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Forum URL: http://www.eyrie-productions.com/Forum/dcboard.cgi
Forum Name: Eyrie Miscellaneous
Topic ID: 278
#0, gear lust
Posted by Gryphon on May-17-14 at 11:47 PM
I have trouble finding headphones that I find really satisfactory. I've long preferred the style that fit over the ear to the kind that squash the ears against the skull, for instance, and the latter are evidently much more popular nowadays for some reason (perhaps because, I will grant, they do look a trifle less preposterous).

Also, I seem to have corrosive alien sweat or something, because when I do find a set I can live with, they last for maybe a year or two and then the pads disintegrate into a flaky, uncomfortable mess. That's what's currently happening to the headphones I have now, a set of own-brand active noise canceling on-the-ear jobs my mother picked up for me a few years ago at an airport Brookstone. I've used these regularly and they've served me reasonably well, but they evidently didn't serve Brookstone well, as they don't carry them or offer any spare parts for them any longer. (Besides which, the active noise canceling feature doesn't really work as well as the promotional materials would seem to suggest, and they're on-the-ears, so I can only stand to wear them for an hour or so at a time anyway.)

Between the various factors named above, I was poking around the interwebs the other day looking to see if there was anything on the market that could simultaneously scratch my over-the-ear itch and address my durability/availability-of-spare-parts concerns. I wasn't finding much - like I say, headphone fashion seems to be trending away from over-the-ear designs, and there's really no guarantee that any model will have spare parts available in five to ten years' time - but then it struck me, What about aviation headsets? Those never change, and they tend to remain in service for aaaaages. Aviation hardware is expensive, but it has an insanely long service life.

So I went poking around the website of one of my favorite corporations, The David Clark Company of none other than Worcester, Massachusetts - makers of NASA spacesuits, military and civilian anti-G and pressure suits (that suit Felix Baumgartner wore on Red Bull Stratos? That's one of theirs), and - most importantly for my purposes - about a million-billion pairs of those giant mint-green headphones you see airliner and helicopter pilots wearing on TV and in the movies. If anybody knows how to make a sturdy pair of headphones that cope well with noisy environments, I figured, it'd be those guys.

Not only was I right, but it appears that someone at DCC thought of it already, because in addition to all their dedicated aviation products, they actually sell a micless "stereo listen only" version of their classic Model 10 aviation headset.

They're not cheap - so not cheap that, when I mentioned I was thinking of buying a pair, even though I had said nothing about it costing her anything, my mother made a little choking sound of dismay - but I think that's officially going on my "when the boat comes in" list, along with a shock ring and boom arm for my Snowball mic.

Who would have thought? Worcester to the rescue after all this time.

--G.
-><-
Benjamin D. Hutchins, Co-Founder, Editor-in-Chief, & Forum Mod
Eyrie Productions, Unlimited http://www.eyrie-productions.com/
zgryphon at that email service Google has
Ceterum censeo Carthaginem esse delendam.


#1, RE: gear lust
Posted by VoidRandom on May-18-14 at 01:49 AM
In response to message #0
LAST EDITED ON May-18-14 AT 01:53 AM (EDT)
 
Yeah, those are pretty wonderful. HUGE amount of isolation from outside noise. Fabulous for games.

I have a similar gear lust, but for Plantronics MS50/T30-1 style headsets, as seen in Doug Engelbart's  "The Mother of all Demos" and half of the shots of Mission Control back in the day. Not stereo, but for working from home and teleconferencing they would make me very happy.

-VR.
MOAD
"They copied all they could follow, but they couldn't copy my mind,
And I left 'em sweating and stealing a year and a half behind."


#2, RE: gear lust
Posted by Gryphon on May-18-14 at 02:04 AM
In response to message #1
LAST EDITED ON May-18-14 AT 02:04 AM (EDT)
 
>I have a similar gear lust, but for Plantronics
>MS50/T30-1 style headsets

I used the 20-years-ago equivalent of the Vista amp/EncorePro headset combo as a modular handset replacement for Audix telephones at several tech support gigs in the '90s. Good times. Probably still got it kicking around in a box somewhere, along with the rest of the junk from my office at GTE (it was company-issue at Leading Edge, my first TS job, but I bought my own at my next job because they used an inferior product, then took it with me to the others).

--G.
-><-
Benjamin D. Hutchins, Co-Founder, Editor-in-Chief, & Forum Mod
Eyrie Productions, Unlimited http://www.eyrie-productions.com/
zgryphon at that email service Google has
Ceterum censeo Carthaginem esse delendam.


