closed ear/ noise cancelling headphones

jflail2

Ok, my precious Audio Technica noise cancelling headphones just died on me at work, and I am now exposed to the pointless ramblings of my coworkers...HELP.

I'm looking for recommendations on a nice set of headphones, either closed ear or noise cancelling. I CANNOT stand in ear headphones, so unfortunately IEMs are right out. I basically only want "over the ear" headphones, not "on ear" models.

I'll be mostly listening to cd rips on my desktop here at work, or my ipod, so I'm going to need something that doesn't need a 200w amp pushing them...

I've heard Grados are all open ear/ leak too much sound, which I don't need.

I was looking at some Sennheiser 555 or 595s, as well as a couple of comparable closed ear models from Shure, but haven't seen anything that has blown my mind yet.

What do you guys use for PC/ IPod listening? Any other recommendations in the area of what I'm looking at (I'd like to keep it to less than $200 if at all possible) would be GREATLY appreciated. I didn't realize how reliant I was on peace and quiet in the work place until my headphones died....

Sherardp

I have Sennheisers PXC350's and they sound great. They are very comfortable and perform very well. Highly recommended.

jflail2

So you don't mind wearing these for extended periods? I'll need something I can pretty much wear all day.

And are there any odd catches to the noise cancelling? I know the Blose for example have a proprietary battery, so if it dies in flight or at work you are basically screwed unless you have a spare battery from them. I prefer something that drives off of just AAA's.

Demiurge

jflail2 wrote: »

I've heard Grados are all open ear/ leak too much sound, which I don't need.

Not in my opinion. I have had Sennheiser in the past, and while they sound good, they're (they were?) a bit cheap in manufacturing quality. I like the Grados I have heard and they're reasonably priced.

jflail2

Keiko:

That's funny, The AT's that you linked are the ones that died on me, and I'm actually trying a colleague's Denons out now, which are also the model that you linked I don't think I like the Denons, as they are on ear versus "around ear" so I don't think I'd want to wear these all day. The jury's still kind of out on these.

The Senns look nice, and similar to what Sherard is using. That being said, Demi, what did you not like about the Senns in regards to build quality?

The Shure shr440's are intriguing as well, but I don't know anyone that has owned anything from Shure except buds. I wish I could stand the feeling, but I just can't have a pair of ear buds crammed in my ear all day.

Oh yea, Demi, did those Grados leak a good bit of sound? I'd be hesitant to use something that will share my music with everyone within 15 feet of me, which is my primary concern with them.

I did see a pair of Grados in the flea market here, so I might grab those AND a pair of Senns or Shures if the price ends up being right...

dbaldus

Out of curiosity, what happened to your Audio-Technicas? I'm confused how they could just "die" - can't you just replace the battery to get the noise canceling working again?

Also, have you considered buying another pair of them? The price seems right, but since you're not jumping on them, I'm wondering if there was something you didn't like about them in the first place?

I've been considering picking up a pair of these for awhile now and would be interested in hearing your thoughts.

jflail2

Haha, glad to spread the bug a little Keiko Those Beyers look VERY nice, and exactly the style I had in mind in regards to closed, around ear phones. I've done some reading on Headfi, and it sounds like those closed cans might be a good sub for NC headphones.

Baldus:

I wish I knew. Went downstairs for a meeting yesterday, came back to my desk and the blue light on my AT's were off. So I replaced the battery and toggled the switch, nothing. I tried a brand new battery from a colleague, still nothing. No sound comes out at all with the NC switch off, and the sound is very muddled with the switch on. AT charges a minimum of $30 just to put them on the bench to see what's wrong, and possibly another $30-80 for repairs. That gets me in at 60-100, which is close enough to get a new set of cans...

I wish I could fix them myself.

Edit: And to provide clarity on why I'm not jumping on a new pair; just like the speaker journey, I'd like to try a new flavor of headphones to continue my journey. The AT's were great for their purpose, and kept me extremely isolated from my group, which is nice. Sound quality is never as good on the active noise cancelling headphones, so I'm intrigued by something like those Beyers that Keiko linked...

Honestly, If I can't find anything else I might just buy a new pair of those, but I was hoping to have a eureka based on feedback from you guys

dkg999

I have a pair of the Sennheisers, I think the PCX250's or something like that, that are noise cancelling, use a std battery so you can keep a spare handy, and are at least comfortable to wear for 9 hr or longer flights. The SQ is way above the Bose and I think the noise cancelling has a good balance between eliminating background noise and maintaining SQ.

DaveHo

Someone suggested Grado. I've got a pair of 80's. You do not want these for a work environment. Open air design easily lets noise in & music out.

