[[email protected]]

Spouse watches TV. I listen to music. She won't close caption. I use
Bose noise-reduction units on my laptop to listen to music, but I can
still here the TV, no matter how low it goes. I assume I need over
the
ear headphones. But what are the best that will close to 100 percent
drown out TV and other noise?

[Eeyore]

" wrote:

Spouse watches TV. I listen to music. She won't close caption. I use
Bose noise-reduction units on my laptop to listen to music, but I can
still here the TV, no matter how low it goes. I assume I need over
the ear headphones.

No, you need a larger house ! ;~)

But what are the best that will close to 100 percent
drown out TV and other noise?

See if you can find some Koss Pro4AA headphones. They're an old US design

that was resurrected by a (good large) company I know in China. They will

nearly crush your head if worn for hours on end but are probably the best

headphones ever to exclude extraneous sound.
http://reviews.cnet.com/headphones/k...7-1589445.html

Graham

[Rob Tweed]

On 2 Jun 2008 04:22:25 GMT, "
wrote:

Spouse watches TV. I listen to music. She won't close caption. I use
Bose noise-reduction units on my laptop to listen to music, but I can
still here the TV, no matter how low it goes. I assume I need over
the
ear headphones. But what are the best that will close to 100 percent
drown out TV and other noise?

The Sennheiser Divorce, or maybe the cheaper model, the Separation :-)

---

Rob Tweed
Company: M/Gateway Developments Ltd
Registered in England: No 3220901
Registered Office: 58 Francis Road,Ashford, Kent TN23 7UR

Web-site: http://www.mgateway.com

[Peter Wieck]

On Jun 2, 12:22*am, " wrote:
Spouse watches TV. I listen to music. She won't close caption. I use
Bose noise-reduction units on my laptop to listen to music, but I can
still here the TV, no matter how low it goes. I assume I need over
the
ear headphones. But what are the best that will close to 100 percent
drown out TV and other noise?

How much weight are you willing to endure? I have a pair of Koss Pro
4AAAs that pretty much eliminate anything short of explosions close
enough to smell the burnt powder. But they are pretty clunky by
weight. There are several other options along those lines.

Sadly, the only effective way to screen against stray sound is by mass
- movie theatres either use lead-lined drywall or multiple (minimum 5
x 5/8") layers of same, or solid concrete block - the same principle
applies to headphones.

Noice-cancelling headphones are most effective against steady sorts of
noises such as fans & HVAC noise, vehicle interiors and so forth. They
are entirely ineffective (no better or worse than standard headphones
of similar physical design) against deliberate sources such as
conversation, television, even other music sources - nor were they
designed for that purpose.

Peter Wieck
Melrose Park, PA

[René[_2_]]

On 2 Jun 2008 04:22:25 GMT, "
wrote:

Spouse watches TV. I listen to music. She won't close caption. I use
Bose noise-reduction units on my laptop to listen to music, but I can
still here the TV, no matter how low it goes. I assume I need over
the
ear headphones. But what are the best that will close to 100 percent
drown out TV and other noise?

Same here. I use Sony noise cancelling in-ears.

The in-ear system creates dampening as it is - enhanced by the
electronic stuff. Not everybody can live with the in ear "feeling",
but it works for me.

Sound quality is fair, not excellent.

While it does not drown out the unwanted sounds completely, it is good
enough to not interfere with the desired sound from the laptop / MP3
player / E-book application I have running.

I doubt (but did not try) that over ears would work better. I once
tried an aircraft comm headset+mike set (Very bulky and expensive) -
and that might have been better performing with passive dampening
only.

YMMV..

--
- René

[Serge Auckland[_2_]]

wrote in message ...
Spouse watches TV. I listen to music. She won't close caption. I use
Bose noise-reduction units on my laptop to listen to music, but I can
still here the TV, no matter how low it goes. I assume I need over
the
ear headphones. But what are the best that will close to 100 percent
drown out TV and other noise?

Nothing will completely block out outside noise. Try sticking your fingers
in your ears, and listen, you'll still hear the outside world. Even with
your ears blocked, sound will reach the inner ear through bone conduction
and through the nose and mouth cavity.

