Taking sides - closed-back headphones vs open-back headphones.

Is this http://shop.sennheiserusa.com/retail2002/images/catalog/hd433_normal.jpg versus http://shop.sennheiserusa.com/retail2002/images/catalog/MX300_normal.jpg ?

or versus http://shop.sennheiserusa.com/retail2002/images/catalog/hd500_normal.jpg ?

And whither http://shop.sennheiserusa.com/retail2002/images/catalog/PMX60_normal.jpg ?

(bah)

No, that's over-the-ear versus in-the-ear.

Closed back ones mean that no opne arou8nd you can hear the music, and you can't hear anythign except the msuic. Open back ones let in external noise, and also 'bleed' sound into the air around them. Closed backs have a solid external shell - open backs have vents or such.

http://www.sel.sony.com/SEL/consumer/ss5/images/product/mdr-cd280.gif
Open back.

http://www.jigsaw24.com/Pics/prodpics/G507AEA.jpg
Closed back.

More specifically, I have these -
http://www.exhibo.it/Sennheiser/consumer/images/grandi/PX100.jpg

but am tempted by these -
http://www.exhibo.it/Sennheiser/consumer/images/grandi/PX200.jpg

which are almost the same, only closed back.

Closed-back for home, open-back for the discman.

I'd probably feel a bit self conscious rocking closed-back headphones outside, the pair I have are ugly-as-sin-collapsable-with-all-the-padding-worn-off-and-dangling-around-the-edges ones.

Closed-back aren't enough for me. I want NOISE CANCELLING ones. I still can't believe Tomorrow's World came true.

Does traffic not worry you? I'm pretty observant generally, but with noise-cancelling ones I'd be worried a bus would hit me when I phased out to a tune.

I don't care.

Which ones do you use then? Give us a picture.

I haven't got them - I said I wanted them.

Closed where leakage is a bad thing - in public (Sony EX-71s aren't closed per se, but they seal with the ear canal to such a degree that leakage is minimal; isolation good enough that I could hear plenty of stereo location detail on the Virgin Atlantic in-flight movies last week), as performer monitors (AKG K-55s - dead cheap, and they sound it, but insulation is excellent at the price); open where it doesn't matter - at home (Grado SR-125s - newly comfy with the replacement pads).

I'm not sure I've ever used really top-class closed-back headphones, so my opinions are skewed. The Stax Lambda electrostatics remain the best I've ever heard.

Ahhhhhh... The Tomorrow's World ref. made me think you had some already.

x-post.

I have open backed ones at home, Sennheisers again, can't remember which model but they were about £60 two years ago, which is as much as I'd spend on headphones for indoors at the moment (don't use them enough to justify more).

I'm never giving these up. Then again, I'm never taking them on the subway either.

http://shop.sennheiserusa.com/retail2002/images/catalog/HD600_zoom.jpg

No, it's just that I remember seeing a prototype of a noise-cancelling machine on Tomorrow's World. Pink noise or something?

http://www.exco.it/pagine/sennheiser/Hd495.jpg
These are my at-home ones.

Here is how to make a pair of noise cancelling headphones. does the military not use a similar thing for battlefield communications?

the horizontal ones are where it's at, the other ones look thick, and the in ear ones hurt your ears.

I wish they let you try on headphones before purchasing though, my current pair aren't the coolest.

Closed back or canal phones for out, because I don't want to have to hear crazy people on the subway / inflict what I'm listening to on the person sitting next to me.

I'm constantly tempted by Grados though...the bass is just too good.

I use Extreme Isolation headphones when I do my recordings. I use open the fostex phones that came free with my 4-track for other uses. Subways are for sissys.

I love me my closed back headphones, even if they are just a pair of Vivancos. The idea of using them outside strikes me as completely mental though.

Closed back. Cancel out the sound of the train and annoying other things.

Speaking of which, (sort of) how *do* people keep the little ones (like the ones that come w/ the iPod) from falling out of their ears? Is my brain rejecting the music? I cannot keep them in.

should I buy theses:
http://www.bose.com/controller?event=VIEW_PRODUCT_PAGE_EVENT&product=qc2_headphones_index&src=Q3322

or is there much better headphones?
I had a pair of Sony MDR900 which I liked, is there something better than them?

Bose phones are really awful. Apparently, they're basically the biggest ripoff ever. They're supposedly good for isolation and noise cancellation, but are really BAD for actually listening to music.

Check out head-fi.org. I think you have to register (free) to search, but it's well worth it for the reviews. I have not read a single positive thing on Bose headphones there (out of hundreds of posts).

I bought closed-back and I haven't looked-back.

ok, thanks Spencer. That is eactly what I was looking to hear.

I reckon its great when youre on the tube ( subway) or waiting for a bus and someone rocks up with some massive indoor use only headphones on...cause you know however bad that persons day is and however long and shitty their journey to work is..... inside their head their totally rocking out in high fidelity stereo....

give me massive sennheisers over white ipod treble machines anyday.

ok, so i wanna get some headphones in the 100-150 EUR range (that's 60-100 pounds for you islanders). Was tempted to get the cheaper Bose ones but bad reviews talked me out of it.
I'm looking for something that's pretty flexible, that can be used for the iPod outside and occasionally at home. Doesn't really matter whether open- or closed-back.
I'm currently using foldable Audio Technica's, which I bought in Japan for about 40 EUR. They don't seem to be available in Europe.
Any suggestions?

