My ears feel funny

[brekehan]

I've got some $300 headphones I use often while producing (i live in an apartment). Lately, I've noticed that on certain sounds the headphones do a strange thing. It is hard to describe, but it is as if the hairs in my ear are tickled and a sound is audible like the needle on an old vinyl record. Those sounds don't seem to be especially loud, high or low pitched. I cannot really determine a factor on what makes it happen.

So, question #1 - Does anyone have any idea WTH I am taking about there?

Secondly, I worry about damaging my ears all the time. I set my output level on the phones through my MOTU Microbook II, set to -24db. I don't know if that is a good or correct setting. I also don't know if that is an accurate measurement, but no amplification occurs after my audio interface that I am aware of.

So, question #2 - How can I tell if my headphone output level is safe and what should it be?

[metamorphosis]

Sounds like they're distorting or vibrating on a particular frequency.

Headphone use for mixing is not recommended except for double-checking,
and how loud is too loud - if you have to ask, you probably need a normal non-music person to come in a check.

[brekehan]

Sounds like they're distorting or vibrating on a particular frequency.

Hmm, I should probably return them in that case. They were too much money to risk it being defective or getting worse down the road.

how loud is too loud - if you have to ask, you probably need a normal non-music person to come in a check.

Any outsider that comes in says its fine. I mean it is pretty soft. Just wondering if there is some set standard and some set way to measure if it below that standard. I ask because I've had ringing for about 2 seconds in my ears late at night recently off and on and I have been spending oodles of time with those headphones on. It might be because of the crackling thing though, that really makes me twinge when it happens.

[arkmabat]

Even some professional recordings have really high pitched frequencies that weren't EQed out because the guy mastering couldn't hear it I think haha. I've heard it in Celine Dion, Relient K, Avicii, lots of recordings.

[RunBeerRun]

For question #2- what I do is, if it's uncomfortable in the slightest, I turn it down, if necessary, I temporarily have a zero latency limiter on the master channel to increase volume.