The most practical solution is one of the in-ear headphones, like the
Etymotic Research. Hi-Fi News this month has a review of 6 in-ear 'phones.
They reckon the Ultimate Ears sounds the best, and it seems may keep out
outside noise better as it was designed for on-stage use.

S.
--
http://audiopages.googlepages.com

[Ger]

On Jun 2, 12:22 am, " wrote:
Spouse watches TV. I listen to music. She won't close caption. I use
Bose noise-reduction units on my laptop to listen to music, but I can
still here the TV, no matter how low it goes. I assume I need over
the
ear headphones. But what are the best that will close to 100 percent
drown out TV and other noise?

I'd go for Beyerdynamic DT880, although to maximize what this
'closed' (and
fully-cover-the-ear) phones can do you'll need to use a (small as a
lighter, even) battery run headphone
amplifier. I like the ones at http://www.fixup.net/products/index.htm....
both phones + amp together are a
lot of dough, but I don't think you'll ever look back (and you'll
forget completely about the TV!)

[Kalman Rubinson[_3_]]

On 2 Jun 2008 22:17:15 GMT, Eeyore
wrote:

" wrote:

Spouse watches TV. I listen to music. She won't close caption. I use
Bose noise-reduction units on my laptop to listen to music, but I can
still here the TV, no matter how low it goes. I assume I need over
the ear headphones.

No, you need a larger house ! ;~)

Cheaper solution: Make her wear the headphones.

Kal

[[email protected]]

On Jun 3, 8:17*am, Eeyore
wrote:
" wrote:
Spouse watches TV. I listen to music. She won't close caption. I use
Bose noise-reduction units on my laptop to listen to music, but I can
still here the TV, no matter how low it goes. I assume I need over
the ear headphones.

No, you need a larger house ! * * * * ;~)

But what are the best that will close to 100 percent
drown out TV and other noise?

See if you can find some Koss Pro4AA headphones. They're an old US design

that was resurrected by a (good large) company I know in China. They will

nearly crush your head if worn for hours on end but are probably the best

headphones ever to exclude extraneous sound.http://reviews.cnet.com/headphones/k.../4505-7877_7-1...

Graham

Better than Beyerdynamic 880s?

[[email protected]]

On Jun 3, 8:17*am, Rob Tweed wrote:
On 2 Jun 2008 04:22:25 GMT, "
wrote:

Spouse watches TV. I listen to music. She won't close caption. I use
Bose noise-reduction units on my laptop to listen to music, but I can
still here the TV, no matter how low it goes. I assume I need over
the
ear headphones. But what are the best that will close to 100 percent
drown out TV and other noise?

The Sennheiser Divorce, or maybe the cheaper model, the Separation :-)

---

Rob Tweed
Company: M/Gateway Developments Ltd
Registered in England: No 3220901
Registered Office: 58 Francis Road,Ashford, Kent TN23 7UR

Web-site:http://www.mgateway.com

tres funny.

[[email protected]]

On Jun 3, 8:18*am, René wrote:
On 2 Jun 2008 04:22:25 GMT, "
wrote:

Spouse watches TV. I listen to music. She won't close caption. I use
Bose noise-reduction units on my laptop to listen to music, but I can
still here the TV, no matter how low it goes. I assume I need over
the
ear headphones. But what are the best that will close to 100 percent
drown out TV and other noise?

Same here. I use Sony noise cancelling in-ears.

The in-ear system creates dampening as it is - enhanced by the
electronic stuff. Not everybody can live with the in ear "feeling",
but it works for me.

Sound quality is fair, not excellent.

While it does not drown out the unwanted sounds completely, it is good
enough to not interfere with the desired sound from the laptop / MP3
player / E-book application I have running.

I doubt (but did not try) that over ears would work better. I once
tried an aircraft comm headset+mike set (Very bulky and expensive) -
and that might have been better performing with passive dampening
only.

YMMV..

--
*- René

What model Sony's? Better than the Beyerdynamic 880s, someone
recommended to me -- with an amp, no less.

