Headphones for noise environment
 

I'm currently working in a less than ideal editing environment (two editors per bay in the middle of an office w/no sound proofing) and I'm looking for a pair of headphones that are very good at blocking out outside noises. Headphones with "active" noise canceling are no good 'cause they give me a sense of vertigo. I have to do some basic mixing w/them as well so a flatter response the better.

If possible I'd like to find something the in $150 range.


-A

I have Sennheiser HD280s ($150 CDN) and I've been very happy with them. Two of my friends have them as well and use them to mix auxillary sends at concerts.

http://www.bhphotovideo.com/bnh/cont...ughType=search
(wow, price has sure come down since last year!)

That's a tough one. You can use headphones for basic monitoring or editing but for mixdown and EQ you really need good system in a good room.

An engineer at Oceanway showed me the difference when I asked him about it. With the room's monitors the singer and band were nicely balanced. But on headphones the singer sounded like he was several paces "forward".

Headphones can give you an innacurate mix.

You might be able to do a preliminary mixdown but someone would have to go through it all over again later, which is double the man-hours.

Mark,
Thanks for the suggestion. I'll see if I can find them locally and take them for a test drive.


Agreed 100%, but for my current needs I just need to make a "good enough" mix. For anything more than that we go out of house for proper mixing.

My main concern is having to turn up my volume so loud 40+ hrs a week to drown out the noise that I'm damaging my hearing. I already have tinnitus and I've noticed it getting worse the past few months and the only change in my environment has been the new gig. Also, certain frequencies (like some fans on electronic equipment and powered-on but blank TV screens) tend to "trip" my tinnitus as well.


-A

If you are OK using in-ear headphones perhaps the ER4 MicroPro headphones will be interesting. I find them very comfortable even over long times (8 hours). They are reasonably accurate (for headphones), but not a replacement for a good room.

While you're auditioning, give a listen to the Sony MDR7506. They're an industry mainstay, probably accounting for at least 50% of all the cans worn by film industry mixers. Though I've not used them, I've also heard good things about the Senn HD280 that Mark recommended and they also get a lot of professional use. If the noise is REALLY loud, yesterday I read a posting in another forum by a mixer who was working on a documentary on the flight deck of an aircraft carrier wearing a pair of in-ear monitors covered with hard-shell noise isolation ear protectors!

Yep, I hear ya!

:-)

Yep. In-ears (like the Sennheiser E-series or Etymolics) with noise isolators (or noise reduction headphones that are on but have no input signal) give the very best isolation.

I've got a pair of HD280 Pros at home and at work. They're what I recommend for mixing (if you *must* use headphones - as said above, you need monitors and a room to set a proper image).

The HD280s are quite flat, and the Sony 7506s are scooped by comparison. Choose the Senns for mixing, and the Sonys for live recording. (In live recording you want the source to bust through a bit; frequency accuracy is secondary)

One problem with any closed headphone is that the chamber will have some resonance. At work the HVAC system really bugs me through them. They block most frequencies - but those that aren't blocked become even more bothersome. It's not so different than the vertigo of noise cancellers.

In-ears are better for isolation, and they have no resonant chamber - but they transmit more body noises (breath, movements, muscle tension, bloodflow...)

In both cases its important to secure the wire. I use a paper clasp to clip it on my clothes, and create a "loop". Otherwise it's like a tin can and string.

Best...

Very useful feedback so far (as expected), thanks guys.

In regards to the in-the-ear phones, I take my phones on and off a lot throughout the day and it seems like the in-the-ear phones would be annoying to deal w/in that regard.


Steve House,
I haven't done the "hard shell ear protection over IEM's" thing, but when I worked for CART shooting race cars I had to get a custom molded ear piece for my walkie 'cause the standard ear piece sucked for being in the pit area (fairly sure that's where some of my hearing loss happened).


-A

I've been using mine more and more. While sitting at a desk for casual listening, I just barely press them in. (I use the orange foam cylinders, and I don't bother pre-sqishing them for this.) I find it to be no big deal. For use when out and about or in really noisy environments like a plane, I spend more time seating them.

My personal favorite is the Sennheiser HD25.

From the B&H site:

The HD 25 is an over-the-ear, closed-back compact professional monitoring headphone offering high attenuation of background noise. Capable of handling very high sound pressure levels and featuring extremely robust construction, the headphone performs exceptionally well in high noise environments, such as ENG, sound reinforcement, studio monitoring and audio equipment testing.

Sony MDR7506 are LOUD so if you are looking for inexpensive these are sort of a standard. AKG's are the other one's Remember "We are the World" Everyone had a set on the new AKG's are louder than before. More sensitive and are more comfortable for many. But these two SOny and AKG are found in almost every studio in the USA. Senheisers are popular in Europe as well but not as much here.

As for mixing as long as one understands that "Can" mixing is different than room monitors which come in all sizes etc. There are plenty of engineers who mix with phones. I personally only use them to check detail.

My experience is that the Sennheiser 280 headphones do a better job of blocking external noises but the Sony 7506 'phones are more comfortable over long hours. I edit in a noisy environment too, but prefer the Sony's to edit with because of the comfort factor.

