Let me know what you think when you’ve bought your pair, k?
You’ll be waiting for a while. $450 is a lot for a headphone and HeadRoom selling it as the full $450 MSRP.
Can’t you talk your radio station in to buying them for remote or on location broadcasting situations? Then you can tell me how they sound. 
John, would you recommend these at all, they do fit in my price range, and I assume that the noise canceling circuitry also doubles as an amp? I also like the around ear design rather than on ear, like the Grado SR 325i.
Or would I just be wasting my money on noise cancellation… 
I just got a pair of Sennheiser 280s, and they rock.
http://www.sweetwater.com/store/detail/HD280Pro
They are super comfy, cup the ears nicely, and block out a lot of noise
just with the snug fit. Oh yeah, and they sound incredible! Plus, they
fold up, which is great for taking on roadtrips and airplanes.
I’ve never tried noise-canceling headphones, although I’m sure they
are probably sweet. But for $100, these headphones are awesome.
-Jess
How is the bass in them? Listen to any dubstep?
I love dub, but I don’t have any dubstep… i don’t think. What’s the difference, by the way? Can you send me a good song, and I’ll sample it for you with the headphones? This is an assignment I’d be totally up for :).
Email to: jessriegel at gmail
-Jess
Are they that good? Wouldn’t it be easier to get a pair of good ear canal headphones?
I’m getting into audiophile systems myself, but haven’t decided which one to buy yet. My choices are:
http://www.headphone.com/products/packaged-systems/back-to-school-sealed.php
http://www.headphone.com/products/packaged-systems/back-to-school-open.php
http://www.headphone.com/products/packaged-systems/shure-se210-with-headroom-total-bithead-and-gigabag.php
http://www.headphone.com/products/packaged-systems/shure-se310-with-headroom-total-bithead-and-gigabag.php
I’m a bit unsure which one to get. I want something for listening to on my computer. The ear canal ones probably have the best quality, but I’m not sure if I want something in my ears like that. But then again, I use ear-plugs all the time, so why not?
If I get the ear canals, can I buy replacement eartips later on?
Sorry for threadjacking.
The noise cancellation circuitry doesn’t function as an amp, at least in the noise canceling headphones I’ve tried. That would be a good question to ask HeadRoom. Maybe Sennheiser does it different. It would be possible to put an amp in there along with the noise canceling circuitry, but good amps use more power than two AAA batteries (as used in the Sennheiser 450) can deliver.
Noise cancellation is a mixed blessing. It’s nice in noisy environments like planes, trains, and buses. But in a quiet environment they’re not as good as regular headphones even if you turn off the noise cancellation feature. The ones I’ve tried also cause a strange sensation in the ears due to the noise canceling going on. It feels like you’ve stepped into a room with a pressure difference.
I have a pair of Sony noise cancellation headphones. I got them when I was working in an office with more than half a dozen computers running close to me. I would use them to cancel out all the fan noise. Sometimes playing no music at all and other times playing muzak type music or nature sounds (music and sounds that wouldn’t distract me as I was working). I didn’t use them for serious listening. I’ve used them on airplane trips. They work well enough.
I wouldn’t spend that much money on a noise canceling headphone. I don’t think it’s worth it to spend that much on a headphone for a noisy environment since the listening experience there isn’t going to be pristine no matter what you do. My philosophy there is to just get something that is passable and tolerable in sound quality that has enough acoustic isolation. Save the money for the good phones that you’ll use at home and for critical listening.
You can get replacement eartips for Sure, Ultimate Ears, and other better quality in ear earphones. HeadRoom has the extra tips for the brands they sell. In other cases you can fit eartips from brand A on earphone brand B. You’ll just have to find out what will be compatible.
Whether it is better to get ear canal earphones depends on if you like the sound of ear canal earphones. I don’t happen to like the sound from ear canal earphones. They’re picky about placement in the ear, the cord transmits microphonics, the sound doesn’t fill the head and the ear like regular headphones do. The ones I’ve tried also didn’t sound neutral (there were resonances or other things that made it sound like it was going through an equalizer). But I also have not listened to the expensive ones.
I believe in having multiple headphones for different purposes. Use some sort of in ear earphone for portable use. Spend as much as you are comfortable with but don’t spend a lot. I don’t do critical listening when out and about listening to a portable. Then splurge on what you’ll use at home and for transportable use (for example what you’d be willing to pack with you and listen to in a hotel room). And get more than one headphone for home use. Headphones sound different so get ones that complement each other. So you can get one headphone that is good for rock music and bass heavy music. Then get another headphone that is good for more layered and acoustic types of music.
A good example there would be to get a good pair of Grados (as much as you’re willing to spend) for rock music and something like the Sennheiser 555/595 or 580/600/650 for the non heavy rock. Or maybe the AKG 701 or some other high end headphone like Audio Technica (but HeadRoom doesn’t carry Audio Technica). And don’t forget about getting an amp for home use (you can use a portable or battery powered amp for home use).
Good point, the only time I would pay attention to sound quality would be in a noiseless environment.
I also dislike the sound of ear canal headphones, though I cannot say that I’m a fan of on ear headphones either.
What about other genres of music? Classical, hip hop, flamenco, etc.
Headphones are not speakers. The sound experience is different for headphones. You have to accept headphones for what they are and speakers for what they are. The sound experience and the illusion of space is going to be different for each.
It’s not a strict either or. Grados do fine with classical. Sennheiser 580/600/650 do fine with rock (if the headphones are properly amped). The Grados will have more impact but the Sennheisers have their good points that make them enjoyable to listen to for rock as well. The Grados and the Sennheisers just have a different way of presenting the sound. It’s fun to have alternatives like that to sometimes listen to the Grados and other times listen to the Sennheisers.
Same goes for other brands of headphones. Each brand (or series within a brand) have their sound signature. You can have fun by finding different headphones that have different sound signatures or other attributes that compliment each other or fill in where the other is weaker.
Same goes for speakers. You may find one pair of speakers that has fantastic impact and fantastic accuracy, but doesn’t have great imaging. Then you can find another pair of speakers that have great imaging but lack the impact for rock music. The problem with speakers is that great speakers are quite expensive and you might need separate sets of amps to go along with having multiple sets of speakers. It is quite practical to have multiple sets of headphones that are audiophile quality while not breaking the bank.