[nrwilk]

Ok, this is an odd request, but I have a mate who asked me to post this question for him here.

He works in a headphone-friendly environment, but he regularly needs to be able to hear people talking to him and various other things such as incoming messages on the computer. He would like a system where no one around him can hear what he's listening to (hense the closed cans) but, where he can easily hear what's going on around him.

I assume this is not a common scenario as most people here are after the exact opposite goal.

His only idea is to run the cans off of a small mixer and use a microphone through the mixer to pick up ambient sounds and run them into his headphones.

Does anyone here have a better idea?

I'm sorry if this has been asked before, I couldn't find a similar question via search...

Thank you!

nrwilk

 

[Rednamalas1]

like Shure PTH, but in full-sized can?

 

[Fud]

Here's a link to the Shure "push to hear", should work the same way with full sized cans as it does with the se530:

Shure - Push to Hear (PTH) Control

 

[Jaska]

An odd request indeed, but I'll still give you a recommendation for the AKG K240S (or some other variant). Virtually all of the local libraries here issue these headphones to customers to want to listen to records and CDs, and the listening stations in some of these libraries are right near "quiet" study areas. I've never witnessed anyone complaining about the noise, and the customers can certainly hear what's going on around them as long as they don't have the volume jacked up too high.

I do believe that the K240S is considered a semi-closed headphone, and that seems to be about what your friend is after. They certainly leak sound less than AKG's completely open headphones.

 

[HDen]

ATH-ESW9 on low listening volume?

 

[facelvega]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jaska /img/forum/go_quote.gif An odd request indeed, but I'll still give you a recommendation for the AKG K240S (or some other variant). Virtually all of the local libraries here issue these headphones to customers to want to listen to records and CDs, and the listening stations in some of these libraries are right near "quiet" study areas. I've never witnessed anyone complaining about the noise, and the customers can certainly hear what's going on around them as long as they don't have the volume jacked up too high. I do believe that the K240S is considered a semi-closed headphone, and that seems to be about what your friend is after. They certainly leak sound less than AKG's completely open headphones.

I'll support this option, or maybe the slightly less-gigantic K141. The semi-closed design is made not to leak noise (which might be picked up by mics in a studio setting), but to still allow you to hear what's going on around you as with an open headphone. There are a number of other effectively semi-closed headphones on the market as well, though AFAIK only AKG uses that term. Better to change the title of the thread to "open headphones thatd don't leak sound out (for office setting)," I'm sure you'll get many replies.

 

[ADD]

Quote:

Originally Posted by nrwilk /img/forum/go_quote.gif Does anyone here have a better idea?

Hi,

The Sennheiser PXC450 is siad to have a function that lets outside sound in via the inbuilt microphones in the ear cups and it is a closed, noise cancelling headphone. Apparently it lets through sound in the critical range of speech frequencies.

Not sure how well it works as I have not tried it, but it sounds like one worth auditioning for the described purpose.

 

[ludoo]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jaska /img/forum/go_quote.gif I do believe that the K240S is considered a semi-closed headphone, and that seems to be about what your friend is after. They certainly leak sound less than AKG's completely open headphones.

I completely agree on the semi-open AKG phones: in fact I'm using either a K280 or a K141 at work, and while my music is inaudible to everyone around me, I can perfectly hear my coworkers and the phone ringing beside me.

If your friend does not need/want new phones, there are quite a few AKG 141 or 240 (including derivatives) for very decent prices. If he budgets for a pair of replacement pads and elastics, he should be able to find a good pair pretty cheap.

 

[episiarch]

What I use in this situation is a Yuin PK1. Leakage is absolutely insignificant, and I find it at least as pleasurable as full-sized cans such as HD580 or K501.

I have gone through many headphones, both open and closed, looking for my ideal office rig. The PK1 is very much my favorite when I don't require isolation.

You'll want to feed it with a high-quality source and amp to get the best out of it. I love it with a HeadAmp Pico or Gilmore Lite, but a Mini3 would also be a great choice.

 

[nrwilk]

Thanks so much for all the suggestions, guys.

He's going to try out the Senn PXC450, and if they don't work, the k240s.

Thanks again!

 

[QQQ]

No cans(even open, even ibuds!) with music playing will allow you to listen a person who saying something to you with calm voice. So better tell your colleagues "shoulder-tapping" policy when you have your cans on

 

[MaZa]

Yup, look towards Semi-closed headphones. Properly designed ones let sound in, but not out. AKG K240S leaks very little IIRC.

 

[Uncle Erik]

I'd go with semi-closed headphones, as well. AKG makes good ones, but I find that the Beyerdynamic DT880 has surprisingly little leakage at moderate levels, but I can hear external sound fine.

 

[ADD]

Quote:

Originally Posted by nrwilk /img/forum/go_quote.gif Thanks so much for all the suggestions, guys. He's going to try out the Senn PXC450, and if they don't work, the k240s. Thanks again!

Hi,

When I mentioned the PXC450 earlier in the thread, I had never tried it. I actually tried it yesterday though. Just in case you did not see my comments, I'll briefly sum up the main points.

The heaphones sounds tremendous with the noise cancelling off. Infact I will go as far as to say it is the best headphone I have ever heard. To my ears, they blew away an HD595 and an HD650 I was auditioning at the same time. Unfortunately, when the noise cancelling is engaged, unlike the other noise cancelling products in Sennheiser's range, there is a significant (actually, huge is a better word) drop in audio quality. Also, the bass becomes quite severely attenuated. And by that I mean it's like you have a three way home speaker system and you just cut the wires to the woofer, leaving just a midrange and a tweeter to do the work. And I own the PXC250 and PXC350 to compare - neither of these phones suffer anything remotely approaching the drop off in performance that the PXC450 suffers with the noise cancelling on. If these terrible side effects are at the cost of the small amount of extra noise attentuation, then I would much much rather put up with the extra noise (apart from that, as a very experienced PXC350 owner, I have never felt at any time that it's noise cancelling capabilities were wanting in any way).

Furthermore, unless I did not understand the salesman's instructions, when you push the press to talk button, you don't get the music anymore. I thought the headphone might still give you the music at your chosen volume level but that the headphones effectively would let noise in like an open can (but obviously not leak it out like an open can).

And to add insult to injury, they were uncomfortable, but that is a personal thing of couse. But I found the earpads so excessively soft, that my ears were hitting the intenal sound reflectors - very uncomfortable (and no, I don't have Prince Charles ears - so far as I am aware they look perfectly normal).

So I am actually sorry I suggested this phone. Not only is it a rip off in terms of price, but the sound quality is poor with the noise cancelling on and your case - the talk through is useless because no music can come through at the same time (unless I am missing somethng fundamental here).

So, again I am sorry I mentioned it. The PXC450 is a headphone I would only recommend to my enemies (not that I have any

).

 

[catscratch]

You can try the Stax SR-001 or 005a system as well. It's open but it doesn't leak much sound, and if you're in an office environment where you presumably have PC fans, conversations, phone calls, and such going off it will not audibly leak anything at all, but at the same time it's fully open with only a 1.5 micron membrane separating your ears from the rest of the world.