Headphone Case
Headphones...
If you're a Sound Engineer or into any form of serious Audio or Video creation you need them, you've got them. They''re an in-valuable piece of your arsenal that allows you to do your job to the best of your ability.
A good set of Monitoring Headphones, putting it bluntly, aren't cheap. you saved and paid a good if not hefty price for them. However we all know, as great as they are, as good as they sound. They can be a real pain in the arse to carry around. And don't fair well for long to the riggers of being on the road.
It used to be, before all the nickle dime 'n came to be, that all descent Headphones, whether they were Monitor Headphones or not, came with at least a bag to carry them in. Now a days your lucky if you get a box when you buy them. Though Clear Com's might still come with the case, I don't know as it's been been a while since I bought a set.
But most all others don't.
And if you've ever been on the road, you know what happens.
One day you put on your costly kick butt headphones and the ear piece falls off is now dangling down around your chin, with the head piece left piercing into your temple where the ear piece used to be attached.
Yeah you know what I'm talking about... right now you're remembering where you were when that happened to you.
And like all of us that have been there, you tried using Duct of Gaffers tape to put them back together.
Worked for a little while didn't it...?
That is 'til you were reminded your headphones were broke when the hottest chick you've seen on tour a year walks up to you and asks your name with a "you're going to get laid look" and watches as you greet that come hither smile with a face of anguish and pain as you rip out your hair that has stuck to the now unraveling duct tape which of course in your hast to remove your headphones to converse with her, not only pulls out your hair but pulls the ear piece off again causing the tensioned head strap to smack you right in the eye.
Ouch!
You look up with a tearing eye to see she's still there and yeah, she's still looking at you, but not the the same come hither look any more.
And instead of being able to concentrate on her, you have to now fix your headphones again.
After all, the show must go on and you need to go get some more duct tape. So much for the getting the girl...
Point being, your headphones breaking always seems to happen at the most inconvenient time.
As if there were a convenient time.
Now, you can try using a Crown Royal bag, I've used them myself.
They work great for some things... but not really for headphones, I know first hand. The cord gets all tangled up inside the bag and takes forever to unravel. There is minimal protection and zero padding. Ask anyone that's tried using one
- even in the Crown Royal Bag, they still get tossed in with the rest of the gear and eventually break.
"Take care of your tools and your tools will take care of you" my Dad said to me when I was young and about to put one of his tools back dirty. Which he further instilled the thought by having me clean all of his tools and put them back in the right place. But I now thankfully carry that forward thinking with me.
So what is the solution to the headphones? And one that doesn't cost as much as the headphones themselves?
I have found a pretty dang good one.
A Portable DVD Player Case...
yup, you read it right.
The Portable DVD Case I use seen below is made by Case Logic.
I picked it up over at Comp USA or Best Buy, I don't remember which. I've been using mine for almost two years now for my Sennheiser Pros and so far it's the best reasonably priced solution I've found.
This one is padded on all sides, top and bottom and so far proved durable. It's the perfect height with just the right amount of comfort room. My Sennhiesers fit perfectly - as if it was made for them.
Most Monitoring Headphones are about the same thickness, so yours should fit nicely as well. In saying that, before running out and just buying this or any other case hoping yours will fit; bring your headphones with you to the store to be sure they nest in nicely before buying the case
Portable DVD cases come in both hard and soft sided and most are about the same size. It just depends on if they were made as a generic fit all or made specifically for a a paticular DVD player. Most are very reasonably priced. Heck, Sears and K-Mart even have them
The benefit of using a case like this in stating the obvious, is that your headphones will be better protected. Better protection means they will last longer and stay in better condition through out the time of ownership.
No more having to unravel a tangled cord when pulling your headphones out to use them if packed right either. Like you'll miss that little venture every time you want to use them.. right?
