Headphones anyone ???

phil_qc

Senior Member
Hello !

Can someone recomend a VERY nice pair of headphone to use
when playing drum...

I'm looking for good quality, comfort, and noise canceling...

Thanks !

Philippe
 
It's been discussed many times, if you hit the search function you'll come up with enough reading to keep you busy all day.

I know quite a few guys like the Vic Firth Isolation phones.

I use these http://www.guitarvision.com/mf/mf_frameset.htm and wear a pair of foam earplugs just to help with the hearing.
 
I'll throw in a vote for the Extreme Iso phones (29s).. I've been using them a fair amount this summer and they're nice in that they are not the type that feels like they're going to cave in your skull with the pressure. Very comfortable, relatively good sounding. They will knock down a ton of volume. Worth saving for these vs getting the Firth phones, IMO.
 
... Avoid Vic Firth, IMO it's crap. ...

... Worth saving for these vs getting the Firth phones, IMO.

Why do you guys say this? I'm in the market for headphones, and I was thinking of getting the Vic Firth unit based on a lot of positive reviews. And they're about half the price of the Sennheisers or Extremes.

What's the difference? Why do you say avoid VF? I want to know before I spend money.
 
Uncomfortable, not exceedingly well made, a little harsh sonically. Just very uncomfortable in the mids. Cord is ridiculously short. And ironically for their purpose - the sound level feels too low. I never heard enough low end when I was using them.

Extreme isos are about 2x the cost but very worth it. And they're very comfortable.
 
Well, that's good to know...

I don't just want isolation, I want studio quality sound. And I expect to have these for a long time, so I want something well made.

Edit:

OK, I'm checking out the EIs. Has anyone used the EX-25 model? I guess I'll spend up to a $100 if need be, but I can get away with less and still find a quality set, even better.

Also, is there any such thing as TOO MUCH isolation? I still do want to hear my drums while playing. Is there a huge difference between 24/25 and 29?
 
I've found the best and cheapest thing for me to use, is to use these noise cancelling heaphones (no cords or anything, my dad's a toolist and works with heavy machinery) and then using the headphones that wrap around your ears on with the headphones going over them.

It's the best thing I've found that works when I'm playing to a song on my ipod.
 
7Days, you are talking about ear plugs and then headphones?? I have used these at times myself. If I playing alone just ear plugs. Playing to music, ear plugs and headphones.
 
Thanks everyone for your advices....
I just decide to go with some Sennheiser HD280...
They are -32dB and the sound is way better than
my Sony, I don't remember the model...

Thanks again !!

Philippe

Sennheiser%20HD%20280%20Pro.jpg
 
Well, after reading a billion reviews of the most popular isolating headphones <= $100, I became more confused than ever.

Today, however, happens to be my birthday and I was downtown with my wife and we happened to visit a home entertainment store that happened to stock the Sennheiser HD-280, as pictured above in phil's post.

Since this unit was on my short-list anyway, I decided to give it a try.

I'm happy to report that they sound great and do the intended job admirably. The sound attenuation is not quite what I formerly achieved with foam insert earplugs, but it is more than adequate. They claim 32 db worth of noise reduction. I've already drummed along to some music, and the balance is perfect with the music at low/moderate volume.

I would not call them uncomfortable or overly heavy, but I find I am aware of them when they are on my head - all the time. I'll probably get used to it. I'm accustomed to lighter, open-air headphones that are easier to forget about.

I'm listening to some mellow new age stuff right now with them, and the sound is very clean and defined. For listening to music, the low end benefits from a slight eq boost - but the drivers can deliver surprisingly. Very deep, full bass. Excellent sound overall, and they can go pretty loud without distorting (which kinda defeats the purpose of having them.)

They appear to be well made. Time will tell.

So far, so good. Birfday money well spent.

If I discover anything else worth noting as I live with them, I'll report back.
 
Well, after reading a billion reviews of the most popular isolating headphones <= $100, I became more confused than ever.

Today, however, happens to be my birthday and I was downtown with my wife and we happened to visit a home entertainment store that happened to stock the Sennheiser HD-280, as pictured above in phil's post.

Since this unit was on my short-list anyway, I decided to give it a try.