[[email protected]]

On Jun 3, 8:21*am, Ger wrote:
On Jun 2, 12:22 am, " wrote:

Spouse watches TV. I listen to music. She won't close caption. I use
Bose noise-reduction units on my laptop to listen to music, but I can
still here the TV, no matter how low it goes. I assume I need over
the
ear headphones. But what are the best that will close to 100 percent
drown out TV and other noise?

I'd go for Beyerdynamic DT880, although to maximize what this
'closed' (and
fully-cover-the-ear) phones can do you'll need to use a (small as a
lighter, even) battery run headphone
amplifier. I like the ones athttp://www.fixup.net/products/index.htm....
both phones + amp together are a
lot of dough, but I don't think you'll ever look back (and you'll
forget completely about the TV!)

Will that work better than an in the ear Etymotic system? Which should
I try first?

[Sonnova]

On Sun, 1 Jun 2008 21:22:25 -0700, wrote
(in article ):

Spouse watches TV. I listen to music. She won't close caption. I use
Bose noise-reduction units on my laptop to listen to music, but I can
still here the TV, no matter how low it goes. I assume I need over
the
ear headphones. But what are the best that will close to 100 percent
drown out TV and other noise?

I have never seen a a pair of noise-canceling phones that were 100%
effective. Most seem to advertise about 10dB of ELECTRONIC noise canceling
which is impressive, but hardly 100% exclusionary. Also, electronic noise
canceling is not designed to work with the type of varying audio signal that
an unwanted television set produces. They work best with more-or-less
continuous, or constant noise sources such as air conditioners and the high
level of engine noise present in the cabin of a jet airliner. Of course, the
more MECHANICAL isolation that your headphones can provide along with the
active noise canceling, the more outside noise that will be attenuated, but
just because one of the Bose models (for instance) or others such as the
Audio-Technica or the Panasonic models may be of a circumaural design (ear
enclosing or as you put it above, "over-the-ear" ), that doesn't make them
mechanically isolating. Mechanically isolating headphones are not just
circumaural, they also have a head-hugging seal around the ear. These seals
consist, usually, of a plastic bladder filled with either a dense liquid or a
gel. A good mechanical isolationist headphone design is the venerable Koss
Pro-4A - which has been in production for almost 40 years and use an
oil-filled earpad which clamps rather firmly to the head. I bought a pair
recently for live recording just because of their isolating properties. The
Pro-4A's are available for about $55 from Amazon. Unfortunately, they are not
electronically noise canceling as well and I don't know of any of this type
that are. I would suggest that you try something like a pair of Koss Pro-4A's
to attenuate your wife's TV sound because mechanical isolation is best for
this type of noise reduction anyway. I recommend this solution reservedly
because with the vice-like grip of the headband they are not the most
comfortable phones available.
Or, you might convince your wife to wear headphones for her TV viewing while
you wear headphones to listen to your music. That way, neither of you will
require either noise canceling phones or high-isolation phones and can buy
what's comfortable and sounds good to you and neither will be disturbed by
the other.

[Sonnova]

On Mon, 2 Jun 2008 15:18:18 -0700, Peter Wieck wrote
(in article ):

On Jun 2, 12:22*am, " wrote:
Spouse watches TV. I listen to music. She won't close caption. I use
Bose noise-reduction units on my laptop to listen to music, but I can
still here the TV, no matter how low it goes. I assume I need over
the
ear headphones. But what are the best that will close to 100 percent
drown out TV and other noise?

How much weight are you willing to endure? I have a pair of Koss Pro
4AAAs that pretty much eliminate anything short of explosions close
enough to smell the burnt powder. But they are pretty clunky by
weight. There are several other options along those lines.

Yes, I recommended the Koss Pro-4A's with the same reservations.

Sadly, the only effective way to screen against stray sound is by mass
- movie theatres either use lead-lined drywall or multiple (minimum 5
x 5/8") layers of same, or solid concrete block - the same principle
applies to headphones.

