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Ask HN: Best isolating headphones for hacking?

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Re: Ask HN: Best isolating headphones for hacking?

#61

Post by keithpeter »

wting wrote: post #19

I have a bunch of expensive headphones (Bose QC2, multiple inner ear), and the best solution I've found costs $28 and allows me to listen to music comfortably on a Mac at 0.5 tick! I use a pair of earphones[0] covered by industrial ear muffs[1]. For comfort reasons, it's important that the earphones are not pressured by the surrounding ear muffs. I haven't found any inner ear headphones that meet this constraint. Som…

Nice idea.

30dB isolation is about what is claimed from some DJ style headphones. I use a pair of old BeyerDynamics that claim 20dB isolation and that seems a good compromise between peripheral awareness and isolation for my particular setting.

Re: Ask HN: Best isolating headphones for hacking?

#62

Post by B-Con »

wting wrote: post #19

I have a bunch of expensive headphones (Bose QC2, multiple inner ear), and the best solution I've found costs $28 and allows me to listen to music comfortably on a Mac at 0.5 tick! I use a pair of earphones[0] covered by industrial ear muffs[1]. For comfort reasons, it's important that the earphones are not pressured by the surrounding ear muffs. I haven't found any inner ear headphones that meet this constraint. Som…

I have those exact earmuffs and have used them for the last 4 years. (I bought them because they had the best dB rating (31, IIRC) I could find within a reasonable price range.) They definitely do eliminate surrounding sound very well. I wear them when I want to isolate myself from my environment and focus on something.

I'll echo that that they aren't as comfortable as headphones. Headphones typically try to be light and have a soft fit around the head. These are a little heavy and definitely a slightly tighter fit, like you said. If comfort is extremely important, I'm not sure they'll be appreciated for extended periods of time. I rarely wear them for longer than 20 or 30 minutes.

Re: Ask HN: Best isolating headphones for hacking?

#63

Post by keithpeter »

wpietri wrote: post #44

I recently bought a high-end pair of industrial noise reduction earmuffs [1] and a jar of cheap foam earplugs [2]. For me, the combination has been great. I work in an open-plan office that I generally like, but some fiend put a chunk of common space in the middle, and people end up doing large meetings or small parties there, right next to my desk. The high-end earmuffs, which were only $30, are much more comfortabl…

I'll be looking at a pair of the ear protectors as we call them in the UK.

Can you not swap your desk with someone who is on manager schedule and nearer the edge of the room? I got myself moved away from the door and network printer in a large open plan office. I'm now over by the back wall. Much less travelled area.

Re: Ask HN: Best isolating headphones for hacking?

#64

Post by codevinsky »

Sennheiser HD-280 Pros. Run about $90 on Amazon ( http://www.amazon.com/Sennheiser-HD-280-Pro-Headphones/dp/B0... )

With music playing through them, you'll never hear the darkness creeping in.

Without music playing through them, the screams in your head will be louder than they've ever been before.

Highly recommended.

Re: Ask HN: Best isolating headphones for hacking?

#65

Post by cnvogel »

bound008 wrote: post #55

You have two real options here: In Ear: On in ear, you should spent the extra money for custom ear molds. This will allow for all day comfort: http://www.sensaphonics.com/ If the headphones you are considering are not on this list, then I would not consider them. I like shure, but you can also get etymotic research. Over Ear: Beyer Dynamic DT 770. Velour ear pads (for all day comfort and isolation) I have owned: Shur…

I second the recommendation for Beyerdynamic's DT-770. They are standard equipment in recording studios because of their superb sound, good isolation (they are what's called a closed design) and ruggedness. You can also get a lot of replacement parts, should they break (I doubt that they will in normal office use). I wear glasses and the "part of the glasses that goes to the ear" [what's that called?] fits below the earpads easily.

One word of caution though: They are available with three distinct impedances (32Ω, 80Ω, 250Ω), and for usage with notebooks or an iPad I recommend the 32Ω version which is suitable for devices that have limited voltage available.

I own the 250Ω version and for comfortable listening levels on my mobile phone (Samsung G S2) I have to crank up the volume all to the maximum. Of course that could also be considered a hearing-saving pressure level limit ;-).