Are you set on proper "headphones", or will in-ear ones fit the brief too?

Reason being, my Sony EX-71s died earlier this year (despite sounding good, the build quality is not up to much), so I made a modest upgrade and bought some Shure e2cs. These are less bass-heavy than the Sonys, but sound fantastic (great detail and very transparent) and provide a *lot* of isolation from external noise so are good for outdoor/commuting wear. Only proviso is that I found them tremendously uncomfortable with the supplied earbuds and had to shell out for the silicone buds (like the EX-71s had). They cost about £65 so at the bottom end of yr range I guess.

On the Bose issue, a mate has the noise-cancellers linked to by A Nairn above and to my non-audiophile ears they sound incredible. Pretty expensive, and a lot less portable than the Shures, but sound-quality is fantastic. There seem to be a lot of Bose haterz out there though, so worth a try first I'd say.

After the failure of two pairs of EX-71s inside 12 months, I moved away from them. Working through the variety of headphone threads I decided on PortaPros (I needed something quickly and there were enough good things said about them) which I am very happy with. Slightly leaky, and look very clunky, but sound great.

re. Bose, I tested the expensive QuietComfort2 and the sound was mindblowing but far far too pricey to justify the purchase (400 EUR)

I have just bought some Koss Portapros.

TS: indoors vs. outdoors? :-P

http://www.goodcans.com/HeadphoneReviews/porta.htm

(give the Koss time to wear in... I love my KSC-35's to the point I've had them fixed (twice, free under lifetime guarantee) and when they stop making/fixing them I'll finally get some Grados (and a replacement for my iPod, preferably something that actually has real bass).

What happened to the Sennheisers, Nick?

I've just been really disappointed with them, Mark. The bass is almost non-existent, and while the closed-backs mean you can pick up more small detail when out and about (simply cos less traffic noise or whatever filters in) it also makes them quite claustrophobic and a little muffled at low volumes.

http://shop.sennheiserusa.com/retail2002/images/catalog/hd500_normal.jpg

Those are almost the best earphones for jogging:the best one's are the ones who look like open-back headphones, but with a snail-like twist arounf the ears - no-falling-during-jogging-guarentied!

oops...the picture is the wrong one.
nevermind,you know what i mean.

Straight out of the packet I am impressed by the Portapros, heaven knows what they'll be like in 72 hour's time. BIG bass, but not squaffy.

So you had the Senn 200s and not 100s?

Yeah. I had 100s but the cord broke earlier this year, so I went for 200s as I spend a lot of time with headphones on the train and wanted the closed backs for that. The 100s were great, much better than the 200s.

I just bought a pair of Grado SR80's (open back). They sound pretty great, but for the money ($100) I'm wondering if I could get something better. Also, a downside about the open backs that I didn't really think of: my boss had to tell me to turn my music down because he could hear it note for note. I have 45 days to make a decision.

I've had both the 100s and SportaPros (which I understand don't sound as good as PortaPros -- I didn't really care for them). I really like the sound and feel of the Senns but they break kind of easily -- been through a couple pairs. So far I love these, best portable phone I've had, I think:

http://www.headphone.com/guide/by-application/exercising/akg-k-26-p.php

What I want know is this fucking mad looking Japanese MP3 player to go with them -0 it looks like it's from Blade Runner...

http://www.levi.cz/images_k/GVA5121.jpg

What I want now is this fucking mad looking Japanese MP3 player to go with them - it looks like it's from Blade Runner...

http://www.levi.cz/images_k/GVA5121.jpg

Sweet fucking Jesus, THESE http://www.avland.co.uk/grado/sr60/sr60.jpg are now my favourite things in the whole wide fucking world.

wish they made Grados with simple L shaped jacks..

Do the SR60s comes with the larger, more comfortable pads as standard now? Makes all the difference - my SR125s were a nightmare to use for long periods as recording monitors until I shelled out for the bigger pads (Needle Doctor - outrageous international P&P for something that must've weighed 50g). But, yes, Grados sound ace.

dude, it costs like nothing to upgrade to the SR-80s; do it!

my super-recommended headphone setup:
1. PortaPros for walkin' around. (i also have some ksc-75s for when i'm going somewhere where i want to be able to stow my headphones in my pocket.) They are amazingly dynamic and fun headphones for most rock/pop/hiphop/whatever music. (The senns are better for solo piano/voice and orchestral imho.) The absolute best deal in headphones.

2. Grado SR-80s for home use. (The $100 sr-80s are the best new purchase you can make for headphones at that pricepoint. Like WAAAY better than any equivalent Sonys or Senns. Fantastic value.) I recently upgraded to the Grado HF-1s, but given the price increase it's not really worth it for most people. Similarly, don't bother getting a headphone amp if you mostly listen to mp3s.

3. If you need headphones for long journeys with good soundproofing (nb: not airplanes), the Sennheiser 280s offer about as much isolation as you can get with cans, but really need an amp to sound good... Otherwise go for canalphones, if you can handle them.