[cmjl]

I noticed the other day when putting my iPod earhpones on that I always put the "L" plug into my left ear and the "R" plug into my right ear.

Is anyone else as sad as me? Do you do the same?

[fiark]

Someone once told me that the left ear picks up sound before the right ear. (Or is it the other way around...)

Perhaps in a stereo headphone system there is a valid reason for putting the right earpiece in the right ear and vice versa. There must be a reason otherwise why bother putting a little L and R on the damn things.

From now on I think I will stop following the program and put them in the wrong way...

[scokim]

Only if you are watching a movie with surround sound and you don't want to hear the train coming from the left but onscreen it's going the other way.

[3dward_Shaddow]

I'm obsessive compulsive, of course I do!

[ementis]

Originally Posted by fiark

There must be a reason otherwise why bother putting a little L and R on the damn things.

Yes, its cause they're are designed to fit better in you ear. It allows more 'bud' to go into the ear canal.

[kevinnugent]

With the Bose In Ear headphones, there's no choice. They are moulded to fit one way..

[dinoo]

And it is stereo. Stereo can produce two different sounds in the different speakers (earphones in this case). There are a many songs (an example that instantly comes to mind are a few metallica songs) that have different sounds in each ear at the beginning of the song - it sounds weird to me if i have the wrong side in, and immediately i'll change it to be right.

But then again, we have become so accustomed to lossy 128kb mp3 that who cares if the music is not right. =[

[decryption]

I do the opposite just to fuck with the establishment.

[fiark]

Apple's buds look pretty symmetrical...

and I notice no difference when I swap them over.

From now on I am gonna stick it to the man. L goes in R. Unless that is what they truly want.

I's scared now...

[delux]

I figure if they are going to the trouble of putting L and R on them then there must be a valid reason to do so. plus i want the best experience i can get from my expensive head phones.

[noisypoppy]

I think you have to otherwise they don't work

[hantu]

I don't see a reason why not. It's quite natural when I pick up my earphone, I look at the L and R and put them into the right ear. :\

[matthew858]

I looks and feels strange to me if I don't.

[reemixx]

What a strange question. I think most people care enough to put the L and R headphones on the correct way. I mean, do any of you have your speakers set up with the left speaker on the right, and the right speaker on the left? Music would sound wrong (especially tracks that you know well), and watching movies like that would mess with your head.

A high quality pair of stereo headphones CAN create a decent surround sound effect. Imagine watching a movie with R and L swapped around, and the positional audio being completely wrong. Actions that happen in front of you would be behind you, a moving object coming from the left would be coming from the right in your headphones.

[fompsweeva]

If you are putting them in the wrong way around, you will not be getting a true stereo image.

It's all to do with the phase relationship between the left and right channel, and how our ears perceive them.

It doesn't necessarily mean it will sound bad, it's just not how the mix was intended to be heard.

[ClockWork]

Originally Posted by decryption

I do the opposite just to fuck with the establishment.

Fight the machine dood!

[sighclops]

i think its borderline compulsive the way i check EVERY TIME before putting them in my ears lmao

glad i'm not the only one!

[beckcollect]

I can feel a difference if they aren't round the 'right' way.
Will automatically swap without looking if it doesn't feel right.

[chrsha01]

I think the poll kind of speaks for itself.

I always check to see if I have the "L" bud in my "L" ear and the same with the "R" side.

[Geoff3DMN]

I do put the R and L in the correct ears but I also own a pair of headphones with only a red tip and a blue tip...

I wonder sometimes if the red one is for right (like I use it) but it doesn't actually keep me from sleeping at night