getting pain.  It could be soreness from the first attempt.  Any other alternative ideas?

 
What sort of test, exactly? Unless you got the actual dB's, chances are you're listening at a higher volume when for example you have better headphones and amps. Why? You get less distortion. A less capable system will have you pulling back earlier because distortion is already audible.
 
Also there's a chance that if you are indeed listening at a much lower volume now than with the 900X before, then that previous headphone/system could have damaged your hearing before you got the new one. Whatever it is, consult some ENTs. Not just one, because as much as doctors might be medically trained, once in a while you can encounter someone who would tell anyone (who might not have tinnitus) to not listen with headphones at all (kind of like when a woman encounters a doctor who I can't go any further because the mods might flag it as a political discussion even if it's just an example, but I suppose you can guess where I was going there).

 

[kazaakas]

Maybe you should try this: http://www.head-fi.org/a/how-to-equalize-your-headphones-a-tutorial
I have a similar headphone, the Q701. When the volume wasn't too loud it still hurted my ears. When I tamed the 7400 and 12800 Hz frequencies it became so much more gentle. The treble was no longer piercing my ears and I could actually turn my volume knob up more, while it was still easier on my eardrums!
You kinda have to fiddle around for a bit because these treble peaks are different for every person and headphone. It has something to do with ear canal resonance, but that's a really long story.

 

[BiffZiff]

   
you should go see a doctor. what kind of pain are you experiencing & is it only when you are listening to music via headphones?

It's only when I listen to music via the akg headphones.  If I take my Audio technica A500x or 900x and plug them in the Magni amp they get a good bit louder than the K712's but the ear pain goes right away.

I think my ears are fine and any ENT doctor will just tell me to stop doing the thing that causes the issue which happens to be new.

 

[BiffZiff]

   
What sort of test, exactly? Unless you got the actual dB's, chances are you're listening at a higher volume when for example you have better headphones and amps. Why? You get less distortion. A less capable system will have you pulling back earlier because distortion is already audible.
 
Also there's a chance that if you are indeed listening at a much lower volume now than with the 900X before, then that previous headphone/system could have damaged your hearing before you got the new one. Whatever it is, consult some ENTs. Not just one, because as much as doctors might be medically trained, once in a while you can encounter someone who would tell anyone (who might not have tinnitus) to not listen with headphones at all (kind of like when a woman encounters a doctor who I can't go any further because the mods might flag it as a political discussion even if it's just an example, but I suppose you can guess where I was going there).

I don't have tinnitus though.  It's not like I always have ear pain. I have ear pain when I use the K712's and only the K712's.

 

[BiffZiff]

  Maybe you should try this: http://www.head-fi.org/a/how-to-equalize-your-headphones-a-tutorial
I have a similar headphone, the Q701. When the volume wasn't too loud it still hurted my ears. When I tamed the 7400 and 12800 Hz frequencies it became so much more gentle. The treble was no longer piercing my ears and I could actually turn my volume knob up more, while it was still easier on my eardrums!
You kinda have to fiddle around for a bit because these treble peaks are different for every person and headphone. It has something to do with ear canal resonance, but that's a really long story.

Awesome thanks a lot. Very useful.

 

[ProtegeManiac]

I don't have tinnitus though.  It's not like I always have ear pain. I have ear pain when I use the K712's and only the K712's.

 


As much as sharp treble can hurt your "ears," it should be a bit more mental than actual, and shouldn't be so immediate, unless there is something very wrong with the response of the headphone in question - the K712. Or conversely, there might be something very wrong with the response of the AT's with rolled off or missing treble, then you damaged your ears listening too loud, and then the AKG with a little bit of treble bump is irritating some kind of tinnitus.

You never know, basically, given under normal circumstances it's more along the lines of mental annoyance than actual physical pain in the ears when certain audiophiles encounter anything that doesn't have a "creamy, wet, very warm midrange with a buttery treble" or however they describe it.

 

[A Milkshake]

Hey man,
I got the new K7xx headphones yesterday (similar to the 712s) and I had the same issue. I have a pair of hd558s and hd 8dj headphones that I love and I never had that issue with.

I felt that pain and switched between my akgs and my 558s and quickly realized the high frequency response "sparkle" (whatever you want to call it) was what was much much more pronounced in my akg headphones. I reduced the high end response in my EQ by 8db and it didn't bother me anymore, but I could still here highs perfectly clearly.

I think that equalization thread is spot on, or I have damaged my mid and low range hearing. Regardless try messing with the EQ to make the headphones comfortable.

Side note: I noticed that the drivers in the akgs seem to sit much closer to my ears and also seem to project much more directly into my ears. This could just be me and how they fit my head, but I think that could also effect how I perceive the response of the headphones.

Edit: Once I burned mine in I didn't have this issue anymore. I still set the high frequencies back a bit, but only a couple dB now.