I've been trying to figure out a way to make my cubicle more workable and am about to turn it into a cave with moving blankets over the top -- It'll work for a little while until the fire marshall finds it.....

Or you could get those green headphones from your CART days with Sony drivers: "Remote Audio HN-7506 High Noise Isolating Headphones with Sony MDR-7506 Drivers and Custom Baffling"

"I read a posting in another forum by a mixer who was working on a documentary on the flight deck of an aircraft carrier wearing a pair of in-ear monitors covered with hard-shell noise isolation ear protectors!"

When I go to the shooting range, I wear earplugs AND over-ear protection. I can take off the over-ear if I need to talk to someone and still retain some protection. I like the idea to wear in-ear monitors and over-ear protection simultaneously in a very noisy area. That way, you don't need to crank up the monitors.

Sony makes a 7506 model with fiberglass ear cups which
helps to deaden ambient sound more than 'vanilla' 7506,
but I think they cost almost twice as much money.

Headphones
 

I have been using the HD280 for about a year now, and they isolate very well....very comfortable, I have work them 8-10 hours in a day, but I do have small ears.....depends on the person I guess....Akg MAKES THE k271 , SUPPOSED TO BE VERY GOOD AS WELL.....also, BeyerDynamic makes some nice closed back caNS (DT-770 I think)...

I was able to do some side-by-side comparisions and the Sennheiser HD280 came out on top (now I just have to wait a week for the store to get them in stock). I also tried out the Sony 7506, BeyerDynamic DT-770, and Ultrasone 550. None of them were bad, but the HD280s, overall, seemed best for me. The only Q I have is their comfort over extended periods of time. The sales guy said though that if after a couple of days of wear they were uncomfortable to bringing'em back and they'd hook me up w/something else.



-A

The HD280s need a couple of long days to break in.

I bought a pair for my home studio, and vaguely remember feeling that they were too tight at first. I quickly forgot about that feeling, until...

My workplace bought a pair. When fresh from the box, they were much tighter than my home pair - until they had been worn for ten or twenty hours. Now they feel just as comfortable as the pair at home.

You might put them on a manequin or a cantaloupe or something when not in use during the first few days. Aside from that initial tight clamping pressure, I find them to be very comfortable.

Good idea about how to help break them in. I don't have a mannequin, but I do have a skeleton in the hallway (girlfriend is a pathologist's assistant).


-A

Remote Audio HN7506
 

Remote Audio takes a pair of Sony MDR7506 drivers and puts them in a set of sound isolating cans. I have a pair and love 'em to death.

RA's site:

http://www.remoteaudio.com/hn7506.htm


Avalible on B and H:

http://www.bhphotovideo.com/bnh/cont...ughType=search

You might pick up Saint Saens' Danse Macabre and Bach's Prelude and Fugue in D minor to play for the old boy. He'll probably enjoy just about anything on the Theramin as well - just the thing to put some spark into the old bones! :)

Another voice weighting in on 7506's
 

I've been doing field video work with 7506's for a decade and there's a LOT to like about them. They're durable, highly efficient (need little power to generate a solid level) reasonably cheap, and so popular that it's easy to get replacement pads and replacement cords if that becomes necessary.

Having said all that I just don't consider them anywhere near "flat."

In fact to my ears they have a VERY pronounced upper midrange bump.

This is actually an excellent characteristic if you're in a field recording situation monitoring dialog or other voice based stuff in a live situation (like ENG work) but if you're using them for music recording or to proof a mix, you need to understand that they'll likely be overly bright compared to the actual source.

I love them when I'm directing, because they help me hear what my actors are saying - but I NEVER use them to listen to music or to mix anything important because they just aren't realistic.

My 2 cents anyway.

No AKG 171, please
 

I heard good things about the AKG 171 headphone but found them less than desirable. The wire spring on the headphone is non-adjustable and has so much force you can't wear them for even an hour. And while the frequency range is suppodedly flat past 20Khz, someone at AKG must have a good imagination. I can hear high-frequencies much better with my Sennheiser CX300 earbuds than the AKG headphone. But the AKGs should last forever for me... since I seldom use them :-( I suspect the best application would be for a drummer or musician working around high-dB audio for short takes.

Regards, Michael

Ernie (the skeleton) is all dolled up for the holidays (he's got on a santa hat w/black trim instead of white) so I think something a bit more season should be in order.

Now for something a bit OT:
I felt like w/the 7506's I tried out I had to turn them up louder to achieve the same level of clarity (for lack of a better term) than the other cans I demo'd. They also seemed to get "muddy" in a couple of spots on some sample program audio I brought w/me and the Senns I ended up going with did not.


-A

Just a quick follow up.

I've had the 280's for nearly two weeks now and I'm very happy with them. The sound quality, sound isolation, and comfort level all get a thumbs up.


-A

Glad to hear the Senns worked out. Enjoy!

The new Sony HD 7509 HD phones have bigger earcups than the 7506. The 7509 is more sensitive and doesn't have the sting of the 7506. (I like the sting)

Regards,

Ty Ford