VO-BB - 20 YEARS OLD!

[audio'connell]

I've decided I need new headphones; I am not keen on adding more wires unless wireless has proven itself technically inefficient.

So I am soliciting opinions on your experiences with wireless headphones and recommendations. Thanks
_________________
- Peter
audioconnell Voice Over Talent
Your friendly, neighborhood voice over talent

[nick reed]

Here is an excellent link for information on headphones.

http://www.headphone.com/

They are sellers themselves, which might make one think that their comments on various models may be slanted but this is not so. Trust me. Their comments are right on.

Not that you don't know this already but as a reminder, be sure to get phones that seal ambient noise out as much as possible so you don't have any problems with feedback.

I have never used wireless cans and I haven't read about them on the link that I just gave you, but I have some thoughts on them which may or may not be correct.

My first thought is that the transmitter may interfere with your audio chain somehow. Also, the signal would be degraded to an FM signal, I think, therefore losing some detail and fidelity. And... I don't know how long they work in a session without recharging but that would be important. Plus, you have to keep them on a chager all the time to be sure that they are ready when you need them. Then again, I may be wrong about all of this. I don't want to take the time to read about them but I will be interested in hearing what everyone else knows or discovers about them.

Good luck,
Nick

[craigieb]

I use Sony 7506s, they're a bit harsh and unforgiving, but I need to hear every possible problem while recording. Most of the location sound guys I know use them. They're very good at sealing out extraneous noise. A bit high-endy, and again very unforgiving, but the reason you're wearing headphones is to hear problems. I have 10 pair, one in every bag for every "hat" I wear (shooter, editor, VO, mp3 listener, etc.).

I