[Musiclover5]

I am a student, and am looking to get some good headphones. I listen to classical music constantly (though not exclusively-- i listen also to other kinds of music. Classical is just the best genre for writing) and don't want to kill my ears by having to pump up the volume. At the same time, I have a lot of work to do for school and it can be a drag to sit in the office trying to work while my wife watches tv, which is on in the house all the time. I'm interested in noise canceling headphones, potentially, because it would allow me to sit with her while I read (which I do for 8+ hours a day as I'm a graduate student) and she watches TV, so I won't be distracted and we can sit together. Is noise canceling really a necessity for this purpose? My understanding is that noise canceling really is for lower noise (eg airplanes), and won't do much for "normal" noise (conversations, tv) in either case. Is this true?

I have read a number of glowing reviews for both the ATH-M50 and ATH-ANC7b. The price difference (about $30) is not a huge deal. I want to get headphones which will last me a long time, will have great sound (though I am not an audiophile so I may not really be able to tell the difference), and allow me to sit with the TV on and be able to focus. What are your thoughts re: the necessity for the noise canceling technology in the headphones?

 

[Musiclover5]

PS: to give a sense of my current setup, I have been using my iPhone's standard earbuds for years. I am really looking forward to something that sounds better.

 

[vese]

No no no no its not necessary unless you're sitting on a train or plane quite often, and if you DO get a pair of noise cancelling headphones they often sacrifice a lot of sound quality. Do you want open or closed back headphones? Can I also get an idea of your price range if you want me to recommend anything?

 

[Crossfire23]

Noise cancelling is a gimmick IMO, any pair of closed headphones with decent isolation will block out around ~50% of the sound with no music, when you turn your music up a medium or high volume you won't even hear background noises. In addition most noise cancelling headphones use batteries, many of which cannot function if they die.

 

[MalVeauX]

Quote:

I am a student, and am looking to get some good headphones. I listen to classical music constantly and don't want to kill my ears by having to pump up the volume. At the same time, I have a lot of work to do for school and it can be a drag to sit in the office trying to work while my wife watches tv, which is on in the house all the time. I'm interested in noise canceling headphones, potentially, because it would allow me to sit with her while I read (which I do for 8+ hours a day as I'm a graduate student) and she watches TV, so I won't be distracted and we can sit together. Is noise canceling really a necessity for this purpose? My understanding is that noise canceling really is for lower noise (eg airplanes), and won't do much for "normal" noise (conversations, tv) in either case. Is this true?
I have read a number of glowing reviews for both the ATH-M50 and ATH-ANC7b. The price difference (about $30) is not a huge deal. I want to get headphones which will last me a long time, will have great sound (though I am not an audiophile so I may not really be able to tell the difference), and allow me to sit with the TV on and be able to focus. What are your thoughts re: the necessity for the noise canceling technology in the headphones?

Heya,
 
I think noise canceling is really over-rated. I've tried a few and still heard things around me. Nothing blocks out airplane noise. It rattles your bones and the air in your chest, you still hear things. I would suggest that you just seek out headphones with good passive isolation.
 
I'll recommend the Brainwavz HM5 first.The passive isolation is absolute the best I've heard in a closed headphone, it has to be -20dB or a touch more. Plus it's an excellent neutral headphone with deep cups and a good sound stage. Excellent for all genres, and definitely good for classical. Plus it's not that expensive. And the quality is fantastic. Good little carry case, both velour and leather pads and detachable cables.
 
My second recommendation will probably be a Beyer DT770. Great isolation as well. A little less neutral, but otherwise still very nice for classical. I'd seek out the premium one, there's a few in the forum for same now at very good prices (32ohm and 250ohm going for $150~160 right now in the for sale forum) as it's a touch more neutral than the PRO versions (but both are still fantastic for your needs).
 
Very best,
 
 

 

[Musiclover5]

. Do you want open or closed back headphones? Can I also get an idea of your price range if you want me to recommend anything?

I don't have a huge preference open versus closed back. I would prefer something portable, and also I tend to put my gear through a lot of wear so I want something that won't break.

I would prefer to spend less than 180 if possible.

 

[Crossfire23]

Quote:

I don't have a huge preference open versus closed back. I would prefer something portable, and also I tend to put my gear through a lot of wear so I want something that won't break.
I would prefer to spend less than 180 if possible.

Well, if you want something portable that should assume that you will be using them outside of home, which pretty much puts open headphones out of the question. Most open headphones are pretty much mini speakers (when it comes to sound leakage) and don't block out any noise what so ever which pretty much eliminates the idea of using them for public use.
 
