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Post by phdamage on Jul 31, 2022 11:55:44 GMT -6
Any worth a damn these days? Used to use the Vic Firth model. Great for isolation but the build quality was utter garbage and they broke constantly. Once I learned to just buy the extended warranty, I was set, though.
I bought some of their updated version. While I appreciate they don’t seem to break if you look at them wrong, their isolation is far worse than the old version.
What else is out there? I’ve never tried the More Me brand. I have a pair of the Cad offering and they sound awful and the isolation is pretty meh. The Kat ones seem to be on par with the Cads.
Should I just buy some noise cancelling over ear headphones instead? I have some AKGs I got refurbed for pretty cheap.
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Post by drumsound on Jul 31, 2022 12:57:51 GMT -6
What's your situation? Are you recording clients or working solo? If you work alone, you might consider a pair of In Ears. I bought a pair for gigging and have been using them in the studio a lot. I actually like them in the studio more than on stage. I like the foam tips and the seal like over the counter earplugs.
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Post by phdamage on Jul 31, 2022 14:02:03 GMT -6
Clients! I can make do with whatever
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Post by jmoose on Jul 31, 2022 14:11:04 GMT -6
I remember the Vic Firth having good isolation but also sounding really terrible... like not great cheap drivers or something. Don't remember them being all that fragile but some people... especially drummers can break anything.
Know a couple people who have the Telefunken cans & while I haven't had them side by side I'm not sure there's any real difference besides the brand name? They look the same, probably made by the same company? They also like the Vics, IMO don't sound great next to a Sony 7506 or whatever.
I tried the noise cancelling thing years ago when I was doing a lot of live production... recording rig setup in monitor world at a festival or some other event. Zero luck. Was actually pretty terrible and I had to abandon the experiment right quickly.
IMO the noise cancelling phones (at least the consumer stuff Bose etc) seems to do ok when the background "noise" is fairly static... like the engines on an airplane or bus trip. On the wings of a loud stage? Drums & SVT rig... side fills & wedges blasting away? Too dynamic. And at least the stuff I tried, seemed like the harder the DSP worked to try & nuke the outside environment the worse it made the actual signal sound. Like a bad mp3. Garbles. Turn the DSP & cancel tech off? Sounded normal.
None of the stuff I've tried solves the real problem which is bone conduction. If your in the same room with loud drums & guitar amps hitting you in the chest its hard to get away from the timing discrepancies... and it seems like the DSP & latency gets worse as its asked to do more which to me just makes everything sound really weird.
So I always end up back on regular old $99 cans which ok... don't have great isolation but at least they sound decent enough. Pick your lumps.
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Post by ab101 on Jul 31, 2022 15:54:38 GMT -6
I just rely on beyerdynamic dt770s - at least offer some isolation.
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Post by srb on Jul 31, 2022 16:33:52 GMT -6
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Post by svart on Jul 31, 2022 17:10:49 GMT -6
In-ears. The only way. I've tried a few different drumphones and they all suck.
Even cheap ear buds work better.
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Post by wiz on Jul 31, 2022 17:41:14 GMT -6
I have been using the EXTREME ISOLATION headphones for years and years....
I really like them....
cheers
Wiz
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ericn
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Post by ericn on Jul 31, 2022 18:52:50 GMT -6
Has anyone ever done a study to see how much isolation “ closed back headphones really provide? I mean the plastic is to thin to provide any real isolation and not enough space to pack it with any real amount of dampening?
