[commando]

I currently use AKG 271 Studio cans in my office, but after all the talk here, i'm thinking of getting myself a 2nd hand HD 600.

My only question is how are open cans in an office? I'm in a standard office, with a little air conditioning hum in the background, and some chattering and a few ringing phones around me. There's no walls or partitions between the desks.

Since I suffer from mild tinnitus, I keep my listening levels low. In peoples experience, does typical external office noise spoil the enjoyment of the music, and would the noise likely bother anyone else in my office? Or should I just stick with my closed cans?

 

[aphex944]

I worked in an office similar to the one you described, and I used open cans for awhile. It never bothered anyone(or if it did, they didn't tell me). From the noise of 12 computers, AC, and talking, the noise pretty much blended in with everything else.

For me, talking distracts my attention away from the music. A lot of times I'd be listening to music, someone would start a conversation, and I'd start listening to them without realizing it.

 

[go_vtec]

You may want to stick with your closed cans. I temporarily relocated to cubicles until my office/building/lab are remodeled. As a result, I'm stuck with 20 other people in single office with a noisy A/C.

I don't know about the purpose your headphone in the office. To me, it is either 1) to listen to music or 2) to keep the other people's noise out of your head and from distracting you.

Open headphone such as HD600 isn't very good at cutting other people's noise and other people can hear to too da*n well. At the high volume level, HD600 will be loud enough to let you hear the music without much interference from the ambient/surrounding noise (purpose 1 or 2 are accomplished, but your neighbors will hate you). But at the relatively low volume level, I found the ambient noise can be too distracting for music listening and others can still hear you. Although open phone like HD600 has one obvious benefit over closed cans that it is possible to set the volume level so that others can barely hear you and you can hear both music and ambient noise. Just for your information, each cubicle is about 15'x15' with 7' high divider sides (one side is window).

 

[commando]

It's not sounding too promising for open cans in an office, is it? Damn, I wanted an excuse to buy some nice open cans

Since my source and amp are at work, i'd have to buy another amp if I wanted the HD600s at home... which would work out a bit expensive

FYI, I wear headphones mostly to block out external noise, but obviously also to hear the music!

Maybe I should just go with really high quality closed cans. CD3000 perhaps? I might search or ask that in a new thread.

 

[lindrone]

I've used HD590 and CD780 once in a while in the office.. and both times nevertheless was requested to stop using them, regardless of how quiet I was trying to play the music at. To the point where I can't even enjoy them anyway.

So no, the future for open headphone in your office looks very bleak.

 

[Publius]

Ditto on open cans. I'm unable to use my HD570s at any appreciable volume at work without my coworkers hearing a good part of the music. Mind you, the cubes in my office are half-height so YMMV.

Then I switched to Etys, and wound up with the exact opposite problem - I can't hear anybody coming up to me. I have high hopes for some A900s currently in the mail to be a nice compromise.

 

[Edwood]

Well, if you don't mind background noise blending in with your headphone music (think speakers on very low, like background music) then open cans are for you. But if you want to be in your own world and focus, then open cans in an office is not for you.

The major advantage of open cans is that you can still be aware of what's around you if you listen at lower volumes. Closed cans can be too isolating and people will either have to yell to get your attention, tap you on the shoulder, wave at you, or worse yet, pull them off of your head. (I once went off on my boss for pulling an Ety out of my ear once.)

Of course, K1000's are completely out of the question unless you want to have everyone hear what you're listening to.

-Ed

 

[Edwood]

Quote:

Originally posted by Publius Then I switched to Etys, and wound up with the exact opposite problem - I can't hear anybody coming up to me.

Why compromise?

http://www.thinkgeek.com/computing/accessories/2940/

-Ed

 

[commando]

It's quite amusing to see people trying to get my attention. It sometimes takes a tap on the shoulder! Remember, never look at **** sites at work while wearing closed cans

 

[harkamus]

Quote:

Originally posted by commando It's quite amusing to see people trying to get my attention. It sometimes takes a tap on the shoulder! Remember, never look at **** sites at work while wearing closed cans

Multi-tasking.

 

[3lusiv3]

I have found that my my Senn HD 590's are too open even for home use, so I wouldn't use them in an office environment. They are good if you want to be talked too or want to hear things happening around you, so bear this in mind if it is important to you. I found this annoying because I couldn't relax and listen to the music. Sometimes I didn't know if some sounds were coming from the headphones or from outside. They do sound open and airy though.

 

[Permonic]

Low listening levels are Ok for my Grado/Alessandro in the office. However some colleagues don't understand (despite my explanation) that there're open and closed headphones and think that my listening level is too high....

I should buy some good closed cans soon...

 

[pspivak]

Hi (just my opinion),

Unless you are working alone and the telephone never rings and nobody is going to ever want something from you, do not wear head phones at the workplace. People think that it is rude to wear headphones and you appear to be inaccessible and therefore not part of the team. I would only wear them when alone in the office; at night or on the weekends. Even if other people do it and the boss condones it , it is not appropriate in the work environment from a customer service standpoint.

The only time I think it is OK is if you wear a single earphone, like an earbud.

Then again, it is just my opinion from a managerial standpoint.

 

[commando]

That could be true for some jobs pspivak, but i'm a developer and can go days without needing to talk to anyone. It's quite for developers to wear headphones, and it helps me concentrate.

 

[Edwood]

I've worked in many areas where socializing is discouraged. The management was always annoyed when we all talked. So wearing headphones made the managament happy. But that's what instant messaging like Jabber is for.......

Plus you'd be amazed at what people will say around you when they think you can't hear them.

-Ed