Noice-cancelling headphones are most effective against steady sorts of
noises such as fans & HVAC noise, vehicle interiors and so forth. They
are entirely ineffective (no better or worse than standard headphones
of similar physical design) against deliberate sources such as
conversation, television, even other music sources - nor were they
designed for that purpose.

Yep!

Peter Wieck
Melrose Park, PA

[Dave]

wrote in message ...
Spouse watches TV. I listen to music. She won't close caption. I use
Bose noise-reduction units on my laptop to listen to music, but I can
still here the TV, no matter how low it goes. I assume I need over
the
ear headphones. But what are the best that will close to 100 percent
drown out TV and other noise?

Uh, sorry if this reply seems snarky, but why do you need to be in the same
room as a blaring TV to listen to music? If this is your "quality time"
with "the spouse" that's kinda' sad.

But, if the only reason is that your sound system is in the livingroom with
the TV, then you could just pick up a set of Bluetooth wireless headphones
and listen anywhere you want. My father-in-law is quite deaf from 50 years
in the construction trade and we just got him a pair, they work great.

As an alternative, you could broach the subject of his 'n hers headphones
with your wife. If you both wear them the problem is solved. Just about
all TV's manufactured in the last 25 years have audio out jacks on the back.

[Norman M. Schwartz]

TV, music and/or snoring, problems, problems....

[René[_2_]]

On 3 Jun 2008 22:45:47 GMT, "
wrote:

What model Sony's? Better than the Beyerdynamic 880s, someone
recommended to me -- with an amp, no less.

I believe it is MDRNC22W or some such. It was relatively cheap and
small, requiring only one AAA, and it still works as a normal earphone
when the battery is depleted.

It does not work absolute, but it lowers the S/N ratio enough to
enable me to watch a documentary on the laptop while the wife /
daughters watch the incidental soap.

It may not work if one wants to listen to the subtilities of
soundstage in classical music during a pianissimo interlude, but for
light entertainment it works adequately.

--
- René

[[email protected]]

On Jun 5, 9:26*am, René wrote:
On 3 Jun 2008 22:45:47 GMT, "
wrote:

What model Sony's? Better than the Beyerdynamic 880s, someone
recommended to me -- with an amp, no less.

I believe it is MDRNC22W or some such. It was relatively cheap and
small, requiring only one AAA, and it still works as a normal earphone
when the battery is depleted.

It does not work absolute, but it lowers the S/N ratio enough to
enable me to watch a documentary on the laptop while the wife /
daughters watch the incidental soap.

It may not work if one wants to listen to the subtilities of
soundstage in classical music during a pianissimo interlude, but for
light entertainment it works adequately.

--
*- René

Ok, let me get this straight: the cheapo Sony -- without an amp, no
less -- are better than the Koss Pro 4AAs or the Beyerdynamic 880s,
both with amps? Everyone agree with this? (Blocking out, as much as
possible, the incidental soap opera on TV, while I watch a documentary
or listen to the radio on the laptop, the the usage here.)

[Walt]

Sonnova wrote:

Yes, I recommended the Koss Pro-4A's with the same reservations.

I'd recommend them too - if you're going fishing and need a boat anchor.

Pro4AAs are heavy, uncomfortable, and sound like dog meat. The things
they have going for them are that they a

o damn near indestructable
o low impedance, so old mixing boards from the 70's can drive them to
audible levels in a noisy environment

Unless you're doing PA using an old Peavey, you have no reason to use them.

Seriously, there's no reason to even *think* about these cans for home
use with a stereo that happily drives 600 ohm headphones. I understand
why they had a following way back when, but that was then, this is now.

//Walt

[René[_2_]]

On 5 Jun 2008 04:01:28 GMT, "
wrote:



Ok, let me get this straight: the cheapo Sony -- without an amp, no
less -- are better than the Koss Pro 4AAs or the Beyerdynamic 880s,
both with amps? Everyone agree with this? (Blocking out, as much as
possible, the incidental soap opera on TV, while I watch a documentary
or listen to the radio on the laptop, the the usage here.)