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Post by wiz on Jul 31, 2022 19:35:27 GMT -6
Has anyone ever done a study to see how much isolation “ closed back headphones really provide? I mean the plastic is to thin to provide any real isolation and not enough space to pack it with any real amount of dampening? whilst I haven't done a study.. I can say that mine stop click bleed when I am recording vocals on my U87.. which is the original reason I got them all those years ago...that and when I was mic'ing drums, I could hit the drum and listen to mic'd sound well enough to make a decision... mind you I wast Bam Baming the drums .....8)... As a one man show... even things like mic'ing acoustic guitars is easy for me with them..I can trust what I am hearing as I play and move the guitar about to find the mic position..and it kills the bleed well enough. I love them, and can after all these years trust them I have had drummers in who didn't like them though... too tight is the biggest complaint... worth a try if you need something like it. cheers Wiz
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Post by tkaitkai on Jul 31, 2022 19:44:08 GMT -6
I have been using the EXTREME ISOLATION headphones for years and years.... I really like them.... cheers Wiz Yep, I bought a pair of EX25s a few years back and I will still go on record and say they’re one of the best audio-related purchases I’ve made. They don’t sound amazing, but they fit great and the isolation is worth every penny.
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Post by ab101 on Jul 31, 2022 20:10:53 GMT -6
I have been using the EXTREME ISOLATION headphones for years and years.... I really like them.... cheers Wiz Yep, I bought a pair of EX25s a few years back and I will still go on record and say they’re one of the best audio-related purchases I’ve made. They don’t sound amazing, but they fit great and the isolation is worth every penny. Who carries them in the U.S.?
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Post by bikescene on Jul 31, 2022 21:09:44 GMT -6
I use Etymotic ER4SR IEMs. I’ve put the $25 3M Peltor earmuffs over the the Etymotics before to track drums, and thought the isolation more than sufficient for my needs.
I had thought about grabbing the Vic Firth and Direct Sound headphones in the past, but the Etymotic and 3M parts combo works well enough. And I still use them separately.
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Post by schmalzy on Jul 31, 2022 22:34:38 GMT -6
I have been using the EXTREME ISOLATION headphones for years and years.... I really like them.... cheers Wiz Me, too! I think I have EX29s. I've had 'em for 8 years probably and the paint's all worn off. Good isolation. Decent sound. I've had to replace the drivers once and the cables once. They sell the replacement parts on their website and it's super easy to swap the parts. If I had to buy new ones today, I'd buy the updated versions of the same thing. They're great!
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Post by tkaitkai on Aug 1, 2022 4:57:24 GMT -6
Yep, I bought a pair of EX25s a few years back and I will still go on record and say they’re one of the best audio-related purchases I’ve made. They don’t sound amazing, but they fit great and the isolation is worth every penny. Who carries them in the U.S.? You can get the EX25s and 29s at Sweetwater and Guitar Center. I think Extreme Isolation was the old model (or possibly company?) name. They’re made by Direct Sound. The EX29s are probably the better option. I lucked out and found a brand new pair of EX25s on clearance for like $30, so that’s why I have those.
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Post by anders on Aug 1, 2022 8:09:52 GMT -6
Beyerdynamic's isolation model, the DT 770 M, is quite nice (not to be confused with normal 770s). They block out drums / guitar amps enough to hear what's going on, are fairly hifi, but are not extremely uncomfy. Attenuation is 35 dB(a). I have no problems wearing them for a several hours, and though they feel slightly less accurate than the normal 770 model, they're good enough for mic positioning etc as well. If even more attenuation is needed, it is also possible to plop in 10 db audio earplugs and crank the headphone amp a bit more. As with all over-ear protection, they require a good seal, so glasses can compromise seal slightly, and the temple pressure is slightly annoying. Hasn't stopped me yet, though. Link: global.beyerdynamic.com/dt-770-m.html
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Post by phdamage on Aug 1, 2022 10:45:44 GMT -6
Ooh! 35 dB sounds great!! I’ll give those Beyerdynamics a shot as they don’t seem too much more expensive than the Extreme Isolation headphones and I’d guess they sound a lot better. Hell, maybe I’ll try both?
Those 7506 drivers in a different shell sound interesting but awfully pricey for tracking headphones! I was looking at some diy options but I don’t exactly have a ton of time these days
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Post by ab101 on Aug 1, 2022 12:15:55 GMT -6
I have the non-M version of the DT 770 (I think they are called Dt 770 pro). They give me a better idea of the soundstage and they have a nice feel. The M version has more isolation. But yes, there is some isolation with the DT 770 (non M).