My key to keeping the cord from getting tangled is pretty straight forward. The headphone cord gets properly coiled in the center of the headphones as you see above. And yes, I left the cord wrapper on, helps prevent tangling as well. The wrapper ends came held in place with twist ties, I simply loosed one end of the wrapper to allow for cord stretching. When I'm done with the session I put the cord back in the wrapper and the twist tie back on.
Keep the twist tie in the case while the head phones are in use. And if I loose the twist tie, which I've done, it's no big deal.
Take one off a bread wrapper to replace it if need be. The strap inside the case, which would have held the DVD player in place, holds both the headphones and cord nicely in place once nested.
This particular DVD player case has a carrying handle, and 4 D-Rings in case you want to strap it to something while you go through it or want to carry it over the shoulder for transport.
Packed it fits nicely in a Laptop Bag or Road case drawer and you can stack them neatly. Being able to lay them flat and stack them, that alone is worth the price.
Mine also has an upper compartment with an internal; zippered compartment. This area is perfect for other types of headphones which personally I carry a variety smaller styles of headphones and other small things I may need. Such as Monitor Ear buds, Y-splitters, cable plug in adapters.
You never know If and when you'll need a quarter to 1/8 adapter or visa verse. For me, spares are in there and handy. I can jack into pretty much anything whether it be 1/4 inch 1/8 inch Mono or Stereo. And with the added headphones and Y-Splitters, others can listen in as well. What you carry in yours of course, is up to you.
As far as I'm concerned, this case has made the grade and proven it's self a viable piece of equipment so far. If you were unaware of using Portable DVD Case for your headphones, I wanted to turn you onto what I was using. I don't know about you, but I'm not rich and can't afford to buy new set of Monitor Headphones every time I turn around. This is just one of the ways to take care of your tools, so they can take care of you.
With your headphones safely protected, perhaps in the future, when that hot looking chick comes up to you at the board wanting to know your name and looking at you with a "you're going to get laid smile" You'll at least look like a Pro if you don't already sound like one, and can concentrate on what's in front of you instead of pulling your hair out fumbling with your broken headphones.
peace out
- chase -
If you're a Sound Engineer or into any form of serious Audio or Video creation you need them, you've got them. They''re an in-valuable piece of your arsenal that allows you to do your job to the best of your ability.
A good set of Monitoring Headphones, putting it bluntly, aren't cheap. you saved and paid a good if not hefty price for them. However we all know, as great as they are, as good as they sound. They can be a real pain in the arse to carry around. And don't fair well for long to the riggers of being on the road.
It used to be, before all the nickle dime 'n came to be, that all descent Headphones, whether they were Monitor Headphones or not, came with at least a bag to carry them in. Now a days your lucky if you get a box when you buy them. Though Clear Com's might still come with the case, I don't know as it's been been a while since I bought a set.
But most all others don't.
And if you've ever been on the road, you know what happens.
One day you put on your costly kick butt headphones and the ear piece falls off is now dangling down around your chin, with the head piece left piercing into your temple where the ear piece used to be attached.
Yeah you know what I'm talking about... right now you're remembering where you were when that happened to you.
And like all of us that have been there, you tried using Duct of Gaffers tape to put them back together.
Worked for a little while didn't it...?
That is 'til you were reminded your headphones were broke when the hottest chick you've seen on tour a year walks up to you and asks your name with a "you're going to get laid look" and watches as you greet that come hither smile with a face of anguish and pain as you rip out your hair that has stuck to the now unraveling duct tape which of course in your hast to remove your headphones to converse with her, not only pulls out your hair but pulls the ear piece off again causing the tensioned head strap to smack you right in the eye.
Ouch!
You look up with a tearing eye to see she's still there and yeah, she's still looking at you, but not the the same come hither look any more.
And instead of being able to concentrate on her, you have to now fix your headphones again.
After all, the show must go on and you need to go get some more duct tape. So much for the getting the girl...
Point being, your headphones breaking always seems to happen at the most inconvenient time.
As if there were a convenient time.
Now, you can try using a Crown Royal bag, I've used them myself.
