[poincaraux]

I'm not much of an audiophile, but I'm going to buy a decent set of headphones. I'll mostly be using them at work (plugged in to my laptop). We have a loud computer cluster near my desk, and I'd like some sort of noise-cancelling headphones to get rid of the constant fan noise. Muting other conversations when I'm not listening to music would be nice, but I know that you can only expect so much from noise-cancelling technology.

Asside from the constant computer noise at work, another big reason to get these is to keep people from bothering me. So, I think I'd like a circumaural or supra-aural set, rather than canal phones. I want something that sends a visual "I'm busy" signal.

Two other concerns: I'll be wearing these all day long, so I want them to be comfortable. I'll probably wear them at home sometimes, and I'd like it if, when the music is quiet, I can hear a baby crying in the background. That is, total isolation would be bad.

I listen to quite a variety of music. Today, for instance, I've been listening to some drum-n-bass, some johnny cash, some appalachian music and some rage against the machine. Sometimes, I listen to a bit of classical music, but terribly often. It would be nice if all of these sounded great, but .. I've never had a good pair of headphones before, so I probably won't notice the difference between good and great.

I read some reviews on various sites, and it looked like the Sennheiser PXC 300s and Bose QuietComfort2s were good choices. I couldn't find a store that carried the QC2s. The local Cicuit City stocks PXC 250s. I asked to try a pair on and they said it was against store policy. They kindly informed me that store policy allowed me to buy a pair, keep it for up to 30 days and return it for a full refund, though, so I'm wearing them right now. I think they're pretty comfortable, but I don't know how they'll stand up to all-day wear. More troubling is the fact that they don't seem to fit well on my wife's ears. She barely notices the noise cancellation at all, and I'd like her to be able to wear whatever I get (if possible). With that in mind, I'm leaning more towards circumaural headphones.

Someone recommended the Sennheiser HD 280 Pros (how are these different from the Silvers?), and those looked like a reasonable choice.

As far as price, the QC2s at ~$300 are probably at the high end of my range. I certainly won't turn my nose up at something cheaper, though, as my current headphones were ~$15.

With all of that in mind, can you kind folks help me out a bit?

 

[japa]

I've personally found that PXC-250 clamp my ears bit too hard and start to feel uncomfortable after some 2 to 3 hours of listening. Also another point to notice with PXC-250 is that the highs are _very_ dependent on how they are located on your ear. Slight changes in positioning the ear pieces make very noticiable difference in highs. Overall, I like their sound, I dislike the NC stick.

 

[warpdriver]

280Pro's are great....comfort wise and have a nice balanced sound. Although they do look a bit "strange" out in the public.

I'd skip the noise cancellation ones personally. A closed headphone such as the 280 Pro is practically as good, sounds better and is cheaper.

For all day comfort, you want a earcup that surrounds the ear, the ones that rest on your ear are not wearable the entire day for me. The 280Pro is such a design. I tried the PXC250 and I think my ears would hurt after about 3 hours.

 

[Jazper]

Maybe some DT770s?

 

[evanfulop]

Most people here stay away from active noise cancelling phones like the QC2s because they don't sound very good for the money. The hd280's are very isolating, cost a third of what the QC2's do, and will give you better sound quality. One caveat though is that it will always block noise so can't turn off the
isolation at home like with the QC2s so you might not be able to hear crying babies...There isn't any difference between the black and silver versions.

 

[poincaraux]

Quote:

Originally Posted by evanfulop Most people here stay away from active noise cancelling phones like the QC2s because they don't sound very good for the money.

Yeah, that's what I was afraid of. Luckily for me, I didn't realize that circumaural headphones provided so much isolation, which is probably just as good as noise cancellation.
Quote:

Originally Posted by evanfulop The hd280's are very isolating, cost a third of what the QC2's do, and will give you better sound quality. One caveat though is that it will always block noise so can't turn off the isolation at home like with the QC2s so you might not be able to hear crying babies...

I may have to find somewhere to try these out so that I can see just how isolating they are. Another poster recommended Beyerdynamic DT770s, and I found this review which talks about the hd280s and dt770s. It seems like the DT770s might sound better, with the added bonus of not being totally isolating. And, it looks like I can get them for something like $170+shipping and handling. Not as cheap as the HD280s, but better than the QC2s. So far, the HD280s and DT770s sound like the top contenders, assuming I can still hear a baby crying in the background.

Quote:

Originally Posted by evanfulop There isn't any difference between the black and silver versions.

Strange. The site I found wanted more money for the silver ones. Oh well.

Thanks for the info!

 

[poincaraux]

Quote:

Originally Posted by warpdriver 280Pro's are great....comfort wise and have a nice balanced sound. Although they do look a bit "strange" out in the public.

Not a concern. I'm a biophysics grad student, so I'm used to being a bit "strange"

.

Quote:

Originally Posted by warpdriver I'd skip the noise cancellation ones personally. A closed headphone such as the 280 Pro is practically as good, sounds better and is cheaper.

I think you've sold me on this, as long as they're not too isolating.

Quote:

Originally Posted by warpdriver For all day comfort, you want a earcup that surrounds the ear, the ones that rest on your ear are not wearable the entire day for me. The 280Pro is such a design. I tried the PXC250 and I think my ears would hurt after about 3 hours.

I think you've convinced me here as well. The fact that the PXC250s fold up nicely was an added bonus, but not nearly as important as other concerns.

Right now, it seems like the two best looking headphones are the 280Pros and the beyerdynamic DT770s.

Thanks!

 

[warpdriver]

Circumaural headphones are very bulky, so make sure you see them before you buy. The Beyers are pretty huge.

Also make sure you buy the 80 ohm version of the DT770's, as the 250 ohm version may be too much of a load to a portable device.

 

[daba]

For portability, I've found that the PXC-250's are an excellent choice. They are comfortable to use for long periods of time, in my opinion, and I have a fairly large head. I prefer them over my Etymotics as my ears become agitated after having canalphones inserted for length periods of time.

 

[pbalcer]

Currently I'm using AKG K271S at work. They are very good - as far as closed cans go. And they are extremely comfortable - I can wear them for hours.

Isolation is not as good as HD280Pro but I can still listen to music at comfortable levels while people are talking in the next cubical and the computer hum is virtually inaudible. It happened few times that I missed a phone call (the phone is on my desk)...