QuestionQUESTION: i'm trying to find noise cancelling/flat frequency response headphones so when i monitor amp levels they come out transparent as if i wasn't using headphones. noise cancelling so when i go to studios/instrument vendors (like sam ash) i can listen to it without hearing the outside noise of those musicians showing off how fast and loud they can play.
i heard about circumaural closed-back headphones being very good for this. is there anything even better and what are some models i should get that have both characteristics?
ANSWER: Personally, I run screaming from "noise cancelling" headphones. They've never sounded good to me.
I'd suggest that you look for some isolation headphones that drummers use in the studio(Vic Firth sells some).
http://www.vicfirth.com/products/images/SIH1LG.jpg
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QUESTION: what's the difference between noice cancelling and iso headphones? also are those vic firths flat frequency response?
AnswerCopied from wikipedia:
"Noise-cancelling headphones reduce unwanted ambient sounds (i.e., acoustic noise) by means of active noise control (ANC). Essentially, this involves using a microphone, placed near the ear, and electronic circuitry which generates an "antinoise" sound wave with the opposite polarity of the sound wave arriving at the microphone. This results in destructive interference, which cancels out the noise within the enclosed volume of the headphone.
Keeping noise low at the ear makes it possible to enjoy music without raising the volume unnecessarily. It can also help a passenger sleep in a noisy vehicle such as an airliner.
Retail noise cancelling headphones typically only use ANC to cancel the lower-frequency portions of the noise; they depend upon traditional noise suppression techniques (such as their earcups) to prevent higher-frequency noise from reaching the interior of the headphone. This approach has three benefits:
The demands on the electronic circuitry are vastly simplified.
Because of the shorter wavelength of the high-frequency sound, active cancellation is much less effective at higher frequencies. To truly cancel high frequency components (coming at the ear from all directions), the sensor and emitter for the cancelling waveform would have to be adjacent to the user's eardrum, an impractical situation.
For the same reason (shorter wavelength), effective passive isolation becomes easier with rising frequency."
Isolation headphones only reduce ambient noise by use of physical insulation. Basically think of what people wear in a high noise environment (flight lines, construction sites, etc...), and put some speakers in the earpieces. You could probably get frequency response info from the manufacturer.