They work great for some things... but not really for headphones, I know first hand. The cord gets all tangled up inside the bag and takes forever to unravel. There is minimal protection and zero padding. Ask anyone that's tried using one
- even in the Crown Royal Bag, they still get tossed in with the rest of the gear and eventually break.
"Take care of your tools and your tools will take care of you" my Dad said to me when I was young and about to put one of his tools back dirty. Which he further instilled the thought by having me clean all of his tools and put them back in the right place. But I now thankfully carry that forward thinking with me.
So what is the solution to the headphones? And one that doesn't cost as much as the headphones themselves?
I have found a pretty dang good one.
A Portable DVD Player Case...
yup, you read it right.
The Portable DVD Case I use seen below is made by Case Logic.
I picked it up over at Comp USA or Best Buy, I don't remember which. I've been using mine for almost two years now for my Sennheiser Pros and so far it's the best reasonably priced solution I've found.
This one is padded on all sides, top and bottom and so far proved durable. It's the perfect height with just the right amount of comfort room. My Sennhiesers fit perfectly - as if it was made for them.
Most Monitoring Headphones are about the same thickness, so yours should fit nicely as well. In saying that, before running out and just buying this or any other case hoping yours will fit; bring your headphones with you to the store to be sure they nest in nicely before buying the case
Portable DVD cases come in both hard and soft sided and most are about the same size. It just depends on if they were made as a generic fit all or made specifically for a a paticular DVD player. Most are very reasonably priced. Heck, Sears and K-Mart even have them
The benefit of using a case like this in stating the obvious, is that your headphones will be better protected. Better protection means they will last longer and stay in better condition through out the time of ownership.
No more having to unravel a tangled cord when pulling your headphones out to use them if packed right either. Like you'll miss that little venture every time you want to use them.. right?
My key to keeping the cord from getting tangled is pretty straight forward. The headphone cord gets properly coiled in the center of the headphones as you see above. And yes, I left the cord wrapper on, helps prevent tangling as well. The wrapper ends came held in place with twist ties, I simply loosed one end of the wrapper to allow for cord stretching. When I'm done with the session I put the cord back in the wrapper and the twist tie back on.
Keep the twist tie in the case while the head phones are in use. And if I loose the twist tie, which I've done, it's no big deal.
Take one off a bread wrapper to replace it if need be. The strap inside the case, which would have held the DVD player in place, holds both the headphones and cord nicely in place once nested.
This particular DVD player case has a carrying handle, and 4 D-Rings in case you want to strap it to something while you go through it or want to carry it over the shoulder for transport.
Packed it fits nicely in a Laptop Bag or Road case drawer and you can stack them neatly. Being able to lay them flat and stack them, that alone is worth the price.
Mine also has an upper compartment with an internal; zippered compartment. This area is perfect for other types of headphones which personally I carry a variety smaller styles of headphones and other small things I may need. Such as Monitor Ear buds, Y-splitters, cable plug in adapters.
You never know If and when you'll need a quarter to 1/8 adapter or visa verse. For me, spares are in there and handy. I can jack into pretty much anything whether it be 1/4 inch 1/8 inch Mono or Stereo. And with the added headphones and Y-Splitters, others can listen in as well. What you carry in yours of course, is up to you.
As far as I'm concerned, this case has made the grade and proven it's self a viable piece of equipment so far. If you were unaware of using Portable DVD Case for your headphones, I wanted to turn you onto what I was using. I don't know about you, but I'm not rich and can't afford to buy new set of Monitor Headphones every time I turn around. This is just one of the ways to take care of your tools, so they can take care of you.
With your headphones safely protected, perhaps in the future, when that hot looking chick comes up to you at the board wanting to know your name and looking at you with a "you're going to get laid smile" You'll at least look like a Pro if you don't already sound like one, and can concentrate on what's in front of you instead of pulling your hair out fumbling with your broken headphones.
peace out
- chase -
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