 

 

[Musiclover5]

Well, if you want something portable that should assume that you will be using them outside of home, which pretty much puts open headphones out of the question. Most open headphones are pretty much mini speakers (when it comes to sound leakage) and don't block out any noise what so ever which pretty much eliminates the idea of using them for public use.
 
 

Sorry-- I guess I don't know all the lingo. Yes exactly, I am interested in avoiding both sound leakage coming in and out.

 

[KingOfTheWild]

Yeah, you definitely don't want open backs and noise cancelling phones are extremely overrated in my opinion . . . there are some closed back phones that silence outside noise just as well as noise cancelling one's

 

[He11fire217]

There are 2 different types of noise-canceling, active and passive. The way active works, effectively, is it uses "counter-frequencies" to cancel out ambient noise. However, no headphones on the market can use active cancelation to compensate for say, babies crying or your wife yelling at you. Based on what you and some of the other people above me in the thread are saying, that sounds almost like what you were expecting with ANC headphones. I don't really like using any kind of active cancelation because I feel it always affects the sound in some negative way, whether it be excessive hiss or frequency boosting. 
 
The other type of cancelation is passive, which is basically just the natural effect of having closed ear cups on your head that are pumping out music. This is achieved to some degree by pretty much all closed back headphones (You're right to stay away from anything open back, because of the sound leakage both in and out.). The ideal situation for passive noise cancelation with "cans" is a circumaural headphone (AKA one that completely surrounds your ears without actually making contact with them, as opposed to on-ear/supra-aural headphones.) that creates a good seal around your ear. The only way for you specifically to find out which ones create the best seal is to try them on; barring that, following the rules above should at least give you a good start.
 
My experience with closed back headphones isn't very extensive (at least in your price range), but I do own the Audio-Technica ATH-M50 and Sony MDR-7506 monitor headphones and both of those are good at passive noise cancelation and have a fairly neutral sound. The M50s favor the low end of the audio spectrum and the Sonys favor the highs, but they're both used extensively for production/mixing work because they don't color the sound too badly.
 
I apologize that I can't offer more suggestions for specific models to try, but I tried to give you a little bit more info to aid in your search.

 

[KingOfTheWild]

Quote:

There are 2 different types of noise-canceling, active and passive. The way active works, effectively, is it uses "counter-frequencies" to cancel out ambient noise. However, no headphones on the market can use active cancelation to compensate for say, babies crying or your wife yelling at you. Based on what you and some of the other people above me in the thread are saying, that sounds almost like what you were expecting with ANC headphones. I don't really like using any kind of active cancelation because I feel it always affects the sound in some negative way, whether it be excessive hiss or frequency boosting. 
 
The other type of cancelation is passive, which is basically just the natural effect of having closed ear cups on your head that are pumping out music. This is achieved to some degree by pretty much all closed back headphones (You're right to stay away from anything open back, because of the sound leakage both in and out.). The ideal situation for passive noise cancelation with "cans" is a circumaural headphone (AKA one that completely surrounds your ears without actually making contact with them, as opposed to on-ear/supra-aural headphones.) that creates a good seal around your ear. The only way for you specifically to find out which ones create the best seal is to try them on; barring that, following the rules above should at least give you a good start.
 
My experience with closed back headphones isn't very extensive (at least in your price range), but I do own the Audio-Technica ATH-M50 and Sony MDR-7506 monitor headphones and both of those are good at passive noise cancelation and have a fairly neutral sound. The M50s favor the low end of the audio spectrum and the Sonys favor the highs, but they're both used extensively for production/mixing work because they don't color the sound too badly.
 
I apologize that I can't offer more suggestions for specific models to try, but I tried to give you a little bit more info to aid in your search.

Yes . . . I forgot to mention the hissing part . . . I don't remember what the QC 15's sound like that well but I DO remember a hissing noise.

 

[Soldierducky]

 
First of all, I am NOT a audiophile, yet. I am just a beginner, my wallet is very slim
 
I am relatively inexperienced, but after surfing around here I think I have experience in writing reviews in audiophile terms. But I try my best expressing them in layman terms. I am 16 and i joined here about a couple of months back
 
Summarised version is below. These kinda sound like the klipsch S4, except for its huge spacious sound stanging
 
Let's start!
 
