Why do headphones mark L and R

[Whelan]

I find it strange that they put it on there. Their headphones, they go into your ears. Does it really matter which ear has what phone, of course unless they are shaped for L or R, but I'm talking standard Ipod phones for the most part???

[mspalmer]

My limited understanding is: 1. if it is a "mono" recording then it will not matter at all.2. a stereo recording is mixed with certain tracks on the right and others on the left. whether you hear the drums and bass in your right ear or left I guess is just a matter of preference. It was mixed by the sound engineer with their preference for which tracks are on the right and which are on the left but that is their opinion.I guess I just mindlessly follow directions and it seems to sound fine to me.Mike

[Whelan]

Ill buy the orchestra explanation, being that instruments are strategically placed for maximum performance.

[ragingfish]

Funny you guys bring this up, I was just wondering about it yesterday looking at my ear bud thingies. Damn good explanation with the orchestral setup...

[zionzr2]

also important in gaming. if you hear shotting on the left and turn to the right to avoid the gun fire you dont want to run right in to the bullets.

[Mavrik]

also some headsets are designed to fit on your head a certain way and don't fit right when you have the right side on the left side of your head

[coldmm803]

the orchestra setup is a good statement along with gaming.it would also be a big issue with movies, having a person on the left of the screen and their voice being more dominant on the right would be oddoff topic: wheelan please shrink your sig/pic to meet the guidelines, your post fills my whole screenhttp://forums.genvibe.com/zerothread?id=24724

[WaveAction]

i hate the earbud things..i got one of the sony headphones..ment for more home threatre system type stuff

[Jahntassa]

Two reasons.1. Stereo is mixed in a certain way. What's meant to be left channel should be heard by the left ear, and the same for the right. So for one, it's so you know which bud to put in which ear. Imagine how irritating it would be to play a game and hear something on the left when it's actually on the right?2. As said, most headphones (over the ear, in the ear, what have you) are designed to only fit a certain way. Try putting cheap earbuds in the opposite ears and see how well that works. Also notice that most on-ear headphones have a slight slant in a certain direction to more comfortably fit the ear.