Will a mic pick up noise leakage from open headphones?

[Whorax]

Hey guys.

 

Probably gunna be purchasing a new set of headphones tomorrow, or within the next few days. I've narrowed down my choices to two phones--the Audio-Technica AD700X or the Beyerdynamic DT990 Pro. I hear the AD700Xs are going to be better in the lows and stuff for things like footsteps in CS:GO, but I assume the Beyers, being the quality headphones that they are, will be just fine for footsteps in CS:GO as well?

 

I'm leaning towards the DT990 Pros because I think they're more aesthetically pleasing and they look more comfortable, but what do you guys think? Which should I get between the two in your opinion?

 

I'm going to get an AntLion ModMic 4.0 to use with the Beyerdynamic DT 990 Pros. Will the sound from the open backs be picked up by my ModMic? I plan on eventually also getting an Audio-Technica AT2020 microphone. Will this pick up the sound leakage from open headphones as well?

 

Thanks.

[NannerBeans]

The AD700x has almost no bass. They both should be fine but I prefer the DT990 because the AT lacks bass. The modmic is fine. 

[xtroria]

For me, the 3 choices at the price range are AD700X, HD558 and DT990. The bass increases from left choice to the right. If you want to use it for fps games and that's it, AD700X might be a better choice. Most people however would love the bass in DT990 and easy to be liked HD558

[BloodWithIce]

Thought about AKG Q701?
They're slightly better than those in my opinion.

[Whorax]

The AD700x has almost no bass. They both should be fine but I prefer the DT990 because the AT lacks bass. The modmic is fine. 

For me, the 3 choices at the price range are AD700X, HD558 and DT990. The bass increases from left choice to the right. If you want to use it for fps games and that's it, AD700X might be a better choice. Most people however would love the bass in DT990 and easy to be liked HD558

Yeah. I am thinking the DT990s at this point. Especially since I don't quite know how that wing headband design on the Audio-Technica's will work out for me.

 

Thought about AKG Q701?

They're slightly better than those in my opinion.

People have mentioned those to me. Are they comfortable? They don't exactly seem very padded around the headband area. I've also read in a few places that the build quality has suffered a tad bit in the last year.

[NannerBeans]

People have mentioned those to me. Are they comfortable? They don't exactly seem very padded around the headband area. I've also read in a few places that the build quality has suffered a tad bit in the last year.

I think the majority of people find the humps on the headband to be extremely uncomfortable since they dig into your scalp. I usually recommend the AKG K612 instead because of that reason. Sound wise they are good. The build is more or less the same. They did move production to China though. 

[BloodWithIce]

Yeah. I am thinking the DT990s at this point. Especially since I don't quite know how that wing headband design on the Audio-Technica's will work out for me.

 

People have mentioned those to me. Are they comfortable? They don't exactly seem very padded around the headband area. I've also read in a few places that the build quality has suffered a tad bit in the last year.I

I have a lot of hair so I don't feel those notch looking things.

They are great though

[creatip123]

 

People have mentioned those to me. Are they comfortable? They don't exactly seem very padded around the headband area. I've also read in a few places that the build quality has suffered a tad bit in the last year.

 

They're comfortable for small-medium heads. I've had no problem with its comfort. 

 

It got a bit of bloated mid and highs. Might actually be neutral though, I say that coming from my V curved HE400. I'd guess it's good for alternatives, rocks, etc. The bass is a bit muddy, but still enjoyable. It's also pretty inefficient, so you might want to take that into consideration. 

 

AKG always use dB SPL/V (instead of dB/mW, like many other brands). It's 105dB/V, which by rough calculation, equals to ~93dB/mW => pretty inefficient. 

[Whorax]

I think the majority of people find the humps on the headband to be extremely uncomfortable since they dig into your scalp. I usually recommend the AKG K612 instead because of that reason. Sound wise they are good. The build is more or less the same. They did move production to China though. 

I have a lot of hair so I don't feel those notch looking things.

They are great though

They're comfortable for small-medium heads. I've had no problem with its comfort. 

 

It got a bit of bloated mid and highs. Might actually be neutral though, I say that coming from my V curved HE400. I'd guess it's good for alternatives, rocks, etc. The bass is a bit muddy, but still enjoyable. It's also pretty inefficient, so you might want to take that into consideration. 

 

AKG always use dB SPL/V (instead of dB/mW, like many other brands). It's 105dB/V, which by rough calculation, equals to ~93dB/mW => pretty inefficient. 

Thanks for the help guys. I do think I'm gunna go with the DT 990 Pros though.

 

Now my main concern is whether or not the ModMic 4.0 will pick up sound from them, being open back headphones.

[NannerBeans]

Thanks for the help guys. I do think I'm gunna go with the DT 990 Pros though.

Now my main concern is whether or not the ModMic 4.0 will pick up sound from them, being open back headphones.

They won't

[Whorax]

They won't

Yeah, that's what I'm hoping. I guess we'll find out in the coming days when I get them both!

[NannerBeans]

Yeah, that's what I'm hoping. I guess we'll find out in the coming days when I get them both!

I own both of those. There's no problem with it. 

[Stagea]

Hey guys.

 

I'm going to get an AntLion ModMic 4.0 to use with the Beyerdynamic DT 990 Pros. Will the sound from the open backs be picked up by my ModMic? I plan on eventually also getting an Audio-Technica AT2020 microphone. Will this pick up the sound leakage from open headphones as well?

 

Thanks.

 

That depends on how loud you play, how far the mic is, and what's the noise floor in your environment. My RTA clearly registers headphone output from the mic (calibrated condenser mic), but it's too low to get bothersome in most cases.

