If you were to drop big money on a set of headphones for both listening to music and practicing/learning bass lines from recordings, would you go with open vs closed headphones? Please explain the rationale for your decision.
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Headphones for practicing: Open vs Closed
- Thread starter glocke1
- Start date
I'm listening through a €130 pair of AKG-701s, and I see no reason to drop any bigger money than that. Granted, they're a little more expensive in the USA.
Open-backed headphones provide more precise sound reproduction and are also typically more comfortable to use for long periods, but they lack isolation from the external environment in both directions. It's also not possible (to my knowledge) to implement noise-cancelling with open-backed headphones, due to this lack of isolation.
So if you need to block out noisy surroundings, or need to avoid disturbing people around you, closed-back headphones are the way to go. It's for that reason that I'd personally go for closed-back ones for this purpose: I'm not able to mentally filter out my surroundings.
If your surroundings aren't a source of distractions for you, the extra detail provided by open-backed headphones will probably help. Whether that difference is game-changing/deal-breaking for you depends on your hearing and the kind of recordings you're trying to learn from.
FWIW, I've been happy with Bose QC25s that I got for noise-cancelling: I was travelling often at the time, and was working in a noisy environment that made concentration difficult. They still work nicely, but I'm getting into music production, and it was much faster, easier and cheaper to get these headphones than to treat a room that's best summed up as an acoustic disaster-zone.
Open-backed headphones provide more precise sound reproduction and are also typically more comfortable to use for long periods, but they lack isolation from the external environment in both directions. It's also not possible (to my knowledge) to implement noise-cancelling with open-backed headphones, due to this lack of isolation.
So if you need to block out noisy surroundings, or need to avoid disturbing people around you, closed-back headphones are the way to go. It's for that reason that I'd personally go for closed-back ones for this purpose: I'm not able to mentally filter out my surroundings.
If your surroundings aren't a source of distractions for you, the extra detail provided by open-backed headphones will probably help. Whether that difference is game-changing/deal-breaking for you depends on your hearing and the kind of recordings you're trying to learn from.
FWIW, I've been happy with Bose QC25s that I got for noise-cancelling: I was travelling often at the time, and was working in a noisy environment that made concentration difficult. They still work nicely, but I'm getting into music production, and it was much faster, easier and cheaper to get these headphones than to treat a room that's best summed up as an acoustic disaster-zone.
I find less hearing fatigue and less head discomfort when listening thru circumaural open-back headphones.
I also sweat significantly less with cloth covered padding vs vinyl covered padding.
I also have a quiet listening environment 99% of the time, so I vote open backed.
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I prefer the isolation of closed-back headphones. My choice: Byerdynamic DT 770 Pro.
Also true, and you should see the state of the pads on my Bose headphones after 5 years or so. The vinyl covering on the foam is largely destroyed, and there are always little flakes of it stuck on my skin every time I take them off.
At least the pads are replaceable; I really should track down some replacements
Good advice!
I used closed back Sennheisers for practicing and tracking, open back Sennheisers for mixing.
I'm using a set of Audio-Technica ATH-M50 for practice. Got them for $50 used on eBay including a new set of pads. For practice, I don't see the need to spend big bucks.
i use semi-open-back for everything just because i have multiple sets of them (AKG k240) and they're affordable reference phones. but for practice, IME/IMO, just about anything works...it's practice! 
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I'd like a set of those for my next ones. You got a great deal. Aren't they around $150 new these days?
Open for sure. I'd only get closed ones if I'd use it for tracking and when headphone bleeding would be a problem. For listening mixing mastering, I'd always go with open ones.
Agreeing with most of this. I’ve got a set of Sennheiser 280 (closed) and Grado 125 (open). The isolation of the closed is nice for focus, particularly in noisy environments, but it can feel a little artificial and fatiguing. The open Grado are easier to listen to for longer times. The open design feels more natural, like you’re playing in a room. However, if they get a little “off center” the accuracy of the low end is compromised. In that sense, they aren’t great for dialing in a sound or mixing unless you are mindful.
Overall, in my apartment I find myself doing more with the open.
The acoustics of headphones are...interesting. Closed back headphones, so long as the seal is decent, will give you flat, extended low end - the deal makes all of that relatively easy to do.
Open air headphones won’t match that performance, unless their resonance frequency is sub-audible and they have a lot of excursion capability...which , practically speaking, doesn’t happen.
Open air headphones won’t match that performance, unless their resonance frequency is sub-audible and they have a lot of excursion capability...which , practically speaking, doesn’t happen.
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I’ve designed a lot of pro audio gear in my career, including a lot of transducers. I’ve never heard anyone advance the theory you’re putting forth. If you like your open backs, that’s fine, but “more precise reproduction” I’d question.
Also true, and you should see the state of the pads on my Bose headphones after 5 years or so. The vinyl covering on the foam is largely destroyed, and there are always little flakes of it stuck on my skin every time I take them off.
At least the pads are replaceable; I really should track down some replacements
I replaced my ear pads, earcup speaker covers and the headband cover on my Bose QC35. They seem to be a little more durable than the OEM parts. I recommend also replacing the headband cover while you're at it. Fortunately, there are plenty of sellers online.
Depends.
If I need the isolation closed all the way. E.g. I'm practicing and my wife is watching TV in the same room.
If I need to be aware of my surroundings, open cell works fine. Maybe I'm waiting for a phone message of some sort, or a doorbell...
Definitely closed if I'm running sound and I need to solo individual channels.
So - you need both.
I bought the open-cell Grado's first, but I find myself using the closed Sony more often. Horses for courses...
If I need the isolation closed all the way. E.g. I'm practicing and my wife is watching TV in the same room.
If I need to be aware of my surroundings, open cell works fine. Maybe I'm waiting for a phone message of some sort, or a doorbell...
Definitely closed if I'm running sound and I need to solo individual channels.
So - you need both.
I bought the open-cell Grado's first, but I find myself using the closed Sony more often. Horses for courses...
Sascha Erni
Making things go whoomp, whoomp since 1994
I use the same set of headphones, and I fully subscribe to what equill said.
Personally, I find open-backed headphones easier to wear and listen to over longer stretches of time, compared to closed-back headphones, or in-ears without custom molds. But they don’t isolate much, so if you practice in a noisy environment, or the other way round really really don’t want to anybody else hear what you’re hearing, they might not be the best idea.
If you need maximum isolation and noise cancelling etc., my suggestion would be to get custom molds and a decent set of in-ears. The molds will upgrade pretty much any headphones you could get; even if they’re on the cheaper side. Apart from isolating perfectly, I find custom molds more comfortable to wear, too. My current molds are close to 10 years old and still fit perfectly, as well as being in perfect working order (some can get brittle after a while / without proper care). The custom mold was $ 300 or so, but over a ten years span, it’s like “eh”. I got it done by our local hearing-aid shop, of all places, and was well worth the money and the short wait (7 business days). They’re on my fourth set of in-ears by now and still going strong. Also, they nicely fit my hearing protection of choice (Alpine), so that’s also a plus.
I used/use these as well as my spares for practicing or tracking. They’re not as comfortable for long stretches as my Senns are but they are every bit as useful!
Just for practice? No need for closed backs. If you think you want them to double as tracking phones at some point, you're going to want closed. I have two pairs of headphones for this reason.
Same here.
I use closed back Audio Technica ATH-m50 and open backed Sennheiser HD 600. The AT's have a better low end response but the Sennheiser's are much more comfortable and are less fatiguing for extended periods of time. Although, over the past several months I've really been enjoying the Sennheiser's for most applications from recording to just listening to music and TV. They're some fantastic sounding headphones.