#3, RE: gear lust
Posted by Terminus Est on May-18-14 at 09:02 AM
In response to message #0
LAST EDITED ON May-18-14 AT 09:03 AM (EDT)
 
These may be a little more in line with your budget, if you can live with the color scheme. I own a cheaper set from them, and can attest that corrosive alien sweat will not in fact harm the pads, which appear to be made of leather.

Alternately, there's these, which are marginally cheaper, less eye-melting, and come with a mic.

Neither set is cheap, but they're more what I'd consider to be within the realm of possibility.

...Now I'll just be over here drooling over the set you linked. Don't mind me.


#4, RE: gear lust
Posted by ratinox on May-20-14 at 04:15 PM
In response to message #3
While I'll admit that Skullcandy has made improvements in sound quality with their last few models they're still... not there, yet.

In the under-$100 range for closed, over-ear headphones? Sony MDR-7506. It's a small revision of the venerable MDR-V6 studio headphones and can be had from Amazon for about 85 bucks. It won't win any fashion shows but it's a great-sounding headphone that's comfortable, well-built, offers good isolation, and is reasonably priced.


#5, RE: gear lust
Posted by Terminus Est on May-20-14 at 10:18 PM
In response to message #4
Fair enough. I haven't actually had anything higher-value than the set of Skullcandy 'phones I currently use, so I'll definitely keep this in mind.

#8, RE: gear lust
Posted by ratinox on May-23-14 at 09:52 AM
In response to message #5
LAST EDITED ON May-23-14 AT 01:18 PM (EDT)
 
There's quite a bit of decent kit in the budget price range. Number 2 on my list (for now; they flip) is a bit of a hack: Koss ProDJ100 headphones with Audio-Technica ATH-M50 ear pads.

But to address G's original complaint: yeah, headphone ear pads do tend to come apart with age and use. It's not just you, and it's not just the synthetic. Sheep skin ear pads come apart, too. They just take longer. Most non-disposable headphones have replaceable ear pads for this reason. All three of the headphones that I mentioned have replacements pads, both synthetic and velour, for about $25 a pair.

Edit: there's also a simple ear pad mod known as the "sock mod". So called because it entails wrapping the cut off tops of some socks around the pads.


#6, RE: gear lust
Posted by eriktown on May-21-14 at 03:47 AM
In response to message #0
My wife is buying a pair of actual aviation headphones soon; the cost pales in comparison to the cost of her actual flight lessons, but it's still Too Damn High. *shudder*

Does anyone have any recommendations for dual-use headsets suitable both for listening and gaming? I have a 9-year-old Sennheiser USB set (PC-150 I think?) that is on the verge of total collapse, and it's really time I replaced it.


#7, RE: gear lust
Posted by Sofaspud on May-21-14 at 12:18 PM
In response to message #6
>Does anyone have any recommendations for dual-use headsets suitable
>both for listening and gaming? I have a 9-year-old Sennheiser USB set
>(PC-150 I think?) that is on the verge of total collapse, and it's
>really time I replaced it.

I've been pleased as can be with my pair of these: Logitech G930

Stock price is still up in the ouch range (for my budget, at least), but they routinely appear on Amazon at a significant discount. A quick search right now shows a brand-new pair, Prime eligible, for $104.

The wireless part is not necessary for my usage patterns but is damned convenient when I want to get up and wander to the fridge for a drink. I use them primarily for gaming but I also use them for business calls (via Google Voice), Skyping with friends, and just listening to the tunes.

I too possess corrosive alien sweat and these have held up for just shy of two years for me now, and no sign of deterioration on the pads, with daily heavy use. Bit of a funky smell developed at one point (for obvious reasons), but a wet-wipe scrubbed over the surfaces then left tucked into the earpieces overnight took care of it.

Logitech, following their trend of giving the finger to customers in little ways while making pretty good stuff, doesn't sell replacement parts, but apparently Mad Catz does and I've found a couple other third-party vendors who sell replacement bits, really cheap.

(I haven't needed to actually buy any replacement parts yet, but I was looking just in case. The thing comes with a 3-year warranty, so I'm good for a bit yet.)

--sofaspud
--


#9, RE: gear lust
Posted by Wiregeek on May-24-14 at 11:26 AM
In response to message #7
I'm currently rocking a pair of Logitech G430, when I _have_ to use headphones. For the half-hour or so I can wear them before I get paranoid and twitchy, they work a treat, and are compatible with both USB and analog, since the USB DAC is a seperate component of them..

