Does anyone use noise cancelling headphones to practice? Like Bose QC15?
I have an old set of Realistic headphones from the 80s but I have to crank them to hear the music over the sound of the drums & cymbals. Not good for my ears!
Thanks in advance,
Jeff
I've heard good things about the vic firths. I use the cheapest Shure IEMs, the SE315s. They serve more purposes for me.
Here's a link to the Vic Firth headphones. See the reviews.
[ame]https://www.amazon.com/Vic-Firth-Stereo-Isolation-Headphones/dp/B0002F519I/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1523207353&sr=8-1&keywords=vic+firth+headphones#customerReviews[/ame]
I use disposable foam earplugs in addition to the Vic Firth phones. That combination seems to attenuate the drum sound, and I can crank the phones and/or speakers loud enough to match the drum volume. I've had hearing damage for a long time now because of exposure to loud music and other sources, and it works very well for me. Also makes the drums sound kind of "eq'ed". Takes getting used to, but I wish I had done it back in the day.
I also use the earplugs and regular sound earmuffs when I'm just playing with no music, so there's no cord that gets in the way. It's the combination of both types of hearing protection that makes it sound just right (for me, anyway).
Noise cancelling headphones are designed to match constant (or slowly changing) background noise. Music (particularly drums and cymbals) presents rapidly changing sound pressure levels with transients. Thus noise cancelling headphones aren't the best tool for the job. I use ATH-M50 headphones (Audio Technica) although that model has been replaced by one with an X on end (ATH-M50X). I don't know what changed other than adding an X. I used to use Sony MDR-7506 until they fell apart from years of use. I believe the Sony drivers are also used in some other brands which are sold as specifically for drummers.
If I'm not practicing to recorded music I use musicians earplugs (google musicians earplugs) which come with a specific decibel reduction rating and have a fairly flat response curve so they don't affect the timbre of drum and cymbal sounds like disposable foam ones do. I have tried the foam ones and found the sound was unrealistic and muffled and I felt too isolated from the other musicians. I haven't tried in ear monitors.
I too have been looking at headphones and have decided on these,
https://www.massdrop.com/buy/massdrop-sennheiser-hd6xx
Problem is, I wont get them until September. But after reading reviews and watching videos on the HD 6XX I think its worth the wait. They are the same as the HD650 which run up to 500.00. The HD 6XX are open back design which will allow me to hear my drums and the music at the same time, at least that is what Im hoping for.
In the meantime Im considering purchasing these to have for working in the shop.
they were recommended by a guy on the other drum forum. I think the blue-tooth feature would be nice for the shop.