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Post by jmoose on Aug 1, 2022 14:06:44 GMT -6
Has anyone ever done a study to see how much isolation “ closed back headphones really provide? I mean the plastic is to thin to provide any real isolation and not enough space to pack it with any real amount of dampening? Anyone ever check out the Dave Rat headphone quest he did about 10 years ago? Thorough doesn't even begin to describe it... (for those who don't know Mr Rat is a super hi fi big time live audio guy) There were blog posts & some utoob videos etc on the subject. Super in depth. Almost too much but here 'ya go! www.ratsound.com/cblog/archives/369-The-Mighty-Headphone-Quest-Part-7.html
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Post by jmoose on Aug 1, 2022 14:24:24 GMT -6
Clients! I can make do with whatever I stopped buying "nice" headphones for general tracking purposes years ago. Realized there's no point... $150 sets had the same average lifespan as $39 sets so why? People drop 'em... trip on the cable... turn the amp volume up to 11 and rattle them apart... or my favorite? Drummers who put earplugs in, glue the volume on 11 and say "these headphones suck" !! No Beavis. You suck. Take the plugs out & turn the volume down... (they never do) Last time I bought cans was in GC for something else and they had a big pile of AKG on sale for $39 each. Grabbed 6 or 7 pairs. Boom. Done. Problem solved. My workaround? Since everyone has a home studio these days I always tell people if they have headphones they like? Bring 'em to the session. And they do! Especially singers but I've had whole bands walk in and not use a single pair of cans from my box.
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ericn
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Post by ericn on Aug 1, 2022 14:44:36 GMT -6
Has anyone ever done a study to see how much isolation “ closed back headphones really provide? I mean the plastic is to thin to provide any real isolation and not enough space to pack it with any real amount of dampening? Anyone ever check out the Dave Rat headphone quest he did about 10 years ago? Thorough doesn't even begin to describe it... (for those who don't know Mr Rat is a super hi fi big time live audio guy) There were blog posts & some utoob videos etc on the subject. Super in depth. Almost too much but here 'ya go! www.ratsound.com/cblog/archives/369-The-Mighty-Headphone-Quest-Part-7.htmlDave is the man, forgot all about his headphone journey, I do know that his idea of operation one channel of an amp with polarity reversed to gain a Little extra headroom has left many confused.
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Post by phdamage on Aug 1, 2022 18:59:28 GMT -6
yeah, i'm not even worried about the quality, but my rooms are not big and I record some stupidly loud bands, so that extra isolation offered makes a huge difference.
ideally isolation and being able to handle a good amount of level. maybe DIY isn't the worst plan? i'm not great with a soldering iron, but it seems like it might still be fairly easy.
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Post by gravesnumber9 on Aug 2, 2022 8:21:12 GMT -6
Clients! I can make do with whatever My workaround? Since everyone has a home studio these days I always tell people if they have headphones they like? Bring 'em to the session. And they do! Especially singers but I've had whole bands walk in and not use a single pair of cans from my box. This is a simple idea but a really great one. Excellent suggestion.
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Post by brenta on Aug 2, 2022 12:07:48 GMT -6
Yep, I bought a pair of EX25s a few years back and I will still go on record and say they’re one of the best audio-related purchases I’ve made. They don’t sound amazing, but they fit great and the isolation is worth every penny. Who carries them in the U.S.? Front end audio has a few different models of that brand for sale
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Post by drumsound on Aug 2, 2022 14:28:09 GMT -6
Has anyone ever done a study to see how much isolation “ closed back headphones really provide? I mean the plastic is to thin to provide any real isolation and not enough space to pack it with any real amount of dampening? I think the band has more to do with it than the actual ear cups. If the headphones are pretty snug, they reject more outside sounds. I actually have a bunch of Monoprice headphones that are good for that. They are kind of creaky, though.
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