Headphones - Corded vs Wireless?

[bob2k3161190]

Hi everyone,

I'm no pianist, but my girlfriend is. I'm looking to buy her some decent, mid-range (£40-£80) headphones that she can use to practice with her digital piano.

Now in my un-educated mind, a cord dangling around whilst playing would be really annoying; is this the case?

Wireless headphones tend to be more expensive so is it worth the extra money? Or, if the cord isn't an issue, am I better offer spending the extra money on better quality headphones.

Any help or advice regarding this issue, and good headphones for piano users in general, would be very much appreciated.

Thank you!

[quantum]

Hi and welcome to Pianostreet,

IMO when considering headphones for the purpose of piano playing, sound and ergonomics (for hours of comfortable use) are of prime importance.  The cord can be managed quite easily by placing it around one's back.  

Open back or closed back.  Open back headphones are preferred for better realism in sound reproduction, however as the name suggests sounds do leak out of the cups.  If there are no issues about disturbing others that are around, then look at these first.  Closed headphones do a better job of keeping the sound inside the headphone inside, and outside sounds from entering.  You may want to consider these if practicing is being done in a noisy environment.  

Material of ear pads.  This is important to consider for something that you will be wearing for long periods.  Some materials can get hot or crack over time.  This is very dependent on the person.  Try them out first in a store if possible.  Some models feature user replaceable ear pads.  It would be a shame to throw out a good set of headphones just because the ear pads have worn out.  

Cords.  Some models feature replaceable cords.  Cords can get into accidents, and it is good to know that you can buy a replacement cord that easily plugs in.  If you are good at soldering this is probably less of a concern.  

Here is one that I've tested out and liked.  It is in your price range:
https://www.amazon.com/Sennheiser-HD-518-Headphones-Black/dp/B0042A68R8/ref=cm_cr_pr_product_top

[lazyfingers]

Hello and welcome,

I don't know if technology has improved all that much but I would recommend steering clear of wireless. I considered wireless for exactly the same reason about 6 months ago. Go corded.

The reason is that all wireless headphones suffer from lag. This is not an issue if you listen to music from an ipod or something, as the slight lag at the start is not noticeable.

However, a lag every time a key is depressed would probably not work for a pianist.

Regards

[outin]

The lag is one problem, but also interference. There must be something going on in my place, since every wireless set I have tried has suffered from bad interference, so listening to anything with silent moments is intolerable 

[hfmadopter]

Everyone has made valid points. I'll only add that I use wired headphones with my digital piano and I find the wire to be more of an issue with the headphones off than when they are on my head. That's because I'm not careful about how I set them down and the cord dangles where ever. More an issue of laziness than anything else !

i suggest to try to buy a set of head phones that don't have a whole lot of bass boost, that probably is going to put you in your upper price range. Mine actually are considered monitors to which they are fairly flat field. So are my remote speakers except my sub woofer. Anyway, they originally listed for $150 US, sold everywhere for around $105, I bought them on a store close out for $60. So shop around.

[lazyfingers]

In spite of what I said earlier about lag/latency, and also acknowledging outin's point about interference, I'm keen to try the Sennheiser RS 220 which reputedly has very low latency (<20ms) compared to around 150ms (or more) for cheaper varieties.

Also, bluetooth technology that is popular in the cheaper models suffer from interference. So does the IR ones. However, the Senn RS220 uses RF and transmits over a broader band (apparently CD quality audio) with redundancy to eliminate interference.

Unfortunately being cutting edge top-of-the-line, it is of course very expensive. And until I can find one that can be loaned to me to test, it would not be a risk I would wish to bear. Much better to put less money towards a good wired headphones that has detachable leads that can be replaced on damage, with the obvious benefit that they will automatically detach themselves when you forget the headphones are on your head!

[jimbo320]

I'd go the wireless route. Why have a cord to possibly get in the way...

[outin]

Also, bluetooth technology that is popular in the cheaper models suffer from interference. So does the IR ones. However, the Senn RS220 uses RF and transmits over a broader band (apparently CD quality audio) with redundancy to eliminate interference.

The ones I had (Sony) used RF as well, that didn't reduce the interference in my case. They were pretty expensive, but I ended up giving them away and returned to chords

[lhorwinkle]

Chords don't get in my way.
Neither do cords.

I'd go the wireless route. Why have a chord to possibly get in the way...

[timothy42b]

For listening to music I like the full cups that exclude outside sounds.

But for playing piano these are too heavy.  I like a much lighter weight foam headphone that let sound in but are more comfortable for a long practice session.

Testing a set of headphones for five minutes really doesn't tell you what it will feel like after 45 minutes of playing and moving around.

[hfmadopter]

I'd go the wireless route. Why have a chord to possibly get in the way...

The reasons why are listed above if you read some of your fellow posters comments.

[hfmadopter]

For listening to music I like the full cups that exclude outside sounds.

But for playing piano these are too heavy.  I like a much lighter weight foam headphone that let sound in but are more comfortable for a long practice session.

Testing a set of headphones for five minutes really doesn't tell you what it will feel like after 45 minutes of playing and moving around.

This is true. In my case I rarely go more than an hour with headphones. By then I turn over to my live monitors. It's that practice session at 4 am that I have the headphones for actually, or if I want to work on something with company in the house. But ya, some can get heavy and also they can get warm/sweaty depending on the material against your skin.