I'm happy to report that they sound great and do the intended job admirably. The sound attenuation is not quite what I formerly achieved with foam insert earplugs, but it is more than adequate. They claim 32 db worth of noise reduction. I've already drummed along to some music, and the balance is perfect with the music at low/moderate volume.

I would not call them uncomfortable or overly heavy, but I find I am aware of them when they are on my head - all the time. I'll probably get used to it. I'm accustomed to lighter, open-air headphones that are easier to forget about.

I'm listening to some mellow new age stuff right now with them, and the sound is very clean and defined. For listening to music, the low end benefits from a slight eq boost - but the drivers can deliver surprisingly. Very deep, full bass. Excellent sound overall, and they can go pretty loud without distorting (which kinda defeats the purpose of having them.)

They appear to be well made. Time will tell.

So far, so good. Birfday money well spent.

If I discover anything else worth noting as I live with them, I'll report back.

You know what... I was outside yesterday and went to the audio store
to get HD280 as you did but they had the Shure SCL2 sound isolating earphones
in stock... so I got them... Error !! They do sound great but they are not comfortable
at all for me... The sound if beautifull, punchy bass, big presence, and do their job
of isolating from the drum sound... But I have try every foams that came with the
kit and I cannot forget that I wear tem at most... (I hope that you understand my english)

I'm glad you like the Sennheiser and I will stay on my first idea a will buy them this week end. Thanks...

Philippe

shuscl2k.jpg
 
Update on the Sennheiser HD-280:

I've lived with these for over a week now, and I want to update/amend/revise my initial review.

Isolation:

I want to take back what I said about the isolation being "more than adequate" and simply restate that as being "adequate." They do provide enough isolation to play drums along to music without cranking it way up, but after spending some more time with them I think I could use a little more sound blockage.

I've been using foam insert earplugs for years to sleep with, and more recently for drumming. Most of them are rated around 29-31 db attenuation. So I know what that sounds/feels like. Each time I've played drums along to music through the HD-280s, I kept thinking: This isn't that, even though they are rated UP TO 32 db. So I spent a few hours googling technical data, and the devil is in the marketing details: "UP TO," not AVERAGE. The sound attenuation curve is nowhere near flat, and they block a maximum of 32 db in the upper mids and highs. Sound blockage at lower mids is considerably less and much lower around the bass notes.

I found this at www.headphones.com, a very useful and informative website:

graphCompare.php


They rate these headphones as having an AVERAGE attenuation, across the audible spectrum, of 15 db. The fact that the higher (32 db) rate is in the upper register does, however, make them useful for drumming because that's where most of the spikey noise is. Ride, crash and snare are substantially muted; toms and kick less so in overall volume. Overtones are considerably muted.

I don't know how Direct Sound (EX-29) arrives at their numbers, but if they offer a true average of 29 db of attenuation, they would obviously provide more isolation than the HD-280. Headphones.com does not offer any information on the EX-29. Thus, if maximum ear protection is your objective, think twice about the Sennheisers.

Sound:

I fall more in love with the detailed clarity of these &#8216;phones every time I use them. I&#8217;m definitely keeping them, even if the isolation factor isn&#8217;t quite what I hoped for. I&#8217;ve read that they take at least 40 hours of usage to &#8220;break in,&#8221; after which the sound comes more fully alive. I don&#8217;t think I have quite that much time on them yet, but they still sound amazing.

My previous review was based on audio played through my laptop, which has onboard sound processing. The HD-280s sounded great, as I described. I&#8217;ve since listened to all kinds of music on my other computer &#8211; a Dell quadcore with a Soundblaster sound card &#8211; and the difference is marked. I&#8217;ve also listened to them on my Onkyo receiver/amp and again I&#8217;m blown away by the clarity of the sound. Being sealed &#8216;phones, the soundstage is a bit tighter and closer than with good quality open units. Supposedly they aimed for a flat frequency response curve as the intended application was critical monitoring.

graphCompare.php


Native bass response is more smooth, full and deep than punchy or hard-hitting. But it is rich, goes extremely deep and with a little EQ bump the drivers will deliver as much bass as you want. The overall sound is clean, vibrant and extremely detailed. (That&#8217;s a two-edged sword &#8211; it enhances your enjoyment of good recordings and also makes you tragically aware of bad ones.)

The unit has also become much more comfortable with continued use, although they are still snug. They are light for their size and the ear cushions are comfy, but out of the box they were very tight.

