George Marshall wrote:

>What I do notice is that some recordings, and some labels, sound better
>on headphones than others, though the same may not be said of hearing
>the same records through loudspeakers.  But I have the idea (tell me if
>it is false) that recording engineers who mix the sound do so with
>headphones over their ears, and, if that is the case, the argument that
>commercial recordings are designed specifically for loudspeaker listening
>seems a bit unconvincing.
>
>Meanwhile I will not part with my Sennheiser HD600s, even though I did
>confuse Rossini with Weber while wearing them.

Rossini's heavy reliance on double bass is a dead giveaway. I own a
HD600 (amongst many others) and it is not particularly bass shy.  I find
headphone listening to be both uncomfortable (as in tied down with a
leash, plus having a clamp on my head) and unnatural.  While listening
to music be it live or recorded via loudspeakers, turning and moving my
head about produces expected changes in the sound sensation; with
headphones in place the sound "uncannily" remains the same.

Norman
Stony Point, NY
USA