Do you watch your films using earphones?

[Paul Adsett]

It is a sad fact that a pair of $30.00 headphones will provide far superior and immersive sound than a $1000.00 speaker system. I have a great 5.2 surround system and the sound is excellent by any normal standards, but if I am alone watching super 8mm or digital video I actually prefer a simple set of headphones. The sound is just more directional and immersive.
So I am wondering if other film collectors also feel this way and use phones when watching their films alone.

[Steve Klare]

Hi Paul,

I'd feel a little nervous running this way because I like to keep an ear on what the machines are up to: for example the subtle thud of a reel falling off the spindle because I forget to latch it up, or the delightful cascade of film piling up because my long belt has seen its day. Then again there are the grinds and squeals of machinery crying for help! (We operate with the machines in back of us.)

Of course depending on the machine, the sound of the mechanism actually helps cover the sound of chatter. If you isolate yourself from that sound it could sound worse in the 'phones (I know the GS deals with this better than most.)

Still the same, I have considered adding 'phones to my setup: just consideration when the rest of the family is trying to sleep. As it is, I often go to silents.

For Video: of course! (I seem to recall a lot of complaints from the rest of the House when I first watched "Das Boot"!)

I have speakers on each side of my screen and I've never been impressed with the stereo effect: I bet it has to be better through headphones too.

[Graham Ritchie]

Hi Paul

I am fortunate to have a place out back and good neighbour so never have used headphones. I can understand your use of them though

[Mark Mander]

I did try headphones once whilst watching a film but didn't get on with it, I was watching a film in the dining room and my wife was in the living room watching the tv, I close the door if I'm on my own and have the volume at a reasonable level, maybe better for video projection but I'd still like to hear my surroundings, Mark

[Melvin England]

Headphones are all well and good for listening to stereo soundtracks, but plug them into a mono machine and all the sound comes out of one side instead of mono sound out of both sides. Very off putting.

[Chip Gelmini]

Nope.

Because I think it is very important to be able to listen to the film going through the machine once you have a trained ear you can detect problems before they turn into a major one the machine will chatter not consistently but a little noisier which would require taking a look at the bottom and top loops and just seeing what's happening without interrupting the show

Whether you use earbuds or better styled headphones they take away from natural surroundsound of the room that you are in and I don't mean surroundsound from the movie more natural operating sounds

[Osi Osgood]

I agree with Steve on this. I usually only use headphones when reviewing new arrivals.

[Paul Adsett]

Melvin, you can get a little 3,5mm plug in adaptor which splits the mono source from the projector into two equal mono sources, when using stereo headphones or connecting to a stereo amplifier. On some projectors, like my Eumig S938 Stereo, the headphone output socket is already a dual mono signal, when the machine is switched to mono mode.
I had'nt thought about Chip and Steve's points of needing to hear the projector to quickly catch projection problems. They are absolutely right of course, and I guess I am acting out of faith when I use headphones with film projection!

[Bill Phelps]

I also like hearing the machines running....one time the belt snapped during WAY OUT WEST and I had my dad over screening the film for him. I was sitting with him and not at the projector but heard a faint little sound that was not the norm...as I looked back I could see the take up was not moving. Thankfully I caught it before the film even hit the ground and decided to just turn the take up by hand to keep the film rolling for dad....boy that was a long 20 min! My arm was rubber.

[Steve Klare]

That's alert projection, Bill!

Every so often you hear something just not quite...right. You may not be able to quite put your finger on it just then, but something, maybe deep down in your subconscious mind tells you need to go back and check it out.

Happens with film projectors, cars, and even sometimes on the phone with my wife!

(It's a little like that moment when you yell down the basement stairs "What are you doing?" and your ten year old replies "....Nuthin."!)

As much as my dream setup has a real projection booth, this is a factor against it.

[Bill Phelps]

Exactly! I've had other occasions when I have found a mountain of film in a pile behind the projector. The best thing to do here is not panic and wind the film back on the reel...if you don't touch the pile of film your usually ok. The only time I can think of that I have used headphones is on the editing bench when I'm previewing a film or if I were doing some recording. You can really hear the sound quality or lack of with headphones.

[Melvin England]

Paul - Thanks for that little nugget of information. I will check it out.

[Ali Hipperson]

Well a bit late with my reply here, but anyway....

Funny this topic comes up as when I first started projecting (at the age of 16) during Christmas 1979 I used to like to project my films later at night. As I had a large family, some of who would have already gone to bed, I started using headphones which dampened some of the projector noise and meant that I didn't disturb the rest of the household!

As I'm hoping that the redecoration of my projection-room (living-room) will be completed by the end of November so that I can at last start regular film-shows, I was actually contemplating watching some films later at night with my headphones the way I used to.

That said, I take everyone else's point about needing to be able to hear any possible malfunction sounds from a projector so as to be able to respond quickly and switch off before too much damage is caused to any film!

Ali.

[Steve Klare]

I think it would be much more confidence inspiring if you were sitting back with the operating machine. A lot of the bad things that can go wrong have visual cues as well.

(It's when the clue is odor, now you're in deep!).

[Ali Hipperson]

Great point Steve!

I usually would be, and that way you can have peace of mind too 😊

Ali