[Vosper]

Quote:

So Vosper, I'll recommend that you take the time-honored head-fi route: you shouldn't have just one pair if you're going to use them in different places or for radically different kinds of music. That is, just keep the 580's at home, and you've got the PX100 to tide you over at work until you can get some nice sealed cans.

But I want a Millet as well... this is getting expensive

So, would you say that your average pair of open headphones sends as much sound out of the headphone (away from your head) as it does into your ears?

As an experiment, I put my little desktop speakers at a volume I would listen to my headphones at, and then I sat in my colleagues desk. I could clearly hear the music. Is this a good reference for the amount of leaking from most open cans?

 

[facelvega]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Vosper So, would you say that your average pair of open headphones sends as much sound out of the headphone (away from your head) as it does into your ears?

I think leakage on open 'phones tends to range from practically equal front/back, like on a Grado to progressively less noise until you hit the "semi-sealed" K240. Generally high-end open 'phones seem to be engineered for maximum airflow, which also means maximum leakage.

The other thing about leakage is that it is EXTREMELY influenced by the ambient noise in any given space. Different places that seem quiet when you aren't thinking about it can actually have vastly different amounts of background noise going on; a room with a bunch of computers on, people occasionally walking around, and an open window or two will be much louder than, say, a bedroom, and this can vastly influence how much people will perceive a leakage that after all is really nothing but a bit of soft whine.

Of course this ambient noise that seems quiet is also affecting what you hear, and with the examples I mention above, this could mean a range between 30 and 50 decibels, which in terms of sound pressure is a factor of 100, and in terms of perceived loudness a factor of 4. In my opinion, high-end open headphones are wasted in an office environment, unless you have your own office.

 

[LaBreaHead]

Are we to assume that IEMs are out? Then for all the reasons stated above, I think you might find a good closed headphone. But wouldn't really good IEMs be easier to deal with in an office setting, or are you so much "at home" in your workplace (and so much at home wearing headphones) that you would be more comfortable with headphones?

 

[Gabe Logan]

I have my grado's set at the 9 position on my amp which is a good average spot i usually listen to but i always get that im going to damage my hearing talk from others.

 

[sidewinder]

Depends on how noisy the environment is you're in, and how loud the volume is. At home, at night, easily 10m. When travelling through town w/ lots of traffic, 1m at best.

 

[Foshizzle]

My guess would be: around 7,2 miles...

 

[zChan]

Also remember that even the faintest audible sound is annoying. And because at faint volume others can hear only the cymbals....

 

[Vosper]

Quote:

Originally Posted by LaBreaHead Are we to assume that IEMs are out? Then for all the reasons stated above, I think you might find a good closed headphone. But wouldn't really good IEMs be easier to deal with in an office setting, or are you so much "at home" in your workplace (and so much at home wearing headphones) that you would be more comfortable with headphones?

I work for a small software company (5 developers, including me). Mostly we work in silence, but it's good to not be entirely isolated from conversations, and I really don't like having to be tapped on the shoulder when someone wants my attention. That's my main reason for not wanting IEMs.

 

[sonance]

Remember that since loudness measured in db is a logarithmic scale, every 3db increase in volume is a doubling of sound pressure in a linear sense. As the volume climbs up (eg 70db vs 85db) you are greatly increasing the distance that the leaked sound will travel.

 

[JohanK]

You essentially need to rest your ears on top of my IEMs to hear anything if the opening is blocked (as it would be when they are used) even in a completely quiet room. My DT880s are certainly heard from at least 5 meters away even if I keep the volume down. If play them at a more robust volume level (12 to 2 includes most recordings on my aria out when using the USB DAC) you should have no problems following the music (but not details or bass) if you sit a few meters away and the enviroment is fairly quiet. I can't try to measure a distance here as I can't be bothered to bring them outside and measure it at the moment.

 

[ennove]

I've used my portapro in the office once, my friend said she couldn't hear anything and she was right beside me. I don't think i had it too loud, the office is quite quiet and not much people are around. Guess it all depends how loud your music is, and the headphone seal.

Quote:

Originally Posted by zChan Also remember that even the faintest audible sound is annoying. And because at faint volume others can hear only the cymbals....

i think thats the most annoying thing about leakage from ibuds. you cant make out anything, and it sounds horrible and screechy (is that a word?).

 

[stewgriff]

For me? I don't know if this is unusual, but I get about 2' for cymbals, ~1' for everything else with 555s. Then again, I mostly listen to acoustic music...

 

[facelvega]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Vosper I work for a small software company (5 developers, including me). Mostly we work in silence, but it's good to not be entirely isolated from conversations, and I really don't like having to be tapped on the shoulder when someone wants my attention. That's my main reason for not wanting IEMs.

How about some AKG K-240s? They have very little isolation from outside noise, but leak almost nothing. Some love the sound signature, some don't, I happen to be in the love category.