[Hobbiten]

I`m looking for headphones which I can listen too without bothering others. I`m a student and would like too listen too music at the library, so it`s very important that they are silent! Which headphones are good enough for these specifications?
I listen to heavy metal and shymphony orchestras( how do you spell that word????)

 

[Jeff Guidry]

You want closed headphones. What's your budget, and what kind of music do you listen to?

 

[Nicwix]

One word: Etymotics

My wife sleeps so light, she wake if a pin drops - but I can listen to the Eymotics really loud and she doesn't stir (just so long as I don't open the bag to get them out - the sound of tearing velcro wakes her).

Nix

 

[Commander]

Sennheiser HD25's. I have used them in bed and my girlfriend couldn't hear a thing! They are great for the type of music you listen to as well.

 

[Toe]

For fairly quiet headphones:

Top end Etymotic. Pretty much unrivaled.

Midrange most likely a pair of Beyerdynamics, probably either the DT250 or DT770, the later being what I own. Other choices include Sennheiser HD280 and Denon AHD-950.

On the cheap end the Sony V6s are an amazing value.

Since you're a student I'm going to guess you're on a fairly tight budget, so the V6 is probably the way to go. They don't need an external amp with a decent portable player, but they will certainly benefit from one.

 

[Hamsterball_Z]

Take a look at the Sennheiser 280Pro. It claims 32dB of isolation and has been getting high marks on reviews here. Everyone who has them likes them better than the V6 and they're not much more. I believe someone has found them as low as $77 online.

(HBZ)

 

[The Quality Guru]

ATH-W100 is great for isolation. But it may be too expensive for you at $330 + cost of wire transfer, so tell us your budget!!

 

[puck]

actually, the w100 isn't that great for isolation. it is a closed design but if you are in a noisy place, everything comes through. also, when i let my girlfriend listen to them, i could hear what she was listening to.

anyway, for a low budget, the sony ex70s aren't bad. quite a bit of isolation and the sound is pretty good.

 

[tommyboytp]

The majority of my headphone listening has always been at bed time. I used a pair of closed Koss phones for 8 years. I switched back to these after having used Ety ER6's for a few months. She just about slapped me, even if the volume of the Koss phones was way, way, down. Total silence and isolation can be yours. The ER6's even block out her snoring. Van Halen can be yours without waking anyone else up. Good luck, Tom

 

[The Quality Guru]

Puck,

You can sort of hear the music coming out of the drivers of the W100's at a close distance, but they are more or less closed 'phones in regards to whether people can hear the music from them, as long as you aren't blasting them!

Also, for when people are talking normally, even at a close proximity, I found that the W100's were actually quite well shielded from the talking and conversation; but I have not yet taken these to a noisy environment, only to places where normal ambient noises were present (at the dinner table, for instance). I think these 'phones do a good job at isolation, however, other 'phones CAN do it better, there just aren't many that reproduce good sound AND isolate . . . but these are just my opinions. I suppose if you were going to listen on the trading floor of the Chicago Board of Trade or something of the like, then maybe the W100 wouldn't be ideal.

 

[puck]

guru,

i guess that i'm a little strange and actually wore mine out in public a few times. (i got some strange looks but that is normal, huge cans or not, since i live in japan, am 6'2" and about 190.) walking around, i could hear almost every outside noise and on the train.... well, they weren't really worth taking on the train. i love them but i think that they are pretty much stay at home phones for me.

peace,
puck