Why does music sound slightly sharper when played through headphones?

Question

Why does my music appear to very slightly rise in pitch when I switch from computer speakers to computer headphones (cheap foam, mic boom integrated)?

Ideas:

1. Might this be due to a pressure change on my eardrum as another poster noticed when he yawns?

2. Maybe my headphones actually change the frequency of the output? I can't picture how that would work...

3. Maybe I'm perceiving the doppler shift as I move the speaker toward my ear, and I'm distracted from the reverse shift by the mechanics of putting the earphones in place?

Answer 1

Most likely you are either imagining the pitch change or you are unusually sensitive to pitch, which is a subjective interpretation that is also dependent on volume. So you might try turning down the volume when you switch to headphones.

You might also or instead hearing a change in frequency balance and interpreting it as a slight pitch change. All speaker and headphone systems have different frequencies they emphasize, so you will hear a difference any time you change your playback system.

Answer 2

Well, I used to mix with closed-cup headphones, and I did notice after extended wearing that all the pitches seem to have gone sharp, compared to when I checked the mix without them afterwards.

Makes sense since warmer air is less dense, I guess.

I switched to open-cup headphones last year, and the side-effect has lessened a lot. I can keep them on for over 30 min. at a time w/o pitch-shifts. I was surprised how quickly the air inside headphones heat up once you put 'em on, but what do I know!