[Whorax]

That depends on how loud you play, how far the mic is, and what's the noise floor in your environment. My RTA clearly registers headphone output from the mic (calibrated condenser mic), but it's too low to get bothersome in most cases.

Would semi-open headphones fix that? Or is that "semi-open" thing just some marketing scheme? Reason I'm concerned is because I plan on recording stuff and I don't think people in general, let alone my friends I talk to will be very happy if my mic is picking up game audio. They already complain about my current headset--the mic constantly picks up game noise.

 

The more I think about this the more I think it would just be more simple and less risky to get a pair of closed backs even though I'd like opens for CS:GO.

[Stagea]

Would semi-open headphones fix that? Or is that "semi-open" thing just some marketing scheme? Reason I'm concerned is because I plan on recording stuff and I don't think people in general, let alone my friends I talk to will be very happy if my mic is picking up game audio. They already complain about my current headset--the mic constantly picks up game noise.

 

The more I think about this the more I think it would just be more simple and less risky to get a pair of closed backs even though I'd like opens for CS:GO.

 

What will you be recording? If it gives you any consolation, a lot of professionally recorded tracks have ambient sound intrusions (subway train, outside door, etc.). These were done in treated studios.

 

Have someone else wear the headset and play something. If you can hear the headset leaking sound, the mic will pick it up (and probably even more if you amplify the sound during playback beyond the recording level). From what I've seen, I can barely tell if there is a distinct difference between open and semi-open when it comes to noise leakage.

[NannerBeans]

That depends on how loud you play, how far the mic is, and what's the noise floor in your environment. My RTA clearly registers headphone output from the mic (calibrated condenser mic), but it's too low to get bothersome in most cases.

modmic is a lot less sensitive than a condenser mic...0% chance it'll pick up noise from the headphones...

[Whorax]

modmic is a lot less sensitive than a condenser mic...0% chance it'll pick up noise from the headphones...

Well I do plan on getting an AT2020USB mic sometime in the future and that's a condenser mic. I guess that means chances are it will pick up leakage from open cans then?

[NannerBeans]

Well I do plan on getting an AT2020USB mic sometime in the future and that's a condenser mic. I guess that means chances are it will pick up leakage from open cans then?

Still quite small especially since the DT990 doesn't leak as much as other open headphones. 

[ShearMe]

If the Mic picks up the headphones, either the headphones are too loud, or the Mic gain is too high. It isn't a problem for any competent person.

[Whorax]

Still quite small especially since the DT990 doesn't leak as much as other open headphones.

  

If the Mic picks up the headphones, either the headphones are too loud, or the Mic gain is too high. It isn't a problem for any competent person.

Well this is good to hear. You guys know more about this than I do, so I can definitely take your words for it.

Maybe I will buy these after all. Decisions, decisions. Lol.

Thanks guys.

[Stagea]

Well I do plan on getting an AT2020USB mic sometime in the future and that's a condenser mic. I guess that means chances are it will pick up leakage from open cans then?

If you are recording to playback at the recording level, then any audible leakage will be heard during playback.

If the intended playback volume is less than the record volume at the listening spot, then it may not be audible. How you mic is a big factor, as the mic's directional characteristics and its proximity to your mouth versus the distance to the cans are big factors. Far field microphones will pickup more of the leakage as the relative difference in distance/attenuation is less.

[Whorax]

If you are recording to playback at the recording level, then any audible leakage will be heard during playback.

If the intended playback volume is less than the record volume at the listening spot, then it may not be audible. How you mic is a big factor, as the mic's directional characteristics and its proximity to your mouth versus the distance to the cans are big factors. Far field microphones will pickup more of the leakage as the relative difference in distance/attenuation is less.

Hmm. Goodness. Who would think it would be this difficult choosing a pair of headphones?

Well it must be possible to listen at a good level for hearing things such as footsteps in CS:GO while not picking up sound leakage because I've seen multiple YouTubers with Astro A40s (open) and a desk mic and they don't get any sort of leakage that their mics pick up. So it's definitely possible while listening at a sound level good enough for competitive FPS games.

[Stagea]

Hmm. Goodness. Who would think it would be this difficult choosing a pair of headphones?

Well it must be possible to listen at a good level for hearing things such as footsteps in CS:GO while not picking up sound leakage because I've seen multiple YouTubers with Astro A40s (open) and a desk mic and they don't get any sort of leakage that their mics pick up. So it's definitely possible while listening at a sound level good enough for competitive FPS games.

Perhaps you were watching the videos with other sounds masking the leakage (like game audio, the speaker's voice, background music, or your room's ambient sounds). If the level is low enough, you will not notice it on a backdrop of other sounds (especially when the audio is heavily compressed).

Whether you are OC enough to mind these minute things is really upto you. Most people will not mind, but if you nitpick hard enough (like listening to quiet recordings with high gain) you will know that it is there.

[Stagea]

With a low enough recording gear noise floor, you might be surprised at what a recording can reveal when amplified. Of course, most consumer computer equipment would not be that good.

A high recording noise floor will mask softer sounds, hence rendering them unintelligible.

[Whorax]

Perhaps you were watching the videos with other sounds masking the leakage (like game audio, the speaker's voice, background music, or your room's ambient sounds). If the level is low enough, you will not notice it on a backdrop of other sounds (especially when the audio is heavily compressed).

Whether you are OC enough to mind these minute things is really upto you. Most people will not mind, but if you nitpick hard enough (like listening to quiet recordings with high gain) you will know that it is there.

Like the guy in this video...

 

He's using open headphones/headset and I can't hear any leakage. Are you essentially saying that if there is leakage that's being picked up its minuscule enough that it can't be heard?