Headphones

[W5LZ]

I've almost always worked in a noisy environment. Most/all of the headphones/headsets I've used are strictly for communications purposes, had little 'music' abilities at all. So, if I want a good headset for radio stuff I couldn't care less if they are great for listening to music etc. They would do well enough for me anyway.
The biggy is/was the other distracting noises that they 'filtered' out. Had to drill a couple of holes in them to hear anything around me (alarm buzzers). And since they were going to be used for extended periods of time, I didn't want them resting 'on' my ears but 'around' my ears, if that makes sense. They also had to be heavy duty, take lots of abuse. When I wanted to get rid of them (take'em off) I didn't much care where they landed, you know?
I found some that really fitted the requirements. They were heavy, expensive, and had to be 're-worked' for use with the typical radio. They're made by 'Dave Clark' for aviation/industrial applications. There's another manufacturer that's come out with copies of them lately, can't remember the name though. If/when the ones I have now ever quit, I'll try the new company's headsets.
Would I recommend those 'Dave Clark's for everyone? Nope. They wouldn't suit most people. But they certainly do work for me.
- 'Doc

(And they make you look funny, they ain't pretty at all. Maybe I'll paint'em pink.)

 

[WR0220]

I have a pair of QC15 that I use with my home entertainment system, and a pair of OE2 that I use in the radio room. They are lightweight, comfortable and do an excellent job of canceling out ambient noise.

 

[WR0220]

Compare a number of headphones by wearing them but not listening to any audio.
Without moving what do you hear? If you hear anything at all those sounds would be competing with the actual signal that you do want to listen to. Consider it unwanted ambient Noise.

Another consideration is mechanical noise.

Same thing, no signal, just wear them.
Move your head around as you would during normal use. Hear anything? The cord rubbing on your clothes? Your hair brushing the earcups?
Touch the headphones lightly like you are readjusting them. Again what do you hear?

You will find doing the above with some headphones you will be pretty annoyed.
Others will better attenuate/isolate the unwanted ambient and mechanical noise.

Excellent advice

 

[2RT307]

I have been traveling by plane a lot lately, and met a fella the other day that was using some noise cancelling headphones from Able Planet. He said he loved them, and they were only about 100 bucks. Reviews are pretty good online.

Personally, I have been using some cheapo Radio Shack Auvio ear buds that block pretty much EVERYTHING out, with pretty decent sound. I have some Bose headphones that I have used around the house, but they were not built very durable at all. I wish they had made the wiring/plug more heavy duty and flexible. With a lot of use, the connection to the headphone cups cracked the insulation, leaving exposed wires. These eventually shorted out.

73,
RT307

 

[bob85]

favourites in order of what i have used,

stax lambda,
very open detailed transparent, almost not like listening to phones,

sennheiser orpheus,
VERY expensive, warm detailed maybe the best moving coil phones ever made,
way beyond most peoples wallet and not far enough in front of the lower models to warrant the price imho, especially if you already use a tube driver on your old phones,

sennheiser 580 or higher,
best bang for buck to my ears, the lower models take some beating in their respective price bracket, downside cable connections are shit, older cables are microphonic,

some koss and grado models,

what will i try next?
a buddy wants to loan me a pair of peter w belt electrostatics,
belt is a local guy with ideas/tweaks as unexplainable as the double slit experiment.

 

[Eastside]

The boom mic quit working on my Sennheiser hmd 224 headset....can you buy a replacement?

 

[N0WY]

I have the Bose and love them - but I do get feed back in them when I have them hooked to the radio and I transmit....Would a ferrite bead fix that problem?