Closed back headphones

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brig001
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#1 Closed back headphones

Post by brig001 »

Hi, anyone got any suggestions for closed back headphones. I am on a long flight next week and would like something noise isolating both ways. Budget is bit bit flexible, but aim for less than £50 for starters.

Thanks,
Brian.
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al newall
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#2

Post by al newall »

Don't buy the cheapest Sennheisers HD 201.
They do the job, but they creak a bit due to being very plasticky.

They don't isolate well in either direction. (I can still hear Eastenders quite clearly and the wife can hear my music.)
Not a great success really.

They don't fit over my ears properly or comfortably.
Your ears may well be smaller.:)

But i suspect you would go for something better anyway.

My recommendation would be to try some on your head before buying.
I didn't, because mine were a birthday present from a well meaning daughter.
Much to learn there is.
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al newall
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#3

Post by al newall »

People seem to like these.

Much to learn there is.
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floppybootstomp
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#4

Post by floppybootstomp »

I've used a pair of Sennheiser PX200 headphones for 6.5 years now with an I-Pod. They fold away into a carrying case and sound good to me. They also block out all noise very well to people near you so are ideal for public transport, imo.

I have the Mk 1 version which doesn't have the volume control but here's a link to the Mk II version:

PX 200-II
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Lee S
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#5

Post by Lee S »

I wouldn't bother with headphones at all... Too big and bulky, noise gets in and noise gets out... Not much cop at all IMHO. I'd get some in-ear phones with the silicon sealing grommets.. You will hear NOTHING but your music with these and nobody else will hear ANYTHING either... I use some Sennheisers.... Can't remember the model, but I have found that they work very well in aircraft. About £20 ish IIRC. HTH.
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floppybootstomp
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#6

Post by floppybootstomp »

Welp, such was the intensity of that last post I just have to answer that I can't stand in ear 'phones, they make me feel uncomfortable. Each time I've tried them I feel like a bug has crawled in my ear and I have to pull 'em out quick.

Perhaps I'm odd but I mention it to inform some folk that not everybody favours in-ear 'phones.
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shane
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#7

Post by shane »

I've been using a pair of these for the last few months: .

As Floppy says, having something stuffed into your ear canals does take a bit of getting used to, but they completely block out external sound (I use them a lot on the bus), and I can listen at high levels whilst my ever-loving sleeps beside me undisturbed. They were a little toppy at first but that's worn off now. I still find it odd on some music with very low synth bass that it seems as though you can actually feel your eardrums moving backwards and forwards.
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colin.hepburn
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#8

Post by colin.hepburn »

It seems the ones that say that the in ear cans don't let sound out are the one that ware them I find it so very annoying sitting next to someone using them on public transport when all I can hear is the track there are play in the full hi frequency SSSH :x as thay work on defining them self's
Sorry just my views on in ear Headphone :)
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#9

Post by simon »

I have a pair of Audio Technica noise cancelling headphones my missus bought me a few Christmasses ago, primarily for use on planes and they do a good job, transforming a decent length flight. I think they were over £100 though - with technology they could be much more expensive or much cheaper now. Curiously I find them much better with the noise reduction system switched on than off... They're not as good as my Sennheiser HD650s, but then I wouldn't expect them to be.

I agree 100% with how horrible the traditional ear bud type of in ear headphone is - they make my ears sore, aren't comfortable and feel like they're going to fall out all the time. Yuck.

I find the type Lee refers to to be much better. I started with some £20 Sennheiser in-ear jobs to use with my ipod and they did take a while to get used to. My smartphone came with similar and I find them surprisingly comfortable, and don't sound bad at all. They do block some of the background noise out and the rubbery shape moulds to the ear canal well in my experience.
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shane
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#10

Post by shane »

colin.hepburn wrote:It seems the ones that say that the in ear cans don't let sound out are the one that ware them I find it so very annoying sitting next to someone using them on public transport when all I can hear is the track there are play in the full hi frequency SSSH :x as thay work on defining them self's
Sorry just my views on in ear Headphone :)
Ah yes. There are two types of in-ear phones. There's the the ones that just sit loosely in the ear and screech like a tortured cicada, which come as standard with phones and mp3 players, and there's the ones which actually go right inside the ear with seals on. Not a whisper escapes from them, but they're a bit pricier. Externally, they look the same, but my fellow bus passengers remain undisturbed.
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Dave the bass
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#11

Post by Dave the bass »

I commute on a motorbike and for a while used these -> http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/KOSS-THE-PLUG ... 20c6b87cd6 connected to a Sony Discman. They were very good at keeping out external noise and and gave reasonable sound quality too. I chose them because I didn't want to bombast my ears/brain with both windnoise AND loud music. Isolating the external noise with the foam plugs really helped IME.

The only downside was I rode like a loony when 'exciting' music was playing.... so I stopped wearing them and went back to just wearing these -> http://www.boots.com/en/Boots-Pharmaceu ... -_1129494/ to stop the wind noise mullering my hearing.

WRT the in ear buds, you do just get used to them but they do feel a bit 'odd' to start with.

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colin.hepburn
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#12

Post by colin.hepburn »

I use headphone a lot but never had any call for noise cancelling one but this review links my help you sort out something but try and get to test them out before you buy
http://noise-cancelling-headphones-revi ... views.com/
http://www.seatguru.com/articles/noise- ... review.php
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brig001
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#13

Post by brig001 »

Thanks for all the suggestions, I particularly like the look of the Panasonic RP-HTX7-W and Sennheiser PX200 - thanks al newall and floppybootstomp. The Sennheiser HD202 also seem to get good reviews.

Unfortunately, due to a strange physical deformity I can't use the in ear ones - my left ear hole is D shaped, so none of them fit. I know you can get custom made ones, but they get a bit pricey for the amount of use they would get.

colin.hepburn, those look a bit pricey for me, so I think I'll stick with bog basic closed back ones for now, but it's still interesting reading.

Thanks all, I'll try to find somewhere where you can try these out, and I'll let you know how I get on.

Brian.
brig001
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#14

Post by brig001 »

Sony MDR-V55 get a good write up too, and I can try them locally - time to go shopping!
brig001
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#15

Post by brig001 »

Well, I got the Sonys in the end. I tried as many as I could given limited time etc. and the vocals on these really stood out. There's a bit too much bass for my liking (sorry DTB), but my ipod has a bass reduce setting which seems to match quite well.

Oddly, all the closed back headphones I tried had too much bass, which I found surprising - even at the £200+ price bracket. I wonder if this is something else weird about my ears :roll:

Thanks for all the comments,
Brian.
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