Headphones in Corporate Culture?

TheGreatOrangePeel asks: "In an ever increasing sea of white-earbuds in my office, I broke from the mainstream and recently purchased the iAudio X5 to help pass the downtime I experience behind cube walls. I've got a decent set of headphones, but recently I've discovered that being able to hear the rap-tap on the cube frame is sometimes a problem even with the volume cranked way down and considering how my current headphones are about ready for retirement anyway, I thought I would start shopping around for a new set. The problem is that most of mid priced headphones out there are designed to block out real world noise. The Sennheiser PX100 look like they may fit what I'm looking for, but I question the durability of folding headphones and I thought I would see what my peers on Slashdot prefer. What I'm looking for is a set of headphones with (1) good sound in a wide variety of music (2) in the $30-$99 range that (3) will let me hear the warnings of imminent attack at work by co-workers, and the alerts at my monthly LAN parties from allied gamers."

Comments

Get the Sennheiser PXC 300

[Anonymous Coward]

They are AWESOME. I use them everyday for my subway commute and they filter out nearly all of the noise. I can play music at a much lower volume, so I can what I need to AND not damage my ears.

Normally they retail for about $200, but PC Mall has them for the incredibly low price of $110 (after you add them to your cart). That's slightly above your range, but it's totally worth it.

Re:Get the Sennheiser PXC 300

[Dumass]

Parent's advice is good. I have a set of PX300s that I got in December. They filter outside noise, but only repetitive stuff (the vending machine outside my door, for example). A knock on the cube wall will probably not go unnoticed. As for the folding, my set are very well built and don't catch on my hair like my old Sony fold-ups did. If you can get them for less than $150, they're a great deal.

Re:Get the Sennheiser PXC 300

[Frequency Domain]

Etymotics aren't noise cancelling, they are noise isolating - they physically seal your ear off from the ambient noise. Noise cancelling headphones, on the other hand, have a little pickup microphone for the outside noise, and circuitry to invert the waveform and inject it into the headphone signal. The inverted waveform and original noise waveform cancel each other inside the earpiece, leaving the music much more audible at lower volumes. Since the inverting circuitry works best against steady-state drones such as jet engines, refrigerators, computer hum, etc., the earlier post is correct that it may make it possible to hear things like raps on the cubicle or conversations.

Re:Get the Sennheiser PXC 300

[AsbestosRush]

Not to flame, but if the submitter is seriously considering Sennheiser cans, he subjectively won't like they reproduction of the $10 set from Best Buy. Sennheiser makes some of the best headphones in the business

Of course, this begs the question, "If quality reproduction is what you want, why are you sourceing from an MP3 Player?"

Now, to get back on topic, I have to wonder if submitter's little player really does have the juice to run a really good set of cans. I'd highly recommend that the submitter check out http://www.headphone.com/ and read up. Lots of great info there on headphones, a bit of the physics, and a *huge* selection of headphones and headphone amps.

a mirror

[file cabinet]

one of the people where I work has a mirror (similar to the one you would see on a bike) attached to her monitor..

Re:a mirror

[UnrefinedLayman]

No, it really doesn't work well enough. The CHIMP mirror is made of cheap plastic and the resolution of the "mirror" (silver-painted plastic) is ridiculous. To boot, the wedge of the mirror makes it impossible to attach to any modern LCD without blocking a significant part of the screen.

The quality is something I'd expect for a trinket from the back of a comic book. Very disappointing. I solidly do not recommend the product.

Noise cancelling headset

[javaDragon]

I've been using the Bose QuietComfort II for nearly two years now (I'm working in a noisy environment) mainly for its noise cancelling ability, and I'm very satisfied with it. Of course, it's expensive, but in my opinion, it was well worth the price.