#10, RE: gear lust
Posted by ratinox on May-27-14 at 09:56 PM
In response to message #6
My first suggestion is to get a good set of headphones and a good desktop mic. You'll get better headphones and a better mic that way.

My second suggestion is to get headphones with a detachable cable and flush fit 1/8" stereo phone jack for same. Then get a V-MODA BoomPro mic.


#11, RE: gear lust
Posted by mdg1 on May-28-14 at 12:44 PM
In response to message #0
On a semi-related note, my company is moving offices in a couple of months, and we've been informed that our cubicles will be smaller, closer together, and have lower dividers.

Hence, I am in the market for some affordable noise-canceling/isolation headphones. Recommendations would be appreciated.


#13, RE: gear lust
Posted by ratinox on May-30-14 at 10:55 AM
In response to message #11
You don't want noise cancelling. Those are good for continuous low frequency noise like airplane engines and railroad rumbling. They're useless for dealing with the too-loud guy in the next cube.

So. Closed (sealed) is the way to go.

You'll get the most isolation from in-ear types. Shure SE215 is reasonably comfortable for a universal fit, it sounds good. Can be had for about $100.

If you don't like in-ears (I don't, FWIW) then KRK KNS-8400. It's a closed studio monitor and it is one of the most comfortable headphones I've ever worn. Can be had for around $150.

The Head-Fi winter gift guide is a good place to start to see what's available at various prices. Fair warning: you're going to see some absurdly insane prices listed there.
http://www.head-fi.org/a/2013-head-fi-winter-gift-guide-introduction


#14, RE: gear lust
Posted by mdg1 on May-30-14 at 02:53 PM
In response to message #13
I'm not a fan of in-ear myself, so I'll check out the 8400. Thanks.

#12, The Further Adventures of Gear Lust
Posted by Gryphon on May-29-14 at 06:02 PM
In response to message #0
No David Clark headphones here yet (but possibly soon), but I did just order a Røde PSA1 boom arm, a pop filter, and a Ringer for my Snowball. Spirits willing and the creek don't rise, they'll be here tomorrow.

As an experiment, I've recorded half of S5DS04 Familiar Spirits with the mic on its stock desktop tripod, and will record the other half with the arm, filter, and shock mount once they arrive. This will delay the audio version slightly, but will provide an immediate empirical test of whether that stuff was worth getting. (Well, I know the arm will be anyway, because with the tripod I have to either move my keyboard constantly or record with the mic a bit off to one side, which is kind of a hassle either way, and the arm will fix that. The other stuff is an experiment, though.)

--G.
-><-
Benjamin D. Hutchins, Co-Founder, Editor-in-Chief, & Forum Mod
Eyrie Productions, Unlimited http://www.eyrie-productions.com/
zgryphon at that email service Google has
Ceterum censeo Carthaginem esse delendam.


#15, RE: The Further Adventures of Gear Lust
Posted by Gryphon on May-30-14 at 06:11 PM
In response to message #12
>No David Clark headphones here yet (but possibly soon), but I did just
>order a Røde PSA1 boom arm, a
>pop filter, and a Ringer
>for my Snowball. Spirits willing and the creek don't rise, they'll be
>here tomorrow.

They're here!

Familiar Spirits is about 3/4 recorded, I'm breaking for dinner. Thunderstorms forecast for this evening and the radar looks a bit ominous, so I'm not sure I'll be finished tonight, but I'll give it my best shot.

--G.
-><-
Benjamin D. Hutchins, Co-Founder, Editor-in-Chief, & Forum Mod
Eyrie Productions, Unlimited http://www.eyrie-productions.com/
zgryphon at that email service Google has
Ceterum censeo Carthaginem esse delendam.


#16, RE: The Further Adventures of Gear Lust
Posted by Mercutio on May-31-14 at 00:44 AM
In response to message #15
Man, screw the boom mic; that keyboard is awesome. It looks like the kind of thing that should be attached to a mainframe calculating moon landings.

... I like my keyboards solid enough to use as a bludgeoning weapon, okay?

-Merc
Keep Rat


#17, RE: The Further Adventures of Gear Lust
Posted by Gryphon on May-31-14 at 01:09 AM
In response to message #16
>Man, screw the boom mic; that keyboard is awesome. It looks like the
>kind of thing that should be attached to a mainframe calculating moon
>landings.

