[sennheiserhd485]

Some of us (me) want the best true audio quality but don't want to annoy our wives Lol. I do have open headphones to use when she's not around though. She doesn't understand what I see in audio.

Sadly a lot of people don't get it!

 

[sennheiserhd485]

I've tried a ton of TOTL headphones, both open and closed. I actually prefer closed-back headphones (by a large margin, in fact).

So, there. Companies create high-end closed-back headphones because people like them.

You prefer them in terms of sound quality? Why?

 

[sennheiserhd485]

Other than the issues of isolation and sound leakage already mentioned, there are people who just prefer the sound characteristics of closed headphones, such as the way bass impact is presented

This is a good answer - an admirable aspect that you won't get, at least as well, with open headphones.

 

[sennheiserhd485]

The super expensive CB for now so far is Hifiman RE10 (Planar Version), not counting the cosmetic luxury item out there, like beats diamond headphone (if this considered then closed wil be super expensive instead of open back counterpart), and not discontinued item (if we talked about sony r10 that's different story), but it seems there's no one tried making flagship e-stats closed back one so far, probably it's not suitable for closed setting, also those hifiman seemed not popular among audiophiles, the open back counterpart is more popular, like he1000 or susvara.

If we talked about sealed, well, ppl usually/tend to use IEM instead of CB headphone because of it, even there's an iem more expensive than TOTL closed back, in iem open back is somehow rare, that's why perhaps the reason, i conclude there's not many TOTL CB that actually success compare OB counterpart, the expensive most popular one is fostex CB and it's mod/variant in audiophille community compare to others, i;m not talked about SQ and preference, just their popularity in community in general, you can start to audition them to know why ppl choose them instead of open back counterpart, probably because there's something special that cannot found in iem or even CB one, for the reason, probably that's why fostex OB seemed not popular as their CB for example.

Good info!!

 

[sennheiserhd485]

From his excellent closed back headphone thread, I believe that @Malevolent truly loves and prefer the closed back design. so, those people do exist.

For me, although I much prefer open back designs, I tend to stick to closed HPs when I'm around my wife. Even though I like to listen to music at low volume, my wife always thinks I'm blasting music as a result of sound leakage from the inherent design and constantly nags me for listening too loud even though I'm not.

This is hilarious! My mother has always been this way and tells me I'm going to go deaf by the time I'm 40. It's tiring to have to explain headphone design over and over.

 

[sennheiserhd485]

To me, I would say true closed backs offer the "raw" sound quality as in you can hear every little thing, and the open back is the more refined/ smooth for music listening generally speaking.

Though you have closed backs that sound "open" but usually because they are vented so much which is a bit cheating b/c these "closed-back" high end leak which defeats the purpose sometimes like truly closed back ones .

Yes, referring to semi-open, like Beyers?

 

[sennheiserhd485]

I have both….when I need a closed back for various reasons, I like it to sound as good as my open backs. That, my friend, is why they exist.

I was unaware that they're on equal par. It's never seemed that way when looking at reviews from trusted reviewers.

 

[sennheiserhd485]

Because people buy it.

I am not totally understanding why people buy these, at least the super expensive ones, other than if they just positively cannot find a quiet environment. Bass impact is a good thought, but it's bass impact at the cost of many other aspects in sound quality.

 

[sennheiserhd485]

I am definitely no expert on super expensive headphones of any type.

However, if you are a fanatic headphone person you need closed backs. For:
Noisy home (People talking, TV, etc.), traveling (plane, train, bus, car pooling, etc.), if you are lucky enough to be able wear headphones at work (during work, on lunch, etc.) And of course if you want to wear HP's in bed with a significant other.

As stated earlier I am not into super expensive headphones, but I coughed up enough for CFA Cascades, T60 Argons and Beyer T5's (3rd gen.).

IMO, open backs are best, but not always practical.

Open definitely is not practical, I agree. I've always wanted an entry level pair for certain uses, but I do have nice IEMs, so it's sort of meh now.

 

[sennheiserhd485]

Because the world is noisy, basically. Pretty simple to understand. I'll take a close-back over an open-back for the most part at home because it helps me to immerse more in listening and avoid outside noises.

I am assuming your home is generally noisy?

 

[Malevolent]

You prefer them in terms of sound quality? Why?

Well, I listen to a lot of dance music (~70% of my collection), and for this particular genre, a colored sound with stronger bass often accentuates its charm. In fact, I find "v-shaped" headphones and EDM play (very) well together, like bread and butter. But, I digress.

Anyway, back to the bass. Closed-back headphones provide a grander bass presentation. The texture, reverb, slam, and impact of the lows on (well-tuned) closed-back cans are perfect for my tastes and needs. There are few open-back headphones that come remotely close to depicting an enjoyable musical experience akin to the ones closed headphones do.

Now, don't get me wrong. Open-back headphones have their strengths, and I am well aware of their general superiority in certain (crucial) metrics. However, why are you so certain that closed-back headphones are patently inferior to their open-back counterparts? For that matter, why are you even surprised that people actually enjoy a certain type of headphone? After all, don't we all have diverse and disparate tastes?

 

[Malevolent]

I was unaware that they're on equal par. It's never seemed that way when looking at reviews from trusted reviewers.

I don't wish to sound belligerent - and I am not - but what closed-back headphones have you auditioned lately?

 

[Huntersknoll]

It's sort of like, why would a company put so much effort into a design that's inferior to begin with? All or most of the greatest headphones of all time are not closed, so it's strange that companies would use so much resources on them.

I’m not sure why being closed back makes them inferior? I would say the greatest headphone of all time is closed. The Sony MDR-R10

However have you heard any closed backs lately? They may change your mind.

I personally prefer closed backs.

 

[tudedude]

I agree about bass. Most open backs suck at bass. I don't know if it's an audiophile preference or just a limitation of the openback design. It's decoloration imo, the reduction of bass, but audiophiles call it neutral for some reason. Almost all the graphs of the commonly respected openbacks around here show below neutral drop offs in the lows and it's not due to the measuring rig. I prefer closedbacks, for me rolled off bass is just a nonstarter.

 

[Mightygrey]

I am assuming your home is generally noisy?

Not overly, but my fiancee and I both work from home at the moment and there's a bit of construction happening in my neighbourhood these days. Other things being equal, I'll choose open back headphones but during business hours I'm generally listening to the DCA Aeon 2 Noire - they don't really suffer from many of the draw-backs of closed cans.