I only tried the Sony, no other noise cancelling phones. Koss and/or
Beyer may be much better (or not?)
I merely can observe that it fills my noise cancelling needs as far as
light entertainment is concerned.

Price / performance works for me, but the sound quality is generally
"Ipod class" rather than top notch undiluted hi-end.

--
- René

[Peter Wieck]

On Jun 4, 11:02*pm, Walt wrote:
Sonnova wrote:
Yes, I recommended the Koss Pro-4A's with the same reservations.

I'd recommend them too - if you're going fishing and need a boat anchor.

Pro4AAs are heavy, uncomfortable, and sound like dog meat. The things
they have going for them are that they a

o damn near indestructable
o low impedance, so old mixing boards from the 70's can drive them to
* *audible levels in a noisy environment

Unless you're doing PA using an old Peavey, you have no reason to use them.

Seriously, there's no reason to even *think* about these cans for home
use with a stereo that happily drives 600 ohm headphones. *I understand
why they had a following way back when, but that was then, this is now.

a) The 4AAA is, for a fully enclosed headphone, considerably lighter
than the A, or AA. One of the refinements thereto is the removal of
the boom-lug for one thing - mass that does not contribute to
isolation. Similarly, the head support is made of lighter materials -
also non-contributory mass.
b) What would you suggest instead? The OP wants true isolation from
the TV when he listens. Along those lines you would use what??

As to the "cheapo Sony" vs. the Koss or Beyer options, that would
depend entirely on the OP's pain threshold - which I have taken for
"low". Those who regularly "multi-task" for lack of a better
descriptive would have been fine with the Bose isolation headphones -
already described a inadequate. The cheapo-Sony would perform along
those lines, but not give anything near isolation.

Again, sound is attenuated by mass, not cancellation waves in this
case. Deliberate sound is far to 'fast' for noise-reduction headphones
- nor were they designed for that.

Peter Wieck
Melrose Park, PA

[Sonnova]

On Wed, 4 Jun 2008 21:02:09 -0700, Walt wrote
(in article ):

Sonnova wrote:

Yes, I recommended the Koss Pro-4A's with the same reservations.

I'd recommend them too - if you're going fishing and need a boat anchor.

Pro4AAs are heavy, uncomfortable, and sound like dog meat. The things
they have going for them are that they a

o damn near indestructable
o low impedance, so old mixing boards from the 70's can drive them to
audible levels in a noisy environment

Unless you're doing PA using an old Peavey, you have no reason to use them.

Seriously, there's no reason to even *think* about these cans for home
use with a stereo that happily drives 600 ohm headphones. I understand
why they had a following way back when, but that was then, this is now.

//Walt

They are very isolationatory, which is what we were discussing. The heaviness
and the discomfort go with the territory of being mechanically capable of
shutting-out outside noise.

[Sonnova]

On Thu, 5 Jun 2008 20:49:56 -0700, René wrote
(in article ):

On 5 Jun 2008 04:01:28 GMT, "
wrote:



Ok, let me get this straight: the cheapo Sony -- without an amp, no
less -- are better than the Koss Pro 4AAs or the Beyerdynamic 880s,
both with amps? Everyone agree with this? (Blocking out, as much as
possible, the incidental soap opera on TV, while I watch a documentary
or listen to the radio on the laptop, the the usage here.)

I only tried the Sony, no other noise cancelling phones. Koss and/or
Beyer may be much better (or not?)
I merely can observe that it fills my noise cancelling needs as far as
light entertainment is concerned.

Price / performance works for me, but the sound quality is generally
"Ipod class" rather than top notch undiluted hi-end.



Lets face it, the only current 'phones with any REAL Hi-end performance are
made by Stax.

[Vinyl Rules![_2_]]

On Jun 2, 12:22 am, " wrote:
Spouse watches TV. I listen to music. She won't close caption. I use
Bose noise-reduction units on my laptop to listen to music, but I can
still here the TV, no matter how low it goes. I assume I need over
the
ear headphones. But what are the best that will close to 100 percent
drown out TV and other noise?