In short, I'd say these are the best headphones I've ever owned as far as sound quality goes. For the express purpose of providing maximum isolation from exterior noise while drumming - they do a good enough job but there are probably better options.

Here&#8217;s the review from HeadRoom:
http://www.headphone.com/products/headphones/sealed-and-noise-canceling/sennheiser-hd-280-pro.php

Hope this helps.
 
Update on the Sennheiser HD-280:

I've lived with these for over a week now, and I want to update/amend/revise my initial review.

Isolation:

I want to take back what I said about the isolation being "more than adequate" and simply restate that as being "adequate." They do provide enough isolation to play drums along to music without cranking it way up, but after spending some more time with them I think I could use a little more sound blockage.

I've been using foam insert earplugs for years to sleep with, and more recently for drumming. Most of them are rated around 29-31 db attenuation. So I know what that sounds/feels like. Each time I've played drums along to music through the HD-280s, I kept thinking: This isn't that, even though they are rated UP TO 32 db. So I spent a few hours googling technical data, and the devil is in the marketing details: "UP TO," not AVERAGE. The sound attenuation curve is nowhere near flat, and they block a maximum of 32 db in the upper mids and highs. Sound blockage at lower mids is considerably less and much lower around the bass notes.

I found this at www.headphones.com, a very useful and informative website:

graphCompare.php


They rate these headphones as having an AVERAGE attenuation, across the audible spectrum, of 15 db. The fact that the higher (32 db) rate is in the upper register does, however, make them useful for drumming because that's where most of the spikey noise is. Ride, crash and snare are substantially muted; toms and kick less so in overall volume. Overtones are considerably muted.

I don't know how Direct Sound (EX-29) arrives at their numbers, but if they offer a true average of 29 db of attenuation, they would obviously provide more isolation than the HD-280. Headphones.com does not offer any information on the EX-29. Thus, if maximum ear protection is your objective, think twice about the Sennheisers.

Sound:

I fall more in love with the detailed clarity of these &#8216;phones every time I use them. I&#8217;m definitely keeping them, even if the isolation factor isn&#8217;t quite what I hoped for. I&#8217;ve read that they take at least 40 hours of usage to &#8220;break in,&#8221; after which the sound comes more fully alive. I don&#8217;t think I have quite that much time on them yet, but they still sound amazing.

My previous review was based on audio played through my laptop, which has onboard sound processing. The HD-280s sounded great, as I described. I&#8217;ve since listened to all kinds of music on my other computer &#8211; a Dell quadcore with a Soundblaster sound card &#8211; and the difference is marked. I&#8217;ve also listened to them on my Onkyo receiver/amp and again I&#8217;m blown away by the clarity of the sound. Being sealed &#8216;phones, the soundstage is a bit tighter and closer than with good quality open units. Supposedly they aimed for a flat frequency response curve as the intended application was critical monitoring.

graphCompare.php


Native bass response is more smooth, full and deep than punchy or hard-hitting. But it is rich, goes extremely deep and with a little EQ bump the drivers will deliver as much bass as you want. The overall sound is clean, vibrant and extremely detailed. (That&#8217;s a two-edged sword &#8211; it enhances your enjoyment of good recordings and also makes you tragically aware of bad ones.)

The unit has also become much more comfortable with continued use, although they are still snug. They are light for their size and the ear cushions are comfy, but out of the box they were very tight.

In short, I'd say these are the best headphones I've ever owned as far as sound quality goes. For the express purpose of providing maximum isolation from exterior noise while drumming - they do a good enough job but there are probably better options.

Here&#8217;s the review from HeadRoom:
http://www.headphone.com/products/headphones/sealed-and-noise-canceling/sennheiser-hd-280-pro.php

Hope this helps.

Thank you very much my friend...

Philippe
 
Last edited:
my suggestions are the two I have: I got a pair of Phillips noise cancelling ones a while ago and they work beautifully, however recently I had to buy a pair of earphones for use in my college's 'modern band' monitors. These are Shure scl2 the ones that are usually $99 but I got them on amazon.com for around $60 (new). These things fit in your ears for great isolation naturally.
 
I just bought the ex-25's, will post a review after I get em. I was gonna go with Vic Firth also but they kinda look cheap.
 
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