$30-99? Grado SR-60s

[trickykungfu]

Grado SR-60s are the way to go for your requirements. They are, hands down, the best headphones available under $100. The only drawback is that they are open stage, so you can hear sounds around you, which is not so good for a metro or bus ride. But it sounds like that's an advantage rather than a drawback in your case. SR-60s will run you about $80 USD shipped. Oh, and don't succumb to the temptation to get the SR-80s just because they've got a higher model number. The 60s are far better for non-amp-driven listening.

Re:$30-99? Grado SR-60s

[Kadin2048]

I'm not agreeing nor disagreeing with most of the points you made, I just thought I'd throw in my personal experience -- I've used a pair of SR80s with a 3G iPod, and think they sound great. I've tried them with an external amplifier (Headwise 'Cmoy', Google it), and frankly didn't think that the (slight) increase in the noise floor was worth it. I don't listen to music at a high enough volume to saturate the iPod's built-in amplifier, apparently. For someone with a different listening style, it might be critical though.

The openness of the Grados is their biggest strength but also biggest weakness. In the OP's case, it would be nice because he'd be able to hear his surroundings; on the other hand if seriously listening to music is your goal, you need a very quiet place to do it in, with the Grados. Otherwise you'll still have outside sounds (HVAC, cooling fans, etc.) in the mix. Which is no different than you'd have with a regular speakered Hifi, but it's just something to consider. I guess it falls into the "audiophile nitpicking" category of complains, however.

Anyway, I recommend the SR80s, but get them from a local shop (the Grado people will tell you where one is if you ask).

Go Sennheizer

[thegrassyknowl]

I have a pair of senheizer HD-220s or somesuch (they're from the 200 series but I can't remember the specific number because they are at work where I am not).

They are semi-open back. They block out most ambient noise just by putting them on - the general chatter fades out. Talking in the next cube, rap-tap-tapping and the phone doesn't go.

Turn on some music and bam - nearly everything is gone. I play the music quietly all day and I don't have a problem. I can hear when people are talking to me or tapping on the cube, so it is cool.

PX 100's

[spoop]

I have a pair of Sennheiser PX 100's, and they are great. They are quite durable, although they might not look that way. Mine have been through a lot and are still in perfect condition. They come with a case which is a pain to use, but protects them very well. Most of the parts on them can be replaced if need be, and they come with a two year warranty. I say go for the PX 100's.

Extended Hearing is key

[picklepuss]

I tried those BOSE noise cancellation headphones on an airplane recently, and after about 2 hours, my ears were really killing me. Not the outside part of the ear (lobe) but my actual eardrums.

If you're going to have the things on all day long, then think about professionals whose job requires they where headphones all day, every day - studio musicians, engineers, radio announcers, etc.

When I was in Recording School, I bought a pair of the Ubiquitous AKG K240s. At that time, most recording studios had these in large supply. They are fairly durable, comfortable, and you can listen on them a very long time. I've been using mine over 10 years and they're still in great shape.

They may look a bit dorky, and they don't fold, but they've survived my cluttered backback on many a trip. At just under $100, they fit in your price range.

One other thing that's really nice about them... they have an 1/8" jack, and come with a threaded 1/4" adapter. The threaded adapter is priceless if you're contantly plugging your headphones in and out of studio gear.

Re:Extended Hearing is key

[farquharsoncraig]

Same for the pair of Sony MDR-7506 I got. They are durable, have the threaded 1/4" adapter, are collapsible, and have a convient storage bag. When I went to Musician's Friend to get a pair I brought a recording of some Rimsky-Korsakov since it is generally demanding on the playback medium for audio range and fidelity. These were better quality than almost every other pair in the store for response, range, and clarity. They don't leak much even at moderate listening volume since they are over-the-ear rather than on-top-of-the-ear phones but also allow reasonable hearing of external events. A lot of earphones I've used will start to hurt your ears over extended listening from constant pressure on the pina. These are much more comfortable. So, in short, the parent commentor is wise to reccommend earphones designed for people who must wear them professionally everyday.