It's a Unicomp Classic 104. They build keyboards based on the old IBM Model M "buckling spring switch" patents. It's very substantial and satisfying to type on; the only downside (apart from the expense) is that it's noisy as hell. You will occasionally hear it in the audio editions where I find a typo while recording and fix it without thinking to pause.

I don't mind the noise, but I can see where it would drive other people crazy, particularly in, e.g., an office setting. Fortunately, I don't have that problem.

--G.
-><-
Benjamin D. Hutchins, Co-Founder, Editor-in-Chief, & Forum Mod
Eyrie Productions, Unlimited http://www.eyrie-productions.com/
zgryphon at that email service Google has
Ceterum censeo Carthaginem esse delendam.


#18, RE: The Further Adventures of Gear Lust
Posted by Mercutio on May-31-14 at 01:31 AM
In response to message #17
How well does it clean?

That's never, ever included in product reviews, even ones written by consumers, about keyboards. I keep hardware for years and years, especially hardware I drop a substantial dime on; I'm still using a gaming mouse I bought in 2005 to play World of Warcraft with. A substantial requirement of any keyboard for me is how easy it is to get a years worth of hair and crumbs out of it.

-Merc
Keep Rat


#19, RE: The Further Adventures of Gear Lust
Posted by Gryphon on May-31-14 at 02:58 AM
In response to message #18
>How well does it clean?

It doesn't. It's a keyboard, that's not one of its functions.

Less flippantly, I've never gotten it dirty enough that I needed to find out how easy it is to clean. I would guess it would be fairly easy. It's an old-fashioned mechanical keyboard, so the gaps around the keys are pretty substantial. It looks as if they would respond well to inversion, shaking, and perhaps a liberal application of canned air.

I'm not judging your console habits, but if you routinely get keyboards so dirty that they require more involved cleaning than that, I submit that the fault, dear Brutus, is not in your stars but in yourself. :)

--G.
-><-
Benjamin D. Hutchins, Co-Founder, Editor-in-Chief, & Forum Mod
Eyrie Productions, Unlimited http://www.eyrie-productions.com/
zgryphon at that email service Google has
Ceterum censeo Carthaginem esse delendam.


#20, RE: The Further Adventures of Gear Lust
Posted by JFerio on Jun-01-14 at 09:59 AM
In response to message #19
>>How well does it clean?
>
>It doesn't. It's a keyboard, that's not one of its functions.
>
>Less flippantly, I've never gotten it dirty enough that I needed to
>find out how easy it is to clean. I would guess it would be fairly
>easy. It's an old-fashioned mechanical keyboard, so the gaps around
>the keys are pretty substantial. It looks as if they would respond
>well to inversion, shaking, and perhaps a liberal application of
>canned air.
>
>I'm not judging your console habits, but if you routinely get
>keyboards so dirty that they require more involved cleaning than that,
>I submit that the fault, dear Brutus, is not in your stars but in
>yourself. :)

The distinct irony is that this is why I actually dislike white keyboards as a rule. In my experience, no matter who uses them, they tend to start showing the buildup of environmental dirt around finger impacts pretty quickly. I find myself having to clean the ones at work every 4-6 months, if not more often, with a window cleaner infused rag. Plus, like your experience with headphone rubber disintegration, I find that the ones I've had at home tend to start yellowing on the most used keys.

Needless to say, all my home keyboards are black, black, and black.


#21, RE: gear lust
Posted by ratinox on Dec-12-14 at 07:47 PM
In response to message #0
Coming back to this thread because I recently had an epiphany -- or re-epiphany as the case may be.

I've been using closed/sealed headphones of various sorts pretty much exclusively for the past 20-odd years. I've run, well, not nearly the gamut (go look for ijokerl's comprehensive shootouts for that) but enough from relatively inexpensive but still good at around $50 to relatively expensive at $300. Swapped pads, modified pads, taped bass ports, and performed pretty much every easily reversible modification that I could find but never got anything better than good enough and more often not even that.

I recently got fed up with my latest try (SRH1540 pads on ATH-M50 headphones) and for the hell of it dug out my Koss KSC75 clips. I was amazed. I'd forgotten just how good open headphones can sound. That's from a $20 clip-on headphone. So, I spent an hour or so auditioning Grado headphones over at Q Audio. Yep. I walked out with a SR80e. And I remembered a video that I saw last month:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3fD-M1F6L4g
It's titled "Gaming Headsets Suck - Make Your Own For $50 or Less"

While the video is focused on gaming the information is good for headphones in general.