Phillip, of Pud’s Small Batch Headphones fame, has long impressed us with his fabulously wild headphone creations. We were left in awe of his singularly brilliant Ol’ Thumpy set, which looks somewhere between the most outrageous set of headphones you’ve ever seen, and a good excuse to dress up as a Disney rodent for Halloween.
It appears Phillip hasn’t been resting on his laurels, however, as he’s recently taken to Reddit to show off two of his latest creations. The first is called Moon, and looks something like a rubber-tubed halo—although according to our noble headphone creator, there’s actually some genuinely clever acoustic design going on here:
“When you listen to music normally, through speakers or live, both ears hear both sides of the stereo image”, Phillip explains.
“In other words, even if the music is hard-panned-left on your speakers, your right ear will hear it. But not so with headphones. Some amps have a built-in “crossfeed” feature that simulates this effect. But I wanted the real thing.
“So I connected a 1-inch silicone tube between both sides–and the result is a more natural, speaker-like sound.”
Wanted more speaker-like sound, so I made headphones with “crossfeed” where each ear can ear some of the opposite side (also they don’t have a name yet, ideas?) from r/headphones
Indeed, and you’ve made yourself look truly bizarre doing it. It has to be said that while acoustic engineering appears to be the genuine goal here, Phillip’s talent for making something that transcends the sublime into the ridiculous remains unmatched.
The second set is downright subtle compared to the first, but it’s still sure to make you stand out in a crowded room. Enter, the Scrub Daddy, a neon-yellow and orange set of cans that look half building-site chic, half toybox charm.
Here, Phillip has gone to town on two Scrub Daddy sponges, transforming them from mundane (although I have to admit, pretty useful) objects into a set of headphones that, according to its creator, actually sound pretty damned good:
I made headphones using Scrub Daddies and they measure surprisingly well (measurements in the pics) from r/headphones
“Every shape and material has a different effect on a headphone’s sound. Today I made headphones using two Scrub Daddy sponges that I bought at Target and was surprised by how much they improved the sound.
“You can see from the measurements they match the target curve pretty closely, with maybe just a teensy bit too much mid bass. But still they sound great.”
We’ll have to take his word for it, but it shouldn’t be too much of a surprise that some sort of foam would work well as a headphone material. Still, to wander around a superstore and come out the other end with two objects for your next small-batch headphone project takes a certain level of creative thinking—and here I think what’s been created isn’t just potentially acoustically great, but something I could see someone wearing as a fascination piece to the Met Gala.
Let’s face it: it wouldn’t be the most ridiculous thing you’ve ever seen someone wear on the red carpet, would it?
Me though? Well, I just don’t think I’m that brave. Still, I can’t wait to see what new efforts Phillip comes up with over the next few years, and wouldn’t mind testing a couple for potential additions to our best audiophile headphones for gaming guide, either. When it comes to the Ol’ Thumpys though, I dread to think what the shipping costs might be. Perhaps I’ll just wear them home.
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