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Durable headphones for a museum exhibition

post #1 of 9
10/22/08 at 8:55pm
Thread Starter 
I'm setting up a museum exhibition of an interactive work that uses headphones for sound output (speakers are absolutely not an option -- the work is centred around sound localisation), and I need headphones that can survive for at least a month in the space.

Since the museum is often full of kids, there's a lot of pulling on cables, dropping, and other abuse involved. Does anyone have any recommendations for headphones that might be sturdy enough? Sound quality is not much of concern for the work, but a bit of noise cancellation would be nice. Also, the price should preferably be below $150.

I've found these ones, which are pretty much exactly what I'm looking for, but the company selling them doesn't look particularly trustworthy. Can anyone suggest any alternatives?

Thanks in advance.
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post #2 of 9
10/22/08 at 9:18pm
what about some hd25s? From what I hear is they are very durable, has a steel instead of a copper cord if i am not mistake, have very good isolation while keeping pretty good sound quality. I think the lower model might go around 90 bucks or so.
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post #3 of 9
10/22/08 at 9:19pm
You could buy some cheap Koss headphones, or like the kind you see in Radioshack (Sony, Koss, RadioShack, etc.). Barnes & Noble and Borders bookstores utilize (really horrible sounding) Koss headphones, and they're decent for the public, I guess.
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post #4 of 9
10/22/08 at 9:38pm
I would highly recommend the Sennheiser HD25-1 II as well. They offer the best isolation out of all headphones currently on the market. They are light and comfortable and with the steel cable and the way it attaches to the headphone they are practically indestructible. You should be able to pick up a pair for under $200.00 new and less if you can find one used. The bonus to these headphones is if you replace the steel stock cable with a good headphone cable they sound great and are perfect for portable use and have a nice synergy with an ipod.

Quote:
Originally Posted by Aramgutang View Post
I'm setting up a museum exhibition of an interactive work that uses headphones for sound output (speakers are absolutely not an option -- the work is centred around sound localisation), and I need headphones that can survive for at least a month in the space.

Since the museum is often full of kids, there's a lot of pulling on cables, dropping, and other abuse involved. Does anyone have any recommendations for headphones that might be sturdy enough? Sound quality is not much of concern for the work, but a bit of noise cancellation would be nice. Also, the price should preferably be below $150.

I've found these ones, which are pretty much exactly what I'm looking for, but the company selling them doesn't look particularly trustworthy. Can anyone suggest any alternatives?

Thanks in advance.
Reply
post #5 of 9
10/22/08 at 9:44pm
jserdechny - you should have stopped at the cable being user-replaceable... =)

I agree with the Koss suggestion - those things are pretty solid (UR20 or something like that would do the job well and be much cheaper).
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post #6 of 9
10/23/08 at 1:59am
I've seen the Audio-Technica ATH-M30 or ATH-M20 used at the Vancouver Art Gallery for a few pieces where headphones were needed, though I'm not sure how qualified these will be under your particular children-oriented conditions.

Edit: just looked at the Koss UR 20, and they look perfect for your needs
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post #7 of 9
10/23/08 at 3:55pm
Koss and MB Quart make head phones specifically for your purpose. The MB Quart headphones in particular are indestructible. There's a video of someone stomping on them

AES Vienna Video: The Unbreakable MB Quart QP 805 Headphone | Gearwire
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post #8 of 9
10/23/08 at 4:04pm
I really think that the audio technica ones mentioned above would be a great selection. They are also very comfortable. The sony monitor headphones the V6 would also be sufficient.
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post #9 of 9
10/23/08 at 4:48pm
I don't like the build quality of the newer made in china v6. I have 3 made in japan pairs that are still ticking but I know a few people who had the chinese model who broke theirs.
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