Comfort
Hell yeh! This cups have thick padding which are really nice, headband is also thick with cushioning.
Some how, the pads make you sweat quite quickly, walking around outside under the sun will make your sweat and you can literally see big droplets on the padding. Which I fear one day it will damage the drivers O.O
 
Durability
Headband is made of metal. woots! Hinges are done with screws. It feels fragile due to the padding and stuff but actually its quite strong. One guy that tested this headphone dropped it on the floor. But it is fine
 
Sound
 
Highs
I am not a big fan of highs but still look out to them, I listen to a lot of orchestra music.(I am in a orchestra myself haha)
Cymbals and high hats handled well. little hissing(Simbilience[lol i cant spell this]). Decent for its price range. Detailed and clean
 
[size=large]Mids or vocals[/size]
 
Now, this is sort of dissapointing.
Vocals are really really smooth and pleasent at this point. But they recessed and weak. They seem to be far away. Could be due to the noise cancellation. As a mids-head(lol) I was really dissapointed when I purchased this. I mean its not that bad, but if you are critical about it. You will find this a trouble. Its natural for a person to turn up the volume, this will lead to noise leak(When I come to Cons later). However well mixed songs have a better mids representation and thus you would really enjoy this. They are one hell of a warm headphones. Definitely for acoustic music.
e.g
Hunger games- Safe and sound by Megan and tiff
and
Madilyn
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wn-_MyJV37E  ---  hear this for slippery super lubricated smooth vocals
 
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WT491Q7lOYo --- hear this for general acoustic music. She is really good with the guitar. its so warm and you can use it for winter haha. Screw the heater.
 
 
BASSSSS!!!!!! (BADUM TSSS)
 
[size=small]Probably a section that people skip to here. never mind.[/size]
 
 
 
 
The bass of this thing is very satisfying. Powerful and punchy. With a bit of muddy-ness for basshead heads and fun listening. As these cans are warm, they definitely have good bass. The song  I test is turbulance(house) To extreme bassheads. I think you are better off listening to audio tech solid bass series that I have e.g. ATH CKS77/90 OR ATH WS55,70. Maybe sony XB series.(which is ugly in my opinion lol) If they are not very satisfactory I suggest you change your source. for a tight budget, get the sony walkman B series. The bass button just give you so much more power. Oh another thing, they are definitly more tidy then the beats by dre.(bass) bass guitar is goooood. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n7hPJr2bFHk Domino cover by madilyn again.
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
SOUND ISOLATION
 
[size=small]Probably why you are here[/size]
[size=medium]The isolation on these things do preeeety well. I rate it 7.5/10. They do well in cutting ambient noise and bus engines. things go really silent at a flick of a switch. That's how I convince my aunt and dad to buy this for me. This won them over[/size]
 
 
With that being said. I will summarise everything here
 
Pros:
Great bass, aids in warm sound. good for rap
Mids and smooth, but recessed. Get a well mixed song. May not work well for rock
Treble will not deafen your ears with its hissing sound haha
Comfort is goooood
Light and portable, goodies like travel and 1/4 SHINY GOLD(i LOVE THIS MOST) are generous
Comes with batteries. Trust me, you will love them so much when you are desperate to listen when you buy
Cancellation is worth it for its price
cons:
 
 
 
 
 
 
This is the most important section so must read:
 
 
 
 
 
 
Noise leak is BAD. Ok, as I said the recessed mids make you turn up the voulme. Everybody will definitly listen 
to what you are listening. You are like a walking open headphone user with a close back. Its better of getting an open one( hd 5xx series. I WANT A HD 598!) . 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
[size=small]The headband extenstion is blooooody small. Make sure you test them out before buying it. It fits me just nice so I am a little worried that I grow out of it. Most of friends around me can't put these on even when extension is max[/size]
 
 
 
 
[size=medium]Cable that connects to the headphone has no twist lock like the shures. and these only fold flat.[/size]
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
[size=medium]Conclusion[/size]
 
 
 
 
[size=medium]These are cans that are really decent and slightly leaning to overpricing. You are better off looking for headphones with the same sound signature if you don't need the noise cancelling. If you really need noise cancelling. These are definitley for you. But if you really persist getting this  despite the cons you must be a person that is:[/size]
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
[size=small]1)Not a huge fans of mids[/size]
[size=medium]2)Dont really care about noise leak. and you love the blast these, they are quite loud[/size]
 
 
3)Not a huge fan for bass, prefers overall sound balance.
 
 
So thats the end, thanks for reading. Feel free the enquire!! >,<
[size=medium]I nearly vomited blood. The alignment of this and the leaving a new line thing is sooooo annoying[/size]
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

 

[KingOfTheWild]

Holy crap . . . you can definitely tell that you are 16 . . .