Good noise-cancelling headphones?

[johnjohn320]

I've been using my Grado SR-60s for years now and have been pretty happy with them-they sound decent, they're comfy, etc. They work well at home or in the studio. However, on the road, they're extremely "open" (I can hear everything on around me crystal clear, and everyone around me can hear what I'm listening to as well). I listen to a lot of classical music, so this is a problem (they tend to be recorded at lower levels, have much softer dynamic range, etc). Even riding in a car or airplane provides enough ambient interfering noise that I have to blast my head off with the loud parts in order to make the soft parts audible.

One of my students had noise-cancelling Bose headphones he seemed fairly happy with, but said they can "be fickle." (weird feedback from time to time with some devices). Plus, Bose is a rip-off. But it got the wheels turning in my brain about noise-cancelling headphones. Whaddya think? Good idea? Any brand recommendations?

 

[darkswordsman17]

I think the Etymotic ER4 (I'm not very familiar with IEMs, so I might be wrong, but I believe this is the correct model) might be good for you. The reason I say it, is that it has a reputation for being a detailed/analytical sound signature which tends to be popular for classical music.

 

[alfa147x]

http://forums.anandtech.com/ca...tid=67&flcache=4074083

 

[johnjohn320]

Thanks for the suggestion. I should clairfy-I hate earbuds. Can't stand anything I have to shove down into the ear canal.

 

[Ricemarine]

I have sr-60's and yes I do have the same problems lol... I can hear anything and everything. I know for sure the Sennheiser HD-25-I II's are really nice and since they're closed, they isolate pretty well. Audio Technicas AD-700's are good for an overall sound, but they excel in nothing and their dampening is average. AKG also has the 240's which I think are known to be good (MK II's?), which were rebadged to the 241's I think, or whatever is the newer line.

 

[IGBT]

..I've tried a few diff.brands of NC cans and none of really sound good as my old pair of Sennheiser HD 230's (closed). and they block out noise well.

 

[darkswordsman17]

Originally posted by: johnjohn320
Thanks for the suggestion. I should clairfy-I hate earbuds. Can't stand anything I have to shove down into the ear canal.

Ah, hmm. I think the Sennheiser HD-25 is considered the best as far as portability (isolation, toughness, sound, and not too big). Since you're used to supraaural with the Grados, it could be a good fit for you.

 

[Gibson486]

I know i will be flamed, but bose is the second to none when it comes to noise canceling. Rip off or not, that is how it is. I think sony is #2 (in numbers sold) when it comes to noise canceling headphones. I have never tried them, so I cannot tell you how they are. I owned a set of noise canceling headphones from Philips....they blow.

 

[johnjohn320]

Originally posted by: Gibson486
I know i will be flamed, but bose is the second to none when it comes to noise canceling. Rip off or not, that is how it is. I think sony is #2 (in numbers sold) when it comes to noise canceling headphones. I have never tried them, so I cannot tell you how they are. I owned a set of noise canceling headphones from Philips....they blow.

Yeah, maybe it is true. I'm still not spending $350 on headphones, though.

 

[IHateMyJob2004]

You want buds or sealed cans.

All you need to know ....
In ear type:
http://www.headphone.com/produ...phones/in-ear-monitor/
Sealed/noise canceling:
http://www.headphone.com/produ...d-and-noise-canceling/

I have these and love them:
http://www.headphone.com/produ...nheiser-hd-280-pro.php

The best thing about headphone.com is that they are enthusiast and are brutally honest about the headphones in their write ups.

 

[IHateMyJob2004]

Originally posted by: johnjohn320

Originally posted by: Gibson486
I know i will be flamed, but bose is the second to none when it comes to noise canceling. Rip off or not, that is how it is. I think sony is #2 (in numbers sold) when it comes to noise canceling headphones. I have never tried them, so I cannot tell you how they are. I owned a set of noise canceling headphones from Philips....they blow.

Yeah, maybe it is true. I'm still not spending $350 on headphones, though.

Bose is second to none to people that research as far as the advertisement in Sports Illustrated. Bose is a rip off.

 

[Nocturnal]

I really like the Shure headphones. I have the entry level model, the SE110s and they are great for noise cancellation.

 

[ebaycj]

Originally posted by: johnjohn320
Thanks for the suggestion. I should clairfy-I hate earbuds. Can't stand anything I have to shove down into the ear canal.

Try some Beyerdynamic DT770's. They are "closed" design (vs. your Grado's "open" design), and filter out a LOT of outside noise. They are also very comfortable and sound awesome too.

