Ask MetaFilter questions tagged with stereo and speaker

Will my head explode if I wear my earphones the wrong way round?

grumblebee — Sun, 23 Mar 2008 13:01:43 -0800

stupid question: why are there left and right stereo speakers? Okay, I understand (and appreciate) that there are two sets of sounds and that they're separated in space. But I don't get the specificity of left and right. On my headphones, one speaker is labeled L and the other is labeled R.

Several times a day, I start to put them on without first checking that I'm matching the speakers to the correct ears. Then I realize what I'm doing and check the labels. Part of me feels like it's a good thing I'm doing this; another part of me feels like a lemming, mindlessly following directions to march off a cliff.

Would it make any difference if I listened to L with my right ear and R with my left ear? When I've boldly (and guiltily) done this, I haven't noticed any difference. Is this because L and R are bullshit labels? Or is it because I'm not a sophisticated enough listener to appreciate L and R? Would a real audiophile exclaim, "What's going on? Why is the string section on the right?!?"

DJ Sadness = Another set of speakers down the drain!

phixed — Sat, 07 Apr 2007 21:37:12 -0800

I just tore through yet another set of traditional speakers DJing and am ready to try something new. What are my options MeFi? Background: I have a nice set of powered monitors that are great when I'm producing music but sound much too dry for everyday listening so I'd prefer not to go down that road. At the same time, my DJ setup is in the living room and I don't want gigantic speakers with 18" woofers or, my wife forbid, an actual PA. I'm very space conscious and would love to try small speakers with a subwoofer handling most of the bass but am unsure if this is a good solution for a traditional DJ set up - two turntables and a mixer. I should also note that my while amplifier is pretty cheap, I'm careful to never send an overdriven signal to it via my (nicer) mixer.

So what can I do here? I'd love a solution that will keep me listening to music for at least the next five years fart free - preferably for a budget that won't break my bank.

Why does my stereo screech at certain pitches?

agropyron — Mon, 25 Jul 2005 13:48:03 -0800

I recently moved my stereo to a new location. After I reassembled it, it started making screeching noises whenever a certain pitch is hit. The noises are only made by one speaker. It produces an eerie static when a high pitch is reached by the music I'm playing. Here's a picture of the wiring in the back of the speaker, just in case that helps.

Any ideas how to fix this?

Subwoofer Recommendations

delmoi — Sun, 13 Feb 2005 17:13:48 -0800

stereofilter: I'm interested in replacing my subwoofer. I have some cheap RCA thing that really overemphasizes a single note. I'd like to replace it with something that has better frequency response, preferably a self-powered sub, and I don't want to pay a fortune for 'stereophile' stuff like so many people seem to do.