Whats the difference between open back and closed back headphones?

[Master Disaster]

So I do a bit of DJing on the side, nothing big but I do perform at a few local pubs and small venues some times.

 

I'm 100% digital and am currently using a Numark Mixtrack with a pair of Sony headphones (no idea which model) but my equipment is getting old and starting to malfunction, the DJ controller I use I've had for 3 years now and it was used when I got it.

 

Anyway long story short I'm looking to upgrade my equipment over the next few months and I have just ordered a brand new Mixtrack Pro 3 which will be arriving next week but I desperately need new headphones too however I see that the store I use has 2 sections for over head headphones, open backed and closed backed.

 

Now I'm certainly not an audiophile but I'm also quite familiar with audio tech yet I have never heard of these 2 terms before so I'm confused. Which ones do I need? Whats the difference between them?

 

Any help would be amazing.

 

 

[Majestic]

5 minutes ago, Master Disaster said:

I'm 100% digital

SHODAN? D:

[MegaDave91]

Let me preface this by saying I'm no audiophile nor do I know much of the terminology, but this is what I've experienced with my headphones (HD600, HD598, DT990, DT660).

 

Open headphones have potential to be extremely obnoxious to others in the area as the sound bleeds through the sides of the heaphone. They tend to sound more 'airy' and more 'open' than closed back, though. 

 

Isolated and more direct sound can be had from closed back headphones. Tighter bass, perhaps? 

 

 

[anothertom]

Most relevant to you is that closed back headphones have better isolation from ambient noise. The sennheiser hd25 are the ever popular headphone for DJing and mixing.

 

I would also ask, do you DJ with earplugs in? If yes, then consider some in-ear earphones, as these will allow you to run the headphones quieter and will aid in lowering ambient SPL.

[Castdeath97]

Open air headphones offer better directional sound from what I heard, I'd get them if you aren't planning to use them out in the public.

[Master Disaster]

45 minutes ago, MegaDave91 said:

Let me preface this by saying I'm no audiophile nor do I know much of the terminology, but this is what I've experienced with my headphones (HD600, HD598, DT990, DT660).

 

Open headphones have potential to be extremely obnoxious to others in the area as the sound bleeds through the sides of the heaphone. They tend to sound more 'airy' and more 'open' than closed back, though. 

 

Isolated and more direct sound can be had from closed back headphones. Tighter bass, perhaps? 

 

 

Perfect description, thanks

44 minutes ago, anothertom said:

Most relevant to you is that closed back headphones have better isolation from ambient noise. The sennheiser hd25 are the ever popular headphone for DJing and mixing.

 

I would also ask, do you DJ with earplugs in? If yes, then consider some in-ear earphones, as these will allow you to run the headphones quieter and will aid in lowering ambient SPL.

Yeah, when performing live its quite important that the headphones cancel out as much background noise as possible. Listening for those tiny beat movements in your queue is difficult if there's a lot of background noise.

 

No I don't use earplugs, I've always had a good pair of over head headphones to queue the next track and nothing else. I tried to mix using my Samsung earbuds once and it was OK at home volume but as soon as I turned the volume up it became a nightmare as I could hear the sound from my speakers above the queue from the headphones even with the queue volume at at maximum.

 

Thanks for the help guys, think I'm going with closed backs, specifically the Pioneer HDJ 500s as they're smack bang in my price range and have a lot of great reviews too.

[SSL]

Open back headphones tend to be less colored, more resolving, and offer better headstage.

 

Closed back headphones offer isolation and sometimes more or better bass.

 

It's that simple. If you need any sound isolation at all, go for a closed headphone.

[aithos]

I know this is going to be shocking... but an open back has an open back, and a closed back has a closed back.

 

In all seriousness though, an open back means that sounds escapes through the back of the driver and also that sound will get in.  It generally means that you get a larger sound-stage but it makes you more annoying to other people in the room and will also make other people in the room more annoying to you.  If you're DJing or doing studio work where you need to block ambient noise or isolate sound then an open back is a bad idea. 

 

A closed back is just what it sounds like, sound doesn't escape through the back of the driver and external sound is blocked.  It generally means you get a smaller sound-stage but because you get more reflection they tend to be louder and have more bass.  They are good for areas where you have environmental noise, but keep in mind that in general they are also going to be harder on your hearing if you aren't listening at reasonable volumes.

[Guest Kloaked]

1 hour ago, aithos said:

I know this is going to be shocking... but an open back has an open back, and a closed back has a closed back.