Here's a great professional headphone no one has yet mentioned: The
Sennheiser HD280 Pro

Check 'em out at: http://www.sennheiserusa.com/newsite...transid=004974

Note the spec that states 'Up to 32 dB of ambient noise reduction."

I have a set of the aforementioned Koss and IMO, the Sennheiser's
sound better, they are lighter, and waaaay more comfortable than the
Koss. As always, YMMV, of course.

And as another poster suggested, get HER to wear them

[Sonnova]

On Fri, 13 Jun 2008 16:48:05 -0700, Vinyl Rules! wrote
(in article ):

On Jun 2, 12:22 am, " wrote:
Spouse watches TV. I listen to music. She won't close caption. I use
Bose noise-reduction units on my laptop to listen to music, but I can
still here the TV, no matter how low it goes. I assume I need over
the
ear headphones. But what are the best that will close to 100 percent
drown out TV and other noise?

Here's a great professional headphone no one has yet mentioned: The
Sennheiser HD280 Pro

Check 'em out at:
http://www.sennheiserusa.com/newsite...transid=004974

Note the spec that states 'Up to 32 dB of ambient noise reduction."

I have a set of the aforementioned Koss and IMO, the Sennheiser's
sound better, they are lighter, and waaaay more comfortable than the
Koss. As always, YMMV, of course.

And as another poster suggested, get HER to wear them

If both wear them neither will need the headphones to be of the isolation
type.

[[email protected]]

On Jun 16, 3:19*am, Sonnova wrote:
On Fri, 13 Jun 2008 16:48:05 -0700, Vinyl Rules! wrote
(in article ):



On Jun 2, 12:22 am, " wrote:
Spouse watches TV. I listen to music. She won't close caption. I use
Bose noise-reduction units on my laptop to listen to music, but I can
still here the TV, no matter how low it goes. I assume I need over
the
ear headphones. But what are the best that will close to 100 percent
drown out TV and other noise?

Here's a great professional headphone no one has yet mentioned: The
Sennheiser HD280 Pro

Check 'em out at:
http://www.sennheiserusa.com/newsite...transid=004974

Note the spec that states 'Up to 32 dB of ambient noise reduction."

I have a set of the aforementioned Koss and IMO, the Sennheiser's
sound better, they are lighter, and waaaay more comfortable than the
Koss. As always, YMMV, of course.

And as another poster suggested, get HER to wear them

If both wear them neither will need the headphones to be of the isolation
type.

Got the Beyerdynamic 880s -- love-em. Shame, though, nothing like this
also comes with the Bose-style noise reduction built in, too.

[Ger]

On Jun 17, 7:45 pm, " wrote:
On Jun 16, 3:19 am, Sonnova wrote:



On Fri, 13 Jun 2008 16:48:05 -0700, Vinyl Rules! wrote
(in article ):

On Jun 2, 12:22 am, " wrote:
Spouse watches TV. I listen to music. She won't close caption. I use
Bose noise-reduction units on my laptop to listen to music, but I can
still here the TV, no matter how low it goes. I assume I need over
the
ear headphones. But what are the best that will close to 100 percent
drown out TV and other noise?

Here's a great professional headphone no one has yet mentioned: The
Sennheiser HD280 Pro

Check 'em out at:
http://www.sennheiserusa.com/newsite...transid=004974

Note the spec that states 'Up to 32 dB of ambient noise reduction."

I have a set of the aforementioned Koss and IMO, the Sennheiser's
sound better, they are lighter, and waaaay more comfortable than the
Koss. As always, YMMV, of course.

And as another poster suggested, get HER to wear them

If both wear them neither will need the headphones to be of the isolation
type.

Got the Beyerdynamic 880s -- love-em. Shame, though, nothing like this
also comes with the Bose-style noise reduction built in, too.

