Headphone Leakage

[admin_exported]

Hi,

I recently bought a pair of Grado SR80's and I absolutly love the sound they produce.

However I have one problem with them, sound leakage

.

I regularly get funny looks off people on the train and on planes, so I am looking for a pair of headphones that dont leak so much sound I have looked at noise-cancelling cans but didnt know how well they will work.

These will only really be a second pair of headphones so im not looking to spend the earth on them, I dont want in ear headphones because I find them generally uncomfortable.

Can anyone recomend a decent set of headphones?????????

Thanks

Ben

 

[Clare Newsome]

Hi Ben,

Welcome to the pros and cons of open-backed headphones: they sound open, airy, detailed...but everyone can hear your music.

The best noise-cancellers can work incredibly effectively - Sennheiser's PXC series start from around £50 and come in folding options - the PXC250s are excellent for @£60 if you shop around. Do try before you buy, though - some people find the noise-cancelling effect a little odd (though i'm with you - burrowing in-ears far weirder).

 

[matts]

sound leakage happens with both open and closed headphones (to a
lesser degree. but ultimately it depends on where you have the volume. you could buy pair of noise cancelling headphones however there is a draw back. a £50 pair of noise cancelling headphones don't offer the same in sonic terms as a normal £50 pair of headphones.

my advice....sel the SR80's and get a pair of Sennheiser HD25-1 headphones. they are near perfect at blocking out ambient noise, offer a better deeper sound than the SR60 (i've had the SR60/ SR125). just my 10 pence worth.

 

[John Duncan]

[quote user="matts"]
sound leakage happens with both open and closed headphones (to a
lesser degree. but ultimately it depends on where you have the volume. you could buy pair of noise cancelling headphones however there is a draw back. a £50 pair of noise cancelling headphones don't offer the same in sonic terms as a normal £50 pair of headphones.

my advice....sel the SR80's and get a pair of Sennheiser HD25-1 headphones. they are near perfect at blocking out ambient noise, offer a better deeper sound than the SR60 (i've had the SR60/ SR125). just my 10 pence worth.
[/quote]

But leak sound terribly, which is the OP's problem. Unless you have teeny weeny ears, so you get a proper seal. I'd suggest some bigger closed-back sennheisers that completely encapsulate your ears, to keep sound out and in. And make you get funny looks on trains for a different reason.

 

[matts]

[quote user="JohnDuncan"][quote user="matts"]
sound leakage happens with both open and closed headphones (to a
lesser degree. but ultimately it depends on where you have the volume. you could buy pair of noise cancelling headphones however there is a draw back. a £50 pair of noise cancelling headphones don't offer the same in sonic terms as a normal £50 pair of headphones.

my advice....sel the SR80's and get a pair of Sennheiser HD25-1 headphones. they are near perfect at blocking out ambient noise, offer a better deeper sound than the SR60 (i've had the SR60/ SR125). just my 10 pence worth.
[/quote]

But leak sound terribly, which is the OP's problem. Unless you have teeny weeny ears, so you get a proper seal. I'd suggest some bigger closed-back sennheisers that completely encapsulate your ears, to keep sound out and in. And make you get funny looks on trains for a different reason.[/quote]

Well, yes an no. It still depends on how high you have the volume control. My Denon AH-D1000's cover my ears and still leak, in fact they are one of the worst, which is a shame because the Denon's sound great and are the most comfortable headphones, ever!

 

[Anonymous]

Thanks for all of your comments do the Sennheiser HD25-1 leak alot of noise? And do they block out much ambient noise?

Im not too bothered about them blocking out ambient sound if i can have my music loud enough without leaking noise.

 

[Anonymous]

I had exactly the same issue as you. I own a pair of SR80s and used to take them on the daily commute on the tube etc.

I wouldn't dismiss in-ear headphones so quickly. I bought a pair of Shure SE310 and was delighted with their performance. There is no audible leakage and even the most delicate of classical tracks sound clear and don't require a volume boost on a plane/train/tube .

They also came with a variety of foam pads and plastic buds of different sizes so after a bit of playing around I'm sure you'll get a comfortable fit.

I personally believe that "noise-isolation" is far better in terms of blocking out external sound while retaining faithful sound than "noise-cancellation".