Headphones

[Jeff Root]

Something like five years ago I got a pair of around-the-ear
headphones at Radio Shack. Optimus Pro 40. The padding around
the ears and underneath the band that goes over the top of the
head appear to be foam covered with cloth which is in turn
covered with an extremely thin layer of soft plastic-- perhaps
vinyl. After a year or so the plastic started cracking and
flaking off, apparently as a reaction to the natural oils from
my skin. Using the headphones covered my ears with flakes of
black plastic. :p

Can I get good-quality, comfortable around-the-ear headphones
at moderate price which do not have that problem? What should
I look for? What material will hold up? Do I need headphones
with replaceable padding?

-- Jeff, in Minneapolis

[Donnie B.]

I had a pair of Sennheiser on-the-ear phones many years ago. Good sound, but they had foam ear pads. After several years, the pads essentially turned to dust. I bought replacement pads; after a while, same thing. Had problems with the cord, too. I gave up on the Sennheisers.

For around-the-ear phones, I am a huge fan of the AKG K240 phones. Outstanding sound quality, extremely comfortable, lightwight but sturdy. I used them professionally when I was working in the audio industry and have a pair of my own for home use.

I don't think they're made anymore, but you may be able to find never-used ones on eBay. That's how I got mine. They aren't cheap (I paid around 80 bucks, I think) but you won't regret making the investment.

[Frantic Freddie]

I'm very happy with my Sennheiser HD 212Pro (http://www.sennheiserusa.com/newsite/productdetail.asp?transid=005180),excellent sound,very comfortable & absolutely no issues with the padding.I prefer a closed headphone 'cause I play drums & want more isolation than I get from an open set.
The cable on these is replaceable so if I get it tangled in a drumstick & break it,no problem,just replace it.

Radio Shack ain't the place to go for good quality audio equipment.

[Maksutov]

[edit]Radio Shack ain't the place to go for good quality audio equipment.Fer sure.

My Koss 'phones are clear and comfortable.

[Tog_]

Actually, I got a stereo button microphone from Radio Shack that is amazingly sesitive. Too sensitive maybe. The oen time I tried to record a concert on my minidisc it was way too loud and came out really distorted.

For headohones, there was aguy I worked with for a while that was very picky about them. He wanted something light enough to wear with a portable player that still met his freakishly high quality standards. He ended up going with Sennheiser's that ran around 90 bucks. He did a lot of research on CNet for reviews as well.

I'd check Crutchfield.com and see what they have for stock. The nice thing about them is when your package arrives, it comes with a return shiping label. If you decide you don't want it, slap the label on the box, give them and call to tell them it's on it's way and give it to the UPS guy. You only pay the shipping to get it to you. I think you have 30 days to return stuff.

[torque of the town]

Sennheiser HD 212 Pro are a great set of Cans
highly recommended.


David.

[mugaliens]

Try Sony's ear buds. $50, but the sound is incredible, as it doesn't waste energy attacking the exterior of the ear canal with sonic energy.

[snarkophilus]

My headphones have leather ear pads. Very comfortable. I found them at a liquidation sale, so they were fairly cheap, too (around $50). I want to say they're Koss, but I haven't used them since the cord got damaged a year ago, so I don't know....

[Dr Nigel]

I have Sony MDR-301s. They were pretty comfortable and good sound but the foam pads have completely disintegrated (so for a couple of days, I had black dust all over my ears!). I tried to get replacement pads, but it looks like they don't make these any more.

[ktesibios]

According to the AKG Web site (http://www.akg-acoustics.com/site/products/powerslave,id,252,pid,252,nodeid,2,_language,EN.ht ml) a new version of the K240, the K240 Studio is current production and, according to the brochure you can download from that page, the "classic" K240M is still available.

The notable differences between the two versions are that the K240 Studio has a detachable cord using a mini-XLR connector to plug into the headphones, while the old-style K240M has a fixed cord, and the impedance of the K240 Studio is 55 ohms nominal, while the K240M has a 600 ohm impedance and needed a pretty high voltage swing for loud listening. That was always a problem in providing headphone cueing for musicians who weren't happy unless blood was running from their ears...

If the 240M and 240 Studio elements have the same power sensitivity (91 dB SPL for 1 mW in), a 1VRMS input would produce 93.22 dB SPL from the 240M and 103.6 dB SPL from the 240 Studio. If your source has limited output voltage, e.g. a computer sound card or the headphone outputs on most small mixers, the newer version would be better suited to the task.

I don't have any experience with the new version, but the 240M was my choice for home listening- nice smooth, neutral response. I have seen K240Ms with cracking and flaking earpads, but that was after they'd been through years of studio abuse. My home cans are still in good shape after more than five years.

Another set of headphones that have become very popular for studio applications are the Sony MDR-7506 (http://bssc.sel.sony.com/BroadcastandBusiness/DisplayModel?id=52568). These are medium-impedance (63 ohms nominal) units with a higher sensitivity than the AKGs- 1V RMS into a pair of 7506s will produce 118 dB SPL. IMO they sound a bit "hyped" in the bass compared to the AKG 240, but they can get loud even from a wimpy source. They have "pleather" ear pads similar to the AKGs and I have had to replace a few of these after they've been in service for a couple of years.

Ear pads for both of these headphones are easily replaceable, but not cheap.

[Donnie B.]

Thanks for the update!

My K240s have a fixed cable and dual-mode plug (standard phone and 1/4" phone), but as you point out, can't produce a very loud output from my laptop or mp3 player. Perhaps this is a good thing... ;)