Leakless cans wanted

[JoelSim]

I sit on trains and tubes for 2 hours every day and want some new headphones.

I have some Sennheiser CX300 II in ears at the moment, and although the sound is ok, I find them really fiddly and irritating, that's the in-ear bit and the cables which just get caught on my jacket and all twisted etc.

So I'm looking for some fold-down, closed-back, leakless yet good quality phones to use with my iPhone. They will only be used on the move in this way, never connected to home hifi. They must be fully soundproofed as if they leak I will lose interest in wearing them.

Any suggestions? Ideally £100 or so, but will pay more if it's worth it.

 

[PJPro]

I thought you weren't buying any more kit? Or is this a quick, last minute purchase before the new year?

 

[JoelSim]

PJPro:I thought you weren't buying any more kit? Or is this a quick, last minute purchase before the new year?

I don't consider this to be HiFi, just helps alleviate the boredom of 10 hours travel to work every week.

 

[Anonymous]

i was in the same predicament as u a while back. looked at the bose quiet comfort. they were too expensive. looked at a coupl,e of sennheisers including the daddy noise cancelling ones but they were to big and bulky. plus they were expensive as well.

found these and i love them http://www.play.com/Electronics/Electronics/4-/8240767/Goldring-NS1000-Active-Noise-Reduction-Headphones/Product.html?&_$ja=tsid:11518%7Ccc:%7Cprd:8240767%7Ccat:Hi. i paid £120 and as u can see they are much cheaper now.

i really like them. sound good with the nc on and sound better with it off. tube and irritating passenger noise is not taken completely out but there is definately a noticable and much better difference.

hope this helps.

 

[Anonymous]

oh on what hifi gave them 5 stars as well

 

[JoelSim]

Yes, I've been looking at these but I have heard a few reports of sound leakage from them. What do you think?

 

[Anonymous]

I use the NS1000s in a fairly quiet office just to drown out the background of the aircon, any hubbub while i am concentrating and to listen to my music with. Due to the NC you can play your music quite low and still enjoy the experience. I have colleagues about 4 foot away in both directions and noone has complained....only when the have to throw paper balls at me to get my attention.

I'd suggest the slight leakage there is would be the least annoying thing to your fellow tube passengers...certainly the roar/smell/heat of the tube is going to be way way more irritating than the slight tis-tis from your cans. The bose QC3s are probably a smidge better but then they should be at 6x the price.

 

[JoelSim]

Do they fold down well? And include a case?

I'm also considering the Sennheiser HD380s too.

 

[Gerrardasnails]

JoelSim:
Do they fold down well? And include a case?

I'm also considering the Sennheiser HD380s too.

They do fold down and come in a nice case. However, I have to report that the leakage is apparent. I use mine with the iphone and I have the volume at between half way and 3/4 so that I don't annoy anyone. The sound is excellent and you don't need them to be played loud to block out outside noise. However, if you do want to play them loud, other people will hear your songs!

 

[JoelSim]

Gerrardasnails:JoelSim:

Do they fold down well? And include a case?

I'm also considering the Sennheiser HD380s too.

They do fold down and come in a nice case. However, I have to report that the leakage is apparent. I use mine with the iphone and I have the volume at between half way and 3/4 so that I don't annoy anyone. The sound is excellent and you don't need them to be played loud to block out outside noise. However, if you do want to play them loud, other people will hear your songs!

That could be a worry on my 14 stops each way tube journey, hmmm. I don't want to sit there knowing I'm being tutted about. Shame as £50 is a bargain as you said.

 

[Anonymous]

to be honest, if you find a pair of closed back on ears that dont leak sound then congrats. i work in an office and listen to them quite loud and never get any complaints. i'm sure they leak a bit but nothing major

i'm sure the sennheisers are good but if you are commuting on the tube then i highly recommend NC as well. these do fit the bill. plus i am sure the sennheisers leak as well in one way or another.

 

[idc]

There is no doubt that that the Goldrings leak sound. But, on the tube would anyone else really notice? However if you want to make certain, I am in the market for leakless cans as well. They are for the living room as I have started to annoy the family at their quiet times. So far the list of leakless cans is the Senn HD380, AKG 272 Mkii and Beyer DT770s. The Senns are over budget, but do what you are looking for. The AKGs dont collapse down and the Beyers are not well reviewed by What Hifi.

So I am saving for the Senns at the moment. I cannot find anything that is circumaural that is under £100. There may be more options if you would consider on ear. If that is the case then the AKG K171s come under budget, but again they dont collapse down.

EDIT - re read this an d Gerrards comment the HD380s do leak, whicvh I have read elsewhere, including What Hifi that they dont. The only brand that states it does not leak is AKG for the K171 on ear and K271 over ear.

By the way, all of the cans are hifi and will benefit from the FiiO E5 to drive them.

 

[Gerrardasnails]

idc:
There is no doubt that that the Goldrings leak sound. But, on the tube would anyone else really notice? However if you want to make certain, I am in the market for leakless cans as well. They are for the living room as I have started to annoy the family at their quiet times. So far the list of leakless cans is the Senn HD380, AKG 272 Mkii and Beyer DT770s. The Senns are over budget, but do what you are looking for. The AKGs dont collapse down and the Beyers are not well reviewed by What Hifi.

So I am saving for the Senns at the moment. I cannot find anything that is circumaural that is under £100. There may be more options if you would consider on ear. If that is the case then the AKG K171s come under budget, but again they dont collapse down.

EDIT - re read this an d Gerrards comment the HD380s do leak, whicvh I have read elsewhere, including What Hifi that they dont. The only brand that states it does not leak is AKG for the K171 on ear and K271 over ear.

By the way, all of the cans are hifi and will benefit from the FiiO E5 to drive them.

Sorry, I was commenting on the Goldrings and not the HD380s.

 

[idc]

Thanks for clarifying that Gerrard. In that case the Senns sound ideal for you and me Joel, but I might go for the AKGs......

 

[JoelSim]

Look to be available at £100 ish if you shop around, however I will wait for the sales to see if they come down in price. I may not buy any and just put up with annoying tangles of my CX300s

 

[Audiofoolius]

Sennheiser HD 25 are great cans for portable use and they don't leak any sound.