sound leakage-proof headphones...good and cheap?

[Josh Bass]

i do some music and voiceover recording and an annoying problem is the sound that leaks out of the headphones when i have my head near the mic. can anyone recommend a pair that prevent or at least reduce the spill from getting picked up? is there anything out there that does this and is cheap? as in not $400?

[Vincent Oliver]

I use the Sennheiser HD25 and they are superb, very little, if any, sound leakage.

The most obvious solution to your problem would be to turn the volume down, You should balance your ambient voice sound with the one you hear through your sound system, in other words don't over amplify your voice.

[Josh Bass]

Gotta be able hear the other instruments and the beat too, though. I promise I don't have it that loud. Even at very low volume, Sony 7506s leak out quite a bit.

[Gary Nattrass]

The HD25 are great but I am not keen on them as they sit on top of your ear and can be un comfortable over long periods or if it is hot, I use sony 7506 headphones and the DJ-700's that both totally cover you ears so you get minimal spill.

[John Willett]

Originally Posted by Gary Nattrass

The HD25 are great but I am not keen on them as they sit on top of your ear and can be un comfortable over long periods or if it is hot,

I have never found this at all.

The HD 25 are very comfortable and can easily be worn all day.

I swapped the earpads for the optional velour ones (these now come as standards packed in the box with the HD 25-1 II) which make them more comfortable.

My own HD 25-1 are over 20 years old, still going strong and all I have had to do over the years is to get new earpads about 4 times as they wore out and I had to replace the headband pads after 20uyrears use.

In several sessions I had to wear them for a very long time and have never found them uncomfortable at all.

[David W. Jones]

Originally Posted by Josh Bass

Gotta be able hear the other instruments and the beat too, though. I promise I don't have it that loud. Even at very low volume, Sony 7506s leak out quite a bit.

A different pair of headphones won't help you learn to mix and monitor properly.

If you are hearing the headphone mix in your recordings, then yes your headphone send is too hot.

All the Best!

Dave

[Travis Cossel]

I would look into a pair of drummer's headphones. I have a pair of Vic Firth's and they are built to deaden sound from instruments like drums, so for you it would allow you to turn the volume in your headphones down while also keeping sound from leaving.

[Greg Miller]

I have wanted to try the Vic Firths, for monitoring in live recording situations. I may be forced to buy some since I'm thinking about live recording of trains this coming spring.

There is a Sennheiser audiometric headphone with shells that look a lot like aviation phones, and they seem to have very good isolation. I don't recall the model number, but when I checked the price they were around $500.00.

The old Koss Pro4AAs were probably the best in "non esoteric" phones because they used fluid-filled rubber pads; however they eventually had problems with the fluid leaking out, and stopped making those. A real loss IMHO, I would gladly buy a pair today, if they were available.

Meanwhile, for general purpose use, I have been quite happy with Sennheiser HD280s. They have a much more realistic frequency response than the Sonys, and IIRC better isolation, too.

[Rick Reineke]

Trew Audio sells a modified version of the ("industry standard"?) Sony 7506 (7506HN) for high-noise situations. If your used to that model of HPs.

[Gary Nattrass]

Maybe I just have big ears John as I like to have my headphones around my ears and not sitting on top of them, I was trying the HD25 cans with the glensound comm box when working at tottenham last week and everytime I adjusted the mic that was also on the cans for commentary they came off my ear.

Maybe just me as I know a lot of sound recordists that really like them.

[Jim Andrada]

I have the Senn 280's as well - like them better than the 7506's, but they were VERY tight at first - either they've stretched out a bit or they've compressed my head because it doesn't bother me anymore.

[Rob Neidig]

I am a long-time user of the 7506s, like many in the industry. I recently got the chance to test out the "isolation" version of those. Not for a whole job, but just for a minute on set. I was quite impressed with the isolation on those.

I'm also a drummer and own the Vic Firth isolation phones. They do isolate, but they sound like doo doo. So if all you need is isolation, great. Just don't expect to be inspired by the sound you hear through them.

Have fun!

Rob

[Seth Bloombaum]

I've used the Sony 7506 for decades, really, it's a standard. It does overstate mids, this is very handy for as it allows you to critically evaluate dialog. So, by design, it's not really an "entertainment" can!

More recently, I've been using the Senn HD280 for music recording, and it's outstanding for that. Not only does it have a more flat response, but, it is a true over-the-ear design, and provides about as much isolation as a standard set of cans can.

The iso cans that put 7506 drivers inside industrial hearing protectors provide even more iso, they have a response curve like any 7506. Years ago, there were such that had Senn music drivers in them, I've not seen them available recently.

PS. The HD280 costs the same as the 7506, about $100 USD street price.

[Greg Miller]

Originally Posted by Jim Andrada

either they've stretched out a bit or they've compressed my head

Head compression, undoubedly. A cross between mag tape saturation and MP3... the worst of both worlds. Needless to say, destructive compression. Your head will never be the same.

Also those 280s will play hell with your mohawk.

[Greg Miller]

Originally Posted by Rob Neidig

I'm also a drummer and own the Vic Firth isolation phones. They do isolate, but they sound like doo doo.

I've never had a chance to hear them, thus I've been reluctant to buy them. Thanks for the warning, I was afraid that might be the case.

OTOH, I don't like the sound of 7506s (I mostly work on music) so I guess the quest for perfect iso phones will continue...