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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."
one of the people where I work has a mirror (similar to the one you would see on a bike) attached to her monitor..
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.
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He explicitly said he wanted headphones that did NOT block out all ambient noise.
It's only an insult if it's not true.
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.
I have a pair of what are probably Radio Shack foam-padded old-school jobs that probably didn't even cost $20. They're sufficiently hearable and they don't block out outside noise.
Jeez, why make it so damn complicated. Who needs to show off their headphones at work?
Terrorists can attack freedom, but only Congress can destroy it.
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.
I drink to make other people interesting!
They sound decent, are between $20-40, and they let in ambient noise at low levels. You're set!
No TiVo and no caffeine make me something something...
My tactic is to leave one ear bud out and hidden away under my shirt. I've managed to convince everyone in the office that it is a hearing aid. Now even in the odd chance that I don't hear someone they just chalk it up to my bad hearing.
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.
I blame geof's speakers.
Just plug a microphone in. Make sure it's sinsoid and not cartoid type, since sinsoid picks up sound in any direction.
Put on your headphones, then adjust the mic mix till you hear the desired amount of background noise.
I got a pair of Beyerdynamic DT231s from www.headphone.com
Great service, great price, I reccomend them.
They've lasted me 3 years of hard use and sound great. I can just make out the phone ringing with them on and music at reasonable levels.
Office chatter is completely gone. I did have to get one of the monitor mirrors...but I tend to tune out everything when in deep hack mode so it is of limited use.
Never let your fears overcome your dreams.
You could also try some cube modding to find out when people are behind you!
The low-tech solution is to set up a rear-view mirror. But this is slashdot, so...
Write an app to lower your volume and/or play a sound when one of the following inputs are detected:
- your doorbell is pressed
- your touch-sensitive welcome mat is stood upon
- your door-mounted IR/laser beam is broken
- your cube-mounted microphone picks up an audio pattern that matches your "knock-knock" or "ahem" signature.
- your directional light sensor detects a shadow between it and a certain ceiling light above and outside of your door.
- your digital IR camera detects a body mass of close to 98.6 degrees fahrenheit standing in the doorway.
OK, so maybe ALL of these is overkill. But I haven't been snuck up on in years!!!
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.
It's amazing how many people think that the cheap earbuds they wear can only be heard by the wearer. Sitting 3-4 feet away, I can often understand every word being sung, at least on those songs where the singer can be understood. With 2 or 3 such people around, I get a headache from the clash of noise.
In an office setting, with open-top cubicles, sound carries an incredible distance. Try not to irritate your co-workers. Try out the headphones you like, adjust the volume to what you like, then get someone else to wear them while you sit a few feet away and listen while doing other relatively quiet tasks like reading a web page, typing a slashdot post, or playing solitaire. If you can still hear the music, maybe these aren't the right headphones for you after all.
Edward Burr
Having a smoking section in a restaurant is like having a peeing section in a swimming pool.
When I got the green light to listen to music at work, my first choice was buds. I'm a application developer, and when we moved offices I went from a somewhat annoying (right next to the door) yet quiet (against 2 exterior walls), to a very loud (next to the network support bull pen) cubical. I used the ear buds for a while, but the ambient noise was still adiable unless I really cranked the music, which was just as distracting. I finally dug out an old set of Sony Switchback headphones. Those things are wonderful. Ambient noise gets cut way down, and they have some pretty decent sound quality. As for the cubical tapping, I figure if it's really important, they'll tap louder.
-Rick
"Most people in the U.S. wouldn't know they live in a tyrannical state if it walked up and grabbed their junk." - MyFirs
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.
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.
"Every time a bell rings, a Dell laptop bursts into flame."
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.
Generally, bash is superior to python in those environments where python is not installed.
I, for one, welcome our floating, invisible, cold-blooded, eavesdropping overlords.
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)
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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.
Best headphones under $100, hands down. If you'd don't believe me, STOP ASKING FOR HEADPHONE ADVICE ON SLASHDOT and go listen to a pair.
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.
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AC's need not reply
I agree with you on the Grados in general, but I disagree about the SR80s not being worth it.
... 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.
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
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.
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