Headphone recommendations?

[Cboss]

Can any of the experts recommend a pair of headphones that sound really good for playing/ practicing?

Sometimes I would like to be able to play, hear all the nuances in playing and the guitar, but not make any noise

These would plug into the amp headphone out jack

Thx!

[mathman]

I have an older version of these that I have used and loved for many years.  Not the very best but a good mid price performer.

https://www.sweetwater.com/store/detail/ATHM50x--audio-technica-ath-m50x-closed-back-studio-monitoring-headphones?mrkgadid=&mrkgcl=28&mrkgen=gpla&mrkgbflag=1&mrkgcat=drums&percussion&acctid=21700000001645388&dskeywordid=&lid=58700008696010903&dsproductgroupid=&product_id=ATHM50x&prodctry=US&prodlang=en&channel=online&storeid=&device=m&network=x&matchtype=&adpos=largenumber&locationid=9012065&creative=&targetid=&campaignid=21160912466&awsearchcpc=&gad_source=1&gclid=CjwKCAjw9IayBhBJEiwAVuc3fro82aipYk90_b4GoygeLXgU5yv-_GDsPwgi81xj--U57OQFtK3fZBoCV0AQAvD_BwE&gclsrc=aw.ds

[hamerhead]

Sennheiser HD 280 Pro:

https://www.musiciansfriend.com/pro-audio/sennheiser-hd-280-pro-closed-back-headphones?source=3WWRWXMG&msclkid=ab6321b52790117e3b3647f792a801ca&utm_source=bing&utm_medium=cpc&utm_campaign=**LP - NonTM - *DSA - Category&utm_term=headphones&utm_content=Headphones

I use these for tracking. They sound great with good outside sound rejection. I've never tried them straight into an amp's headphone jack, but they seem to faithfully reproduce the noise I make while recording.

[Cboss]

Thank you guys so much, this plus a bit of research and ended up ordering the Sennheiser HD 280 Pros and beyerdynamic DT 770 Pro Studio 80 ohm; will try both and keep the winner 

[Cboss]

One thing I really don't understand about the beyerdynamics is they offer three versions based on resistance, 32 ohm, 80 ohm, and 240 ohm.. is this something like the higher resistance sounds better, or is it more like 19 inch tires go on a 19-in rim not an 18-in, I can't seem to find a good answer on this but I bet someone here knows :-)

[cynic]

I own or have owned everything mentioned and I'd say all get the job done well enough so for my money the ultimate decision would come down to comfort.  For that reason alone I lean Sennheiser.  In addition to the HD280's I have the HD6XX open backs and both fit my head better than the others and provide "all day" comfort. 

Your stated goal is no noise, but if you could live with low noise I'd suggest looking into open back.  I prefer them because having the ability to hear what's in the room/house (er, um, I mean "recording studio") around me doesn't remove me from the surrounding environment.  My wife prefers them for the same reason.  I also feel like they cause less fatigue over equal time.

I can't answer the impedance thing with anything technical, but will just share the general rule of thumb is to not exceed an 8:1 mismatch; 4ohm output for 32ohm cans, 10ohm output for 80ohm cans, etc.  If you're not using a dedicated headphone amp I imagine you'd do well to stay at or below 80.  The aforementioned Sennheiser HD6XX are 300ohm so maybe that's a factor in their being less fatiguing?

[velorush]

I use the Beyerdynamic DT 770 80 ohm to monitor our streaming feed at church.  Great noise rejection and incredible detail for the money. 

I chose closed-back because I do not want to hear the mix in the room while adjusting the streaming feed.  As @cynic pointed out, if it is beneficial to have bleed from the room, you'll definitely want open-back design.  My FOH mix is typically in the 80 - 85 dB range, so the closed-back design works better for my application.

I chose the 80-ohm version as it is louder with a given wattage output from the board's headphone monitoring jack. 

 

[Jimbilly]

I have an old set of Sennheiser 580s that JohnnyB bird-dogged for me, they aren't as crisp as others I've tried, but I think they are less fatiguing over time, I wonder if your experience with Sennheiser will be similar. Those have a 2 prong plug in each side,which are becoming a problem, and I need to fix them somehow, dabbing DeOxit on the contacts fixes them for a couple of days, hopefully they have changed that design, I imagine they have.

  Speaking of headphones: a wireless pair is nearly critical for mowing the lawn. 

[cynic]

15 minutes ago, Jimbilly said:

Speaking of headphones: a wireless pair is nearly critical for mowing the lawn.

I use molded IEM's with a bluetooth adaptor for that.  That's one chore where I'm happy to be completely removed from the environment around me.

[hamerhead]

23 hours ago, Cboss said:

....Sometimes I would like to be able to play, hear all the nuances in playing and the guitar, but not make any noise...

The Sennheiser HD600s are absolute killers but the open back design means they can be heard by others (or microphones. Ask me how I know. Oops ). The 600s sound better (IMO) but the 280s are better at keeping the sound contained. As  cynic said, either are great for all-day comfort, with the edge (again IMO) going to the 600s.

[Cboss]

Instead of no noise what I should have said was not using an amp and cabinet, relatively silent.. it wouldn't matter at all if there's room bleed, really I'm looking for the highest quality sound I can get at a reasonable amount.. would you guys say that open back have a sound advantage over closed?

The two sets I ordered showed up today so I will give them a try tomorrow, if these don't work out I'll try those Sennheiser open backs that cynic mentioned

[mathman]

I picked what I bought based on the bass response.  Being mainly a bass player I wanted headphones for playing bass.  I am sure the others are capable but they had a low frequency response.