RE: Grado SR 60 vs. Grado SR 80

[mac.convert]

Oh, and don't succumb to the temptation to get the SR-80s just because they've got a higher model number. The 60s are far better for non-amp-driven listening.

I would disagree with this. I also was looing for high quality headphones awhile ago, and Grado came up in many audiophile circles. The difference between the SR 60's and the SR 80's is that the SR 80's have a better bass response. Emphasise the word "response". This means that if the sound mix on a cd has a lot of low frequencies, it will reproduce them accurately, not "BASS BOOST" them a la Sony. Don't get me wrong, the SR 60's are a great set of phones, but there is a noticable difference in sound quality.

Re:Use a mic

[dpaton.net]

You mean omnidirectional, not sinusoid. Cardoid describes the polar pattern of the mic, and will tend to reject sounds that are behind the mic, like the computer fans.

-dave

Re:You can get noise-reducing white earbuds:

[loraksus]

NO! No, No!
These earbuds (along with the MDR-EX51LPs) suffer from a very serious defect - the cords turn gummy and then dissolve after a matter of months, exposing the bare wires (and then breaking shortly thereafter) - usually right after the 90 day warranty expires. Don't trust me, go on amazon and read the reviews. Virtually every one posted after March 2005 is negative (yet Amazon keeps the high rated reviews up, but that is a different story)

Sony has known about this issue for quite some time (the problems started happening a year or so), but keeps selling this defective product. Shocking, given their terrific history, eh?

This isn't to say that they sound really good and block a lot of sound, but they just don't last.
AVOID and get a pair of some of the other ones in this thread (the shures seem to be popular)

Re:Sony MDR-V6

[Chris Pimlott]

I second this. I used to use a pair as my office headphones at my last job. They fulfilled the chief objectives - good sound quality, don't leak sound to the surroundings, comfortable, and cheap enough that I can afford to leave them at the office and not worry too much if they disappear.

As the poster said, look out for the look-alikes, particularly the V600. It's not the same thing at all. It's well known among enthusiasts that most Sony mass-marketed 'phones are crap, but the V6s are an exception and are well-regarded for their price. In the past, I've picked up good deals on some (gently) used 'phones at headphone forums like Head-Fi and HeadWize. You should be able to find a used pair at around $60, a bit more for new.

Grado SR-80s

[Kadin2048]

I agree with you on the Grados in general, but I disagree about the SR80s not being worth it.

I went down to my local hifi shop (you must buy Grados from an authorized distributer or else no warranty) to get the 60s and just on a lark did a 'blind test' of the 60s and 80s and I thought there was a very noticable difference in sound. I think the difference may be mostly due to the different ear ear surrounds and cushioning, although I suppose it could be the cable as well. The differences between the 60s and 80s are that the 80s have a 4-conductor cable and different foam pads, and are made in the Grado factory in Brooklyn; the 60s have a 2-conductor cable and are made on contract in either China or Taiwan, I forget which.

I'm not quite sure what you mean about "non-amp-driven" listening ... I challenge you to find a source that will drive 32 ohm headphones that's not driven by an amplifier (a really big crystal radio?). I'm assuming you were referring to external amplifier, but as they're both 32-ohm/98-dB-SPL@1mv cans, I don't think that there's any reason why you'd want to use an amp on the 80s and not the 60s.

At any rate, I've used the Grados with the Headwise 'cmoy' amp, and I didn't think the difference in sound quality was that dramatic at the volumes that you'd want to use in an office environment. I don't know how the amplification stages are in the OP's portable player, but the iPod gets my Grados uncomfortably loud without any distortion that I can hear.

I think the real deciding factor between the 60s and 80s is whether a person thinks they can treat them well enough and not destroy them. If you're going to throw them in a bookbag or something, or run the cord over with your desk chair -- don't get either, go down to WalMart and get a pair of whatever trash Sony is making this week. If you're ready to put a little money into something that you'll probably be able to enjoy for a few years assuming you take care of them, I think the extra money for the 80s is justified.