Glad to hear you like them so much. I really don't think you'll ever
look back as far as the issue concerns the 880's vs. the Koss. On the
matter of powering them just through the laptop.... The use of a
decent headphone amp instead of powering straight from the laptop is
not just an issue of volume. In my listening at least, the use of an
amp gives a substantially greater sense of fullness and dimension even
at lower volumes than the laptop's amplification output can manage.
I'm no techie, so I can't explain why, except that having 'headroom'
in the reproduction is different than just being able to reach higher
volumes without distortion. The best of course would be if you were
able to borrow same to listen for yourself for a few days, to see for
yourself. In my own experience it's pretty much the same as having a
better amp in ones home hifi. Even if never running the volume knob
past, say, 10 o'clock. It will sound better as a rule than the amp
that has to run at say 3 o'clock to get the same subjective sense of
volume. As for the noise cancellation issue, again I'm no techie, but
my own listening strongly suggests that the nose cancellation designs
muck with the signal to achieve their goal, with the result being that
clarity (read: mimic of live sound experience) suffers. Note: Do NOT
let her wear them with the TV source ; she'll prefer them to non-
headphone in this case; and you'll be back to the tinny sound of the
TV, which you didn't want to watch/listen in the first place... or
else you'll be stuck with buying a another set. You'll still be a TV-
plus-music couple, but now you'll be laying there as a double set of
phones. You'll both be very happy with your respective sources, but
with all those wires you'll now have a completely different set of
complications when the ecstasy of the good sound leads you two to get
intimate and you both get tangled up in all those wires!

[[email protected]]

On Jun 19, 8:30*am, Ger wrote:
On Jun 17, 7:45 pm, " wrote:



On Jun 16, 3:19 am, Sonnova wrote:

On Fri, 13 Jun 2008 16:48:05 -0700, Vinyl Rules! wrote
(in article ):

On Jun 2, 12:22 am, " wrote:
Spouse watches TV. I listen to music. She won't close caption. I use
Bose noise-reduction units on my laptop to listen to music, but I can
still here the TV, no matter how low it goes. I assume I need over
the
ear headphones. But what are the best that will close to 100 percent
drown out TV and other noise?

Here's a great professional headphone no one has yet mentioned: The
Sennheiser HD280 Pro

Check 'em out at:
http://www.sennheiserusa.com/newsite...transid=004974

Note the spec that states 'Up to 32 dB of ambient noise reduction."

I have a set of the aforementioned Koss and IMO, the Sennheiser's
sound better, they are lighter, and waaaay more comfortable than the
Koss. As always, YMMV, of course.

And as another poster suggested, get HER to wear them

If both wear them neither will need the headphones to be of the isolation
type.

Got the Beyerdynamic 880s -- love-em. Shame, though, nothing like this
also comes with the Bose-style noise reduction built in, too.

Glad to hear you like them so much. I really don't think you'll ever
look back as far as the issue concerns the 880's vs. the Koss. On the
matter of powering them just through the laptop.... The use of a
decent headphone amp instead of powering straight from the laptop is
not just an issue of volume. In my listening at least, the use of an
amp gives a substantially greater sense of fullness and dimension even
at lower volumes than the laptop's amplification output can manage.
I'm no techie, so I can't explain why, except that having 'headroom'
in the reproduction is different than just being able to reach higher
volumes without distortion. The best of course would be if you were
able to borrow same to listen for yourself for a few days, to see for
yourself. In my own experience it's pretty much the same as having a
better amp in ones home hifi. Even if never running the volume knob
past, say, 10 o'clock. It will sound better as a rule than the amp
that has to run at say 3 o'clock to get the same subjective sense of
volume. As for the noise cancellation issue, again I'm no techie, but
my own listening strongly suggests that the nose cancellation designs
muck with the signal to achieve their goal, with the result being that
clarity (read: mimic of live sound experience) suffers. Note: Do NOT
let her wear them with the TV source ; she'll prefer them to non-
headphone in this case; and you'll be back to the tinny sound of the
TV, which you didn't want to watch/listen in the first place... or
else you'll be stuck with buying a another set. You'll still be a TV-
plus-music couple, but now you'll be laying there as a double set of
phones. You'll both be very happy with your respective sources, but
with all those wires you'll now have a completely different set of
complications when the ecstasy of the good sound leads you two to get
intimate and you both get tangled up in all those wires!

