For a few hours each morning I am writing a new Audiophile's Guide series. My plan is to complete 9 full books to make a set that will cover the entire gamut from analog to digital, headphones to loudspeakers, and everything in between. It's a big project but one I am really enjoying putting together.
This morning I am deep into writing about headphones and, as I take a break to grab a cup of Joe to keep the old fingers flying, I find myself fascinated enough to write a post about a paradox that few people consider: headphones shouldn't work at all, yet somehow they do—wonderfully well.
Think about it. Our auditory system evolved over millions of years to process sound arriving from a distance, modified by our outer ears, head, and torso. This complex system helped our ancestors locate prey and avoid predators. When we listen to speakers in a room, we're using this natural system more or less as intended.
Then along come headphones, completely bypassing millions of years of evolution by placing tiny drivers right against our ears. Gone are the room reflections that give sound its space. Gone is the natural crossfeed between our ears. Gone is the physical sensation of bass vibrating our bodies. Gone is nearly every spatial cue our brain evolved to use for locating sound.
By any logical measure, this should be a recipe for disaster. Our brain should reject this completely unnatural way of receiving sound. Yet somehow, almost magically, it works. Not only works, but can deliver deeply emotional, highly detailed musical experiences that rival or even surpass speakers in some ways.
I think what it shows me is how adaptable our ear/brain mechanisms are. That we can close our eyes and imagine the symphony inside our heads and somehow ignore the fact there are two tiny speakers manipulating our eardrums.
In any case, back to writing. I'll let you know when we launch the new series, The Audiophile's Guide.