I see others have mentioned the Sennheiser HD280's, these would be a good choice also, however I prefer the Beyerdynamics. But that's just IMHO.

Here's a good price for them, not my auction as I would NEVER sell my Beyers
http://cgi.ebay.com/Beyerdynam...97425548QQcmdZViewItem

At 250 Ohms, they can be driven pretty well by most devices, but they REALLY stand out when plugged in to a higher powered device (reciever or headphone amplifier).

 

[sdifox]

Originally posted by: Gibson486
I know i will be flamed, but bose is the second to none when it comes to noise canceling. Rip off or not, that is how it is. I think sony is #2 (in numbers sold) when it comes to noise canceling headphones. I have never tried them, so I cannot tell you how they are. I owned a set of noise canceling headphones from Philips....they blow.

Well, in Bose's world, there is no one else, so yeah, they are second to none.

 

[Flammable]

i dont know about your state but, in MA wearing headphones while driving is illegal

 

[Tiamat]

This has been asked on the Audio HT Forum already. In the event you are too lazy to look, here is a graph comparing the isolation of 3 common models of headphones.

DT770 vs. QC2 vs. ER-4S

Here is the Denon D-1001:

Denon D-1001

 

[johnjohn320]

Originally posted by: Flammable
i dont know about your state but, in MA wearing headphones while driving is illegal

Who said anything about driving while wearing them?

 

[Ricemarine]

Originally posted by: Tiamat
This has been asked on the Audio HT Forum already. In the event you are too lazy to look, here is a graph comparing the isolation of 3 common models of headphones.

DT770 vs. QC2 vs. ER-4S

Here is the Denon D-1001:

Denon D-1001

Wow :shocked:! I didn't know the D-1001's had so much isolation... I know I was going to try those headphones too eventually... I didn't know they were that good at isolation though!.

 

[Ika]

Originally posted by: IHateMyJob2004
You want buds or sealed cans.

All you need to know ....
In ear type:
http://www.headphone.com/produ...phones/in-ear-monitor/
Sealed/noise canceling:
http://www.headphone.com/produ...d-and-noise-canceling/

I have these and love them:
http://www.headphone.com/produ...nheiser-hd-280-pro.php

The best thing about headphone.com is that they are enthusiast and are brutally honest about the headphones in their write ups.

Since he's coming from Grado SR60s, I would definitely not recommend the HD 280 Pros. The sound difference between the two is... jarring, to say the least. I dislike the HD280 Pros very very much. Although, since the OP is using them for classical, he may not notice...

HD-25 IIs will sound more similar to the Grados, though. I haven't heard them, but I've read impressions of them and I nearly bought these as a replacement for my Grados.

Anyway, OP - passive noise cancelling (sealing headphones) >>>>>>>>>> active noise cancelling (Bose and most headphones marketed as "noise cancelling"). If they use batteries, they're active noise cancelling.

 

[Ika]

Originally posted by: Ricemarine

Originally posted by: Tiamat
This has been asked on the Audio HT Forum already. In the event you are too lazy to look, here is a graph comparing the isolation of 3 common models of headphones.

DT770 vs. QC2 vs. ER-4S

Here is the Denon D-1001:

Denon D-1001

Wow :shocked:! I didn't know the D-1001's had so much isolation... I know I was going to try those headphones too eventually... I didn't know they were that good at isolation though!.

That's worse than the DT770, which, from what I heard, aren't so great at noise cancelling...

EDIT: I think as you get lower on the graph, noise cancelling gets better. That explains why Ety ER-4S's are on the bottom.

 

[ed21x]

Get Senheisser HD280's. Big, comfortable enclosed ear pads, sound isolating. I've had a generally negative experience with with active noise cancellation. In a flight I've been on, they handed out those Bose Quiet Comforts, and I didn't really like the sounds they give off (you'll still get a hum, weird pops), and the SQ doesn't even match the sr60s you already have. Check out Grado to see if they have an enclosed version of the sr60. Sony probably has some good ones too.

 

[Ricemarine]

Originally posted by: Aflac
That's worse than the DT770, which, from what I heard, aren't so great at noise cancelling...

EDIT: I think as you get lower on the graph, noise cancelling gets better. That explains why Ety ER-4S's are on the bottom.

Whoops... read it backwards :laugh:... Thx ...
Hum... is there a chart for the ad-700's... I wanted to see an isolation comparision.

 

[Tiamat]

Originally posted by: Ricemarine

Originally posted by: Aflac
That's worse than the DT770, which, from what I heard, aren't so great at noise cancelling...