Thanks for the advice. I'm going to price some amps. The 'phones cost
like $280. Should I spend the same amount on an amp? Second question,
when the volume is up on the laptop, my wife has noticed, not
complained mind you, lol, that she can hear the music a little. Are
there head phones at least as nice as the 880s that block the sound
that others might hear emanating from the headphones?

[Ger]

On Jun 20, 5:48*pm, " wrote:
On Jun 19, 8:30*am, Ger wrote:



On Jun 17, 7:45 pm, " wrote:

On Jun 16, 3:19 am, Sonnova wrote:

On Fri, 13 Jun 2008 16:48:05 -0700, Vinyl Rules! wrote
(in article ):

On Jun 2, 12:22 am, " wrote:
Spouse watches TV. I listen to music. She won't close caption. I use
Bose noise-reduction units on my laptop to listen to music, but I can
still here the TV, no matter how low it goes. I assume I need over
the
ear headphones. But what are the best that will close to 100 percent
drown out TV and other noise?

Here's a great professional headphone no one has yet mentioned: The
Sennheiser HD280 Pro

Check 'em out at:
http://www.sennheiserusa.com/newsite...transid=004974

Note the spec that states 'Up to 32 dB of ambient noise reduction."

I have a set of the aforementioned Koss and IMO, the Sennheiser's
sound better, they are lighter, and waaaay more comfortable than the
Koss. As always, YMMV, of course.

And as another poster suggested, get HER to wear them

If both wear them neither will need the headphones to be of the isolation
type.

Got the Beyerdynamic 880s -- love-em. Shame, though, nothing like this
also comes with the Bose-style noise reduction built in, too.

Glad to hear you like them so much. I really don't think you'll ever
look back as far as the issue concerns the 880's vs. the Koss. On the
matter of powering them just through the laptop.... The use of a
decent headphone amp instead of powering straight from the laptop is
not just an issue of volume. In my listening at least, the use of an
amp gives a substantially greater sense of fullness and dimension even
at lower volumes than the laptop's amplification output can manage.
I'm no techie, so I can't explain why, except that having 'headroom'
in the reproduction is different than just being able to reach higher
volumes without distortion. The best of course would be if you were
able to borrow same to listen for yourself for a few days, to see for
yourself. In my own experience it's pretty much the same as having a
better amp in ones home hifi. Even if never running the volume knob
past, say, 10 o'clock. It will sound better as a rule than the amp
that has to run at say 3 o'clock to get the same subjective sense of
volume. As for the noise cancellation issue, again I'm no techie, but
my own listening strongly suggests that the nose cancellation designs
muck with the signal to achieve their goal, with the result being that
clarity (read: mimic of live sound experience) suffers. Note: Do NOT
let her wear them with the TV source ; she'll prefer them to non-
headphone in this case; and you'll be back to the tinny sound of the
TV, which you didn't want to watch/listen in the first place... or
else you'll be stuck with buying a another set. You'll still be a TV-
plus-music couple, but now you'll be laying there as a double set of
phones. You'll both be very happy with your respective sources, but
with all those wires you'll now have a completely different set of
complications when the ecstasy of the good sound leads you two to get
intimate and you both get tangled up in all those wires!

Thanks for the advice. I'm going to price some amps. The 'phones cost
like $280. Should I spend the same amount on an amp? Second question,
when the volume is up on the laptop, my wife has noticed, not
complained mind you, lol, that she can hear the music a little. Are
there head phones at least as nice as the 880s that block the sound
that others might hear emanating from the headphones?

I don't know the answer as far as external sound blocking is
concerned. When I shopped for mine, the only criterion was sound
quality. As it turned out, there is general consensus that, all other
things being equal, the 'closed' designs will give better all-round
music, and incidentally also block out sound better. As for price of
headphone amp, I would go by powerful+small size+battery power... I've
unexpectedly traveled some distances, only to be pleased that a large
size did not preclude good music on the trip. I would also spend the
most that's affordable (no point adding a really cheap link in an
otherwise good chain), my pref once again would be Dr. Xin, depending
on what you can find out re delivery time....