Re: Ask HN: Best isolating headphones for hacking?

#67

Post by Anderkent »

B-Con wrote: post #62
wting wrote: post #19

I have a bunch of expensive headphones (Bose QC2, multiple inner ear), and the best solution I've found costs $28 and allows me to listen to music comfortably on a Mac at 0.5 tick! I use a pair of earphones[0] covered by industrial ear muffs[1]. For comfort reasons, it's important that the earphones are not pressured by the surrounding ear muffs. I haven't found any inner ear headphones that meet this constraint. Som…

I have those exact earmuffs and have used them for the last 4 years. (I bought them because they had the best dB rating (31, IIRC) I could find within a reasonable price range.) They definitely do eliminate surrounding sound very well. I wear them when I want to isolate myself from my environment and focus on something. I'll echo that that they aren't as comfortable as headphones. Headphones typically try to be light…

Yeah, I bought the same exact set of ear protectors and ended up not using them at all - either my ears are of a weird shape or my tolerance for something pressing at antihelix is lower than average.

So keep in mind when buying these that if you have large or 'stick out' ears the protector might be very uncomfortable. Perhaps going to an industrial safety and trying them on (with your earplugs on! that's important as any pressure on the earplug is bad) is your best bet.

Re: Ask HN: Best isolating headphones for hacking?

#68

Post by lwhalen »

jason_slack wrote: post #56
lwhalen wrote: post #48

I bought a pair of 1964 Ears quad-driver in-ear monitors for my band, and I ended up using them EVERYWHERE - when at work (open-plan office, ugh), when traveling (plane, motorcycle, etc), even when mowing the lawn. They're incredible, with the best sound quality I've personally ever experienced. All the other noise just... goes away, and I don't pick up anything that doesn't come through the IEMs.

so they are worth the $525 USD? I am looking for a solution that deadens everything so I can work and maybe sleep better at night too. Did you send them custom ear molds, etc?

IMHO, worth the money and then some. I occasionally sleep in mine, they are quite comfortable (I got the 'soft tip' additions because I do some singing too). They do require the custom ear molds, but I got those for $10 at a nearby audiologist.

Re: Ask HN: Best isolating headphones for hacking?

#69

Post by philsnow »

B-Con wrote: post #62
wting wrote: post #19

I have a bunch of expensive headphones (Bose QC2, multiple inner ear), and the best solution I've found costs $28 and allows me to listen to music comfortably on a Mac at 0.5 tick! I use a pair of earphones[0] covered by industrial ear muffs[1]. For comfort reasons, it's important that the earphones are not pressured by the surrounding ear muffs. I haven't found any inner ear headphones that meet this constraint. Som…

I have those exact earmuffs and have used them for the last 4 years. (I bought them because they had the best dB rating (31, IIRC) I could find within a reasonable price range.) They definitely do eliminate surrounding sound very well. I wear them when I want to isolate myself from my environment and focus on something. I'll echo that that they aren't as comfortable as headphones. Headphones typically try to be light…

I do the reverse setup: I use these earplugs [0] (or similar) and then put sennheiser hd280 (or whatever over-the-ear headphones $EMPLOYER gave me) over them. The former claim 20dB reduction, and I guess that the latter give another ~3dB.

I can take the earplugs onto airplanes a bit easier than earmuffs, but if I were to sit nearer to the coworker with the model M, I might switch to earbuds-under-earmuffs.

[0] http://amzn.com/B0015WNZ9K

Re: Ask HN: Best isolating headphones for hacking?

#70

Post by myh »

wting wrote: post #19

I have a bunch of expensive headphones (Bose QC2, multiple inner ear), and the best solution I've found costs $28 and allows me to listen to music comfortably on a Mac at 0.5 tick! I use a pair of earphones[0] covered by industrial ear muffs[1]. For comfort reasons, it's important that the earphones are not pressured by the surrounding ear muffs. I haven't found any inner ear headphones that meet this constraint. Som…

I do something similar when flying - a pair of Klipsch S4i's and a cheap pair of active noise-cancelling over-ear headphones on top (I personally use a pair of able planets I picked up on Groupon). It shuts out engine noises and I don't need to shell out a bunch of money and sacrifice portability if I only want to listen to music on the go.
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