EDIT: I think as you get lower on the graph, noise cancelling gets better. That explains why Ety ER-4S's are on the bottom.

Whoops... read it backwards :laugh:... Thx ...
Hum... is there a chart for the ad-700's... I wanted to see an isolation comparision.

I might have this wrong, but I think I remember reading on headfi that the DT-770's have the most isolation out of the ~$120 sealed headphones.

The denon's do not have as great of isolation, but I think (subjectively) they sound a whole hell of a lot better, plus they are a charm to drive (requires little power).

 

[johnjohn320]

Originally posted by: Aflac

Originally posted by: IHateMyJob2004
You want buds or sealed cans.

All you need to know ....
In ear type:
http://www.headphone.com/produ...phones/in-ear-monitor/
Sealed/noise canceling:
http://www.headphone.com/produ...d-and-noise-canceling/

I have these and love them:
http://www.headphone.com/produ...nheiser-hd-280-pro.php

The best thing about headphone.com is that they are enthusiast and are brutally honest about the headphones in their write ups.

Since he's coming from Grado SR60s, I would definitely not recommend the HD 280 Pros. The sound difference between the two is... jarring, to say the least. I dislike the HD280 Pros very very much. Although, since the OP is using them for classical, he may not notice...

HD-25 IIs will sound more similar to the Grados, though. I haven't heard them, but I've read impressions of them and I nearly bought these as a replacement for my Grados.

Anyway, OP - passive noise cancelling (sealing headphones) >>>>>>>>>> active noise cancelling (Bose and most headphones marketed as "noise cancelling"). If they use batteries, they're active noise cancelling.

Thanks for the input. Can I ask for elaboration? With the first paragaph especially; but can you also explain why passive's better? Are the active ones just too prone to problems (the popping and whatnot that's been mentioned by others?)

 

[Ika]

Originally posted by: johnjohn320

Originally posted by: Aflac

Originally posted by: IHateMyJob2004
You want buds or sealed cans.

All you need to know ....
In ear type:
http://www.headphone.com/produ...phones/in-ear-monitor/
Sealed/noise canceling:
http://www.headphone.com/produ...d-and-noise-canceling/

I have these and love them:
http://www.headphone.com/produ...nheiser-hd-280-pro.php

The best thing about headphone.com is that they are enthusiast and are brutally honest about the headphones in their write ups.

Since he's coming from Grado SR60s, I would definitely not recommend the HD 280 Pros. The sound difference between the two is... jarring, to say the least. I dislike the HD280 Pros very very much. Although, since the OP is using them for classical, he may not notice...

HD-25 IIs will sound more similar to the Grados, though. I haven't heard them, but I've read impressions of them and I nearly bought these as a replacement for my Grados.

Anyway, OP - passive noise cancelling (sealing headphones) >>>>>>>>>> active noise cancelling (Bose and most headphones marketed as "noise cancelling"). If they use batteries, they're active noise cancelling.

Thanks for the input. Can I ask for elaboration? With the first paragaph especially; but can you also explain why passive's better? Are the active ones just too prone to problems (the popping and whatnot that's been mentioned by others?)

Grado SR60s are best described as "rock/metal" headphones - they're very bright, have a very punchy sound, have lots of attack, and are fairly fatiguing to listen to. If you want an intense rock session, these are the headphones to go for.

Sennheiser HD 280 Pros, on the other hand, are "tinnier", more laid back, light on the bass, just as bright, and possibly still fatiguing to listen to. They sound as if you're closed off from the music, whereas with the Grados, you're completely immersed. I think part of the tinniness comes from the fact that they're closed headphones rather than open headphoens, though. Most closed headphones I've heard have at least a little bit of this quality (except maybe K81DJs).

You can tell I don't like HD 280 Pros very much. The only music I feel is tolerable on them is techno, and not normal dance-floor techno - it was more like Daft Punk and a trance/breakbeat/dnb mixture. Then again, I've never tried classical on them, so you never know...

If you really want, my roommate has HD 280 Pros and I have SR60s, so I could bug him to let me borrow his headphones for a bit and spend some time listening to classical and doing a comparo.

As for active vs. passive, yes - the popping and weird sounds are basically inherent to active noise cancelling systems. But I'll throw a disclaimer here - I've never actually heard active noise cancelling headphones in a noisy environment. My impressions, however, have come from what many people on head-fi have repeated over and over. Besides, I have IEMs, so I've never really had to worry about isolation. If anything, I would've gotten supraaural portable cans (HD25s, various AKG headphones, Audio-Technica ES7s).