[geoff_hartwell]

9 hours ago, cynic said:

I use molded IEM's with a bluetooth adaptor for that.  That's one chore where I'm happy to be completely removed from the environment around me.

Deets pleez n thonx 

[cynic]

12 hours ago, geoff_hartwell said:

Deets pleez n thonx 

My setup is pretty simple and I'm light on many of the details myself.  The in-ears are something I ordered through a fellow motorcycle enthusiast more than twenty years ago.  He had become certified to do the molds and would set up at BMW motorcycle rallys.  I think they ran about $300 at the time so they may not be on par with today's IEMs costing thousands of dollars, but they still fit well enough and get the job done.  I plug them into this bluetooth adaptor I got from amazon and connect that to my phone.  The adaptor and the phone go into a ziplok to protect from the dust created by mowing and I'm off to the races.

If there's any downside it's that the mower could throw a rod and I doubt I'd hear it.  It was the same on the bike....there's a connection lost between man and machine when you can't hear the machine but riding tens of thousands of miles solo touring around the country I was willing to sacrifice that for my (at the time) XM radio.

Since I now primarily use them for yard work they even have the obligatory solder repair where I cut through the cord with my hedge trimmer.

[Jimbilly]

14 hours ago, mathman said:

I picked what I bought based on the bass response.  Being mainly a bass player I wanted headphones for playing bass.  I am sure the others are capable but they had a low frequency response.

I'd probably be a much better bass player if I had better 'ear-phones' than what came with my Walkman (1980?) during my formative musical years, not to mention car 'stereos' that had virtually no bass output.

[Cboss]

1 hour ago, cynic said:

My setup is pretty simple and I'm light on many of the details myself.  The in-ears are something I ordered through a fellow motorcycle enthusiast more than twenty years ago.  He had become certified to do the molds and would set up at BMW motorcycle rallys.  I think they ran about $300 at the time so they may not be on par with today's IEMs costing thousands of dollars, but they still fit well enough and get the job done.  I plug them into this bluetooth adaptor I got from amazon and connect that to my phone.  The adaptor and the phone go into a ziplok to protect from the dust created by mowing and I'm off to the races.

If there's any downside it's that the mower could throw a rod and I doubt I'd hear it.  It was the same on the bike....there's a connection lost between man and machine when you can't hear the machine but riding tens of thousands of miles solo touring around the country I was willing to sacrifice that for my (at the time) XM radio.

Since I now primarily use them for yard work they even have the obligatory solder repair where I cut through the cord with my hedge trimmer.

I have a couple extension cords that were hedge trimmer casualties, luckily no fingers

[Cboss]

So an update, the sennheiser's are uncomfortable to me and do not sound good (obvious eq).. I am blessed with extremely good ears so a lot of things that will pass with many won't with me

The beyerdynamics on first try are very comfortable, noticeably higher quality, sound good as far as I can tell but they are very soft, I have to crank the amp and it's still too soft.. I guess this means I need a headphone amplifier? Can anyone suggest a relatively inexpensive one that would boost this signal?

[specialk]

21 minutes ago, Cboss said:

Can anyone suggest a relatively inexpensive one that would boost this signal?

I've been using Audioquest for years now, based on the recommendation of JohnnyB here. Works great and has a DAC in it as well. If $129 is inexpensive, I'd highly recommend:

https://www.audioquest.com/products/dragonfly-black

[velorush]

@Jimbilly My son, years ago, just had to have a pair of Beats headphones. I explained for what they cost one could pick up some real audiophile-quality headphones. Nothing doing! It had to be Beats!

I will say this, if you're looking for bass response, they've got you covered. Very pronounced bass. The fidelity of the other frequencies was better than I expected but likely not worth the overall cost, but that bass!

[Dave Scepter]

If you already have Bluetooth earbuds or headphones, I just bought this Bluetooth adapter "on Amazon" that pairs with my earbuds and wireless speakers... it has vol -/+ and can transmit or receive... with today's latest technology, I don't even use headphones anymore 

$11.99 and MONEY WELL SPENT 

Upgraded Bluetooth 5.3 Transmitter 3-in-1, Portable Wireless Rechargeable Transceiver Adapter for TV PC, Stereo Audio Receiver for Car Speaker System https://a.co/d/6Zr3Z8K

 

And if you don't already have Bluetooth earbuds, I highly recommend these... great sound at a KILLER PRICE! $24.51

TAGRY Bluetooth Headphones True Wireless Earbuds 60H Playback LED Power Display Earphones with Wireless Charging Case IPX5 Waterproof in-Ear Earbuds with Mic for TV Smart Phone Laptop Computer Sports https://a.co/d/doq6ufD

[mrjamiam]

I see that the activity in this thread has waned, but I just came across it.  I have the Beyerdynamics, and while I am no breathing laboratory for comparing quality, I do recall from my investigation at the time of shopping for them that the multiple impedance options was to suit the source:  lower impedance pulls more current, so they offered a higher impedance option as a compromise for those who used them with small devices operating from battery power.  It won't drain the battery as quickly.

[Jimbilly]

I was re-bending the contact springs on the wire plug-ins on my Sennheiser 580s (they use a goofy little unnecessary detachable plug on each side), and one of the tiny hair width wires to the driver broke off, it doesn't want to be soldered, it must have some insulation on it that isn't burning off. Any suggestions?

 update: After probably an hour messing around with the soldering iron, trying to even see that teeny tiny wire, after a few tries I was able splice in a single strand of 32 gauge brass wire (hobby store type), and got them up and running!