-Dave

sucks2beme

Try here for some ideas. They have ratings in place to help.
http://www.headphone.com/headphones/

jflail2

Thanks Dave, that's what I'd heard about most all Grados, which is a shame.

Unfortunately those Beyers Keiko linked are also open backed I believe. I thought they weren't but after some reading I think they'd leak too much sound.

Sennheiser HD 448 looks like an intriguing pair for less than $100, but I'm ready to try a new brand as I've owned a couple pairs of Senns...

I wish I had a nice place in town here to go try a few pairs out and see what sounded best/ felt the best...

Joe08867

The Beyers that Keiko linked are not open. They are closed back. I have tried these ot and they sounded awesome. A bit pricey for what I wanted but very nice sound and very minimal sound from outside.


http://www.amazon.com/beyerdynamic-D.../ref=de_a_smtd

jflail2

Ahh, and so they are Joe. I am experiencing headphone overload at this point. Trying to cram a million brands into my head in the span of a couple of days

I don't mind the price, so I am most definitley intrigued.

How was the bass on those Joe? Was it "boomy" (which I don't like), or was it more laid back sounding.

Also, how was comfort? Did they feel like something you could basically wear all day?

I think it's down to these or the Shure 440s or 840s.

I'm moving more and more towards trying out a brand I haven't experienced yet...

Joe08867

I have tried the 440's and the Beyers. The Beyers were definitely more comfortable.

As for sound the Beyers were more accurate. neither one was boomy to me at all.

I bought a pair of Sennheiser phones that were nice. I use them with my electric drumkit. They are a closed back design. Almost no bleed in or out. Love them!!! Although they are not noise canceling.

http://pro-audio.musiciansfriend.com/product/Sennheiser-HD280-Pro-ClosedBack-Headphones?sku=242411

jflail2

Interesting, so it sounds like the Beyers win that matchup.

And back to Sennheiser. I may end getting another pair of these, as several of you have mentioned them here, and I had good luck with what I had in the past from them.

Hmm, this could be a good pairing; Senns for work and the Beyers for home

Keiko, let me know if you order anything soon. I'd almost like to wait to see what you had to say as well.

Thanks for all the input so far guys. I'm slowly getting closer to being "informed enough to buy."

yeahbuddy

So did you end up informed enough to make a decision? Stumbled on this thread looking for opinions on noise cancelling headphones, the girlfriend's looking for an answer so she can do her studying for law school without distraction on weekends while I'm inclined to be spending my time sifting through my music collection at reasonable volumes a room over.

I found an interesting deal on newegg, anyone have experience with Able Planet? They come with a 2nd gen iPod touch, something I've been wanting, but makes me suspicious about their quality when they throw something gimmicky like that in the mix.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16826737026&cm_re=noise_canceling-_-26-737-026-_-Product

From reading around, looks like the Shures you were looking at do a decent job of cancellation while providing high quality audio, but as much as I like her, I'm not sure I can justify that pricetag, especially considering she'd likely not appreciate the quality and her source will be an iPod without external amplification.

Polk user

http://www.travelgear.us/servlet/the-135/Plane-Quiet-Platinum-Active/Detail

jflail2

I've been trying out cans from colleagues over the last couple of weeks as I find other people that have decent sets.

Some thoughts:

Denon does a pretty good job, but they were expensive for what you get in my mind. A colleague has some on ear Denon noise cancelling phones, and I wasn't a huge fan of the whole on ear design. They felt very...unnatural to me.

Senn 485: Hah, these are my old cans that I sold to a colleague a year or so ago. I tried them again to see what I thought with a clean slate. Nice sound, but they leak a good bit and tended to get very warm on my ears after a long listening session.

I'm going to test drive a pair of Grados today, but I was already warned "you'll be sharing your music with your neighbors."

I'm trying to taste as many flavors as possible before dropping 200 on a set I've never even tried on. I wish we had a nice headphone shop in town...

dorokusai

Absolutely love my Shure SE530.

TORI3

For what it's worth, I spent a lot of time at a Magnolia Hi-Fi auditioning numerous brands over a three-day period. I eventually pulled the trigger on these:

http://www.warehousedeals.com/Denon-AHD1001K-OnEar-Headphones-Black/M/B000UPBQQC.htm?traffic_src=froogle&utm_medium=organic&utm_source=froogle

Very comfortable and they don't add any "boom." They're probably a lot cheaper than some of the headphones already mentioned. If you wanna drop the dough, I'm sure you could get something much nicer.

Just another option.

*Should be able to get them under $100 as they're pushing them out for the new line.