[dbcasper]

Help!
I am trying to find the best headphone brand/model and trying to decide between corded headphones or a wireless set for my workplace. I work near a printshop so I want to cut ambient noise; make sure others can't hear my obnoxious music; and it would be nice if I could hear people having conversations. Am I correct in thinking I want the "closed" technology?

I like the idea of not being leashed to my desk by a cord but concerned about the quality of sound of a wireless (along with price). Also a cubie mate has a satelite radio-would that interfere with a wirelss signal? Currently I am thinking about the Sennheiser RS 140 Wireless Balanced Headphones or the EH 150 model based on Amazon.com reviews.

I live in a town that doesn't have a selection of headphones to try so I am at the mercy of reviewers...
Any help would be greatly appreciated!

 

[ramenmeal]

i would Not recommend wireless, and i dont think anyone here will. I dont have experience w/ wireless headphones, but my bluetooth mouse skips a lot, which makes me think it wouldnt work all too well w/ HP's.

you want: to cut ambient noise, and make sure you can hear other people talking around you?

its tough to want to stop some outside noise, and not others, but those noise canceling headphones usually only cancel the ambient sounds like you want, and not talking.

it really depends on whether you want more sound quality or noise canceling.
which do you want?

 

[blargman]

Personally I say screw your cube mates.

I listen to HF-2's at work

But if you want to be polite, I'd recommend IEM's. Etymotic er-6i's are great sounding phones, easy to drive without an amp (though recommended), and are a bit less than the rs 140's you were looking at.

 

[Uncle Erik]

I'd recommend a closed, corded headphone.

Wireless headphones have an amp built into them. Most of the time, neither the amp or headphones are very good. Further, many of them cost quite a bit. For the same price, you can get audiophile closed headphones that will sound better than anything you've ever heard.

Do you have a budget for a pair of headphones? What kind of music do you listen to? What other equipment will you use? Are you planning to use an iPod (or similar), run them off a computer, have a portable CD player, etc.? Let us know and you'll get good recommendations.

 

[blargman]

Given his nic,

, and mention of the rs 140's I figured he wanted around 150$ , but all good questions by UncleErik there Ramenmeal.

 

[12thgear]

This sounds like a situation and environment where noise canceling headphones might be the best fit. I've used the original Audio Technica ATH-ANC7 and they have an overall balanced sound. The new ATH-ANC7b model is supposed to be even better, with better noise canceling circuitry. The reasons I'd recommend these is they're full size and comfy, they block repetitive droning noise like a plane (or a press in your case) yet will let non repetitive noise like voices cut in a little easier, and they have a little amp built-in so you could drive them direct from an iPod or equivalent device (not chained to your desk).

You can get better sounding headphones, but these still sound good, and when factoring in all your needs they make sense.

 

[dbcasper]

Wow! You guys are good and thourough! Excellent questions...

I listen to a variety of music. I love hearing the falsetto of Jeff Buckley to the growl of Tom Waits. Faves are Nirvana, Beatles, Beck, Wilco, Tori Amos, Led Zep, new age, punk, pop, grunge, folk, ect..

Money-wise I would be willing to spend up to $150. Since I would be using the company computer with a flash drive of mp3, I wouldn't think the sound quality would be that great.

Thanks for any input. I am clueless

 

[Punnisher]

Closed full size headphones. They probably won't isolate quite as much as iems, but that's a good thing in your case. You want to cut noise while still being able to hear your near surroundings.

Also think about on-ear vs around ear (supraural or circumaural). Supra aural phones have a smaller footprint and sit on your ear. Circumaural have a larger footprint and large pads that go around your ear. With one, your ear takes all the pressure and the other saves your ear from any pressure at all.

For a comparison, look at the sennheiser hd25 vs the beyerdynamic dt770. This will show you the difference between supra aural and circumaural.

 

[S Smith]

I am currently (and sadly) working in a cubicle these days. When I first started listening in the office I used a pair of Grado SR-225's unamped from my laptop in the office. I liked these because I could hear other conversations, my phone ringing, the boss yelling and music that sounded rather good. I have since added a DV 336SE and Fubar DAC and am completely satisfied.

It's funny you mention Tom Waits as his music is what I listen to most in the office.

For $150 you can definitely find a good pair of Grados used or new. However, if you are looking to knock out ambient noise, I would also recommend closed cans.


One more thing I wanted to throw out: with a resource like Head-Fi, I would ditch the amazon reviews. I don't have anything wrong with amazon, I just feel Head-Fi has much, much more to offer. Good luck and happy listening.

 

[brokensound]

I was in a similar situation. Stay away from iem: hassle to take in and out, can't hear people talking to me, discomfort to ear canal after continual daily use, et al... Open cans leaked too much sound and the ambient noise drown out a lot of the micro details. I've switched to closed headphones: denon d2000. It's fairly easy to drive, forgiving to source, and cuts out some ambient noise while it's simple to slip on and off.

 

[Pars]

I use a pair of AKG K271s w/velour pads at work, driven by a Dynalo and using an AC powered Sony D-33 PCDP as the source instead of using a computer. I also have a pair of the new Shure SRH-840s at home that I am evaluating and so far like (for closed phones). I don't share a cube, but our office area is extremely quiet, so closed cans are a must to not disturb others.

 

[Sennshead]

My vote is for the IEMs as well (don't go wireless...you will inevitably lose quality). The IEMs will give you a measure of isolation b/c they fit in your ears and if you have difficulty with comfort you have MANY options on tips including custom ones.

 

[dbcasper]

I am so impressed with this forum. Everyone seems to know their stuff and have a passion for it.

I've decided against the wireless and it makes sense when I think about wireless speakers and, in essence, a song on the radio compared to the same song on a cd.

I am leaning against the IEM because I haven't had any that are comfortable for hours and hours even with the various tips. Besides I have had the unfortunate situation of people thinking you are ignoring them rather than jammin' to your tunes because they can't see the headphones.

Do noise-cancelling headphone put out a signal to distort ambient noise? Do they make much of a difference or is it a marketing ploy? Also do the noise-cancelling block out everything (voices, phone ringing) or just ambient noise (humming of lights, printers buzzing)?

 

[12thgear]

Quote:

Originally Posted by dbcasper /img/forum/go_quote.gif Do noise-cancelling headphone put out a signal to distort ambient noise? Do they make much of a difference or is it a marketing ploy? Also do the noise-cancelling block out everything (voices, phone ringing) or just ambient noise (humming of lights, printers buzzing)?

They seem to work best with droning, repetitive noise. On a plane the ATH-ANC7 passively block out some noise. Turning on the active noise cancellation "scoops out" most of the engine drone. Some of the bass from the drone leaks in, but it's a very noticeable difference. People's voices can still sometimes be heard, but they sound distant. It's not a subtle difference.

Whatever you buy, choose a retailer with a good return policy. I hope you're happy with your first purchase, but in case you aren't, you'll want recourse.

 

[dbcasper]

I went to check out pricing for the Audio-Technica ATH-ANC7 QuietPoint Active Noise-Cancelling Headphones and they are showing as discontinued and $190. If this pricing is correct do you know of anything similiar for less than $150?