headphones for remote tracking

saturbation zone · 4th May 2009

hello
i want to find a headphone with good ambient noise isolation
I think about in-ears ,but i never try and they frighten me a bit!(feedback,...difficult to remove them quickly,accuracy)
this is for tracking .I'm alone .so ,I place microphones , with my headphone,then if possible(not "remote")I listen from my monitors

actual headphone
ath m40fs for the band
hd 270 for me

headphone amp
presonus hp4 for the band
rme multiface 1 for me

wanted
really good isolation
good linear frequency response (no bass reflex ,boost,...)
robust and agreeable, so i can take time to learn them

maybe these
ambient noise attenuation db a
beyer
dt 150 20 db
dt 770m 35 db
mdr7509hd ?
others???

your advice is requested

pre thanks

John Willett · 5th May 2009

Beware of attenuation figures!

Isolation will vary with frequency, being not very much at the bass end and quite a lot at the high end.

I once had an ear-defender test done on stethoset receivers used for tour guides - under 1kHz there was virtually no attenuation at all at 1kHz it started to rise and at 2kHz it was about 15dB attenuation. Above this it rose to 20dB very quickly and peaked at about 26dB.

All closed headphones don't stop much in the bass (hence active noise cancellation headphones), but work well at attenuating high frequencies. Any attenuation figures are likely to be the maximum attenuation a the highest frequencies.

Personally - for the last 20 years I have used HD 25-1 headphones (everything is original, except they are now on their forth set of earpads).

Ozpeter · 5th May 2009

VideoGuys Australia | Sennheiser HD-25 II - Closed-Back Stereo Headphones with Bonus Case

I recently purchased these and they do seem to have enough attenuation for location recording together with reasonable sound for the money. Fairly tight on the ears but they need to be. They're very light though.

hollywood_steve · 5th May 2009

I've been a big fan of the Beyer DT-770pro for many years. Prior to purchase, I spent a good bit of time comparing them to all of the available choices from AKG, Sennheiser, Beyer, Sony etc in the +/- $200 price range without finding anything I liked better. I've found the isolation to be more than adequate for location work, while their sound was good enough that I used them to check my final 2 track mixes as a quality check against my monitors.

And in response to your last point about comfort, I've worn the Beyers for 3 hours at a time on numerous location without any problem. I know that a lot of guys complain about closed headphones and expect to not feel like they have anything on at all. But those open systems just don't work for location work.

I can't say that better choices haven't come on the market in the 10 or so years since I purchased my 770s, but I gotta believe that they are still worth checking out.

4th May 2009	#1
saturbation zone Gear Head Joined: Feb 2009 Location: bruxelles Posts: 34 Thread Starter	headphones for remote tracking hello i want to find a headphone with good ambient noise isolation I think about in-ears ,but i never try and they frighten me a bit!(feedback,...difficult to remove them quickly,accuracy) this is for tracking .I'm alone .so ,I place microphones , with my headphone,then if possible(not "remote")I listen from my monitors actual headphone ath m40fs for the band hd 270 for me headphone amp presonus hp4 for the band rme multiface 1 for me wanted really good isolation good linear frequency response (no bass reflex ,boost,...) robust and agreeable, so i can take time to learn them maybe these ambient noise attenuation db a beyer dt 150 20 db dt 770m 35 db mdr7509hd ? others??? your advice is requested pre thanks

5th May 2009	#2
John Willett Lives for gear Joined: Feb 2008 Location: Oxfordshire, UK Posts: 5,291	Beware of attenuation figures! Isolation will vary with frequency, being not very much at the bass end and quite a lot at the high end. I once had an ear-defender test done on stethoset receivers used for tour guides - under 1kHz there was virtually no attenuation at all at 1kHz it started to rise and at 2kHz it was about 15dB attenuation. Above this it rose to 20dB very quickly and peaked at about 26dB. All closed headphones don't stop much in the bass (hence active noise cancellation headphones), but work well at attenuating high frequencies. Any attenuation figures are likely to be the maximum attenuation a the highest frequencies. Personally - for the last 20 years I have used HD 25-1 headphones (everything is original, except they are now on their forth set of earpads). __________________ John Willett Sound-Link ProAudio Ltd. Circle Sound Services President - Fédération Internationale des Chasseurs de Sons (and lots more - please look at my Profile)

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5th May 2009	#3
Ozpeter Lives for gear Joined: Oct 2008 Posts: 624	VideoGuys Australia \| Sennheiser HD-25 II - Closed-Back Stereo Headphones with Bonus Case I recently purchased these and they do seem to have enough attenuation for location recording together with reasonable sound for the money. Fairly tight on the ears but they need to be. They're very light though.

5th May 2009	#4
hollywood_steve Lives for gear Joined: Jun 2002 Location: uh..... Hollywood Posts: 1,242	I've been a big fan of the Beyer DT-770pro for many years. Prior to purchase, I spent a good bit of time comparing them to all of the available choices from AKG, Sennheiser, Beyer, Sony etc in the +/- $200 price range without finding anything I liked better. I've found the isolation to be more than adequate for location work, while their sound was good enough that I used them to check my final 2 track mixes as a quality check against my monitors. And in response to your last point about comfort, I've worn the Beyers for 3 hours at a time on numerous location without any problem. I know that a lot of guys complain about closed headphones and expect to not feel like they have anything on at all. But those open systems just don't work for location work. I can't say that better choices haven't come on the market in the 10 or so years since I purchased my 770s, but I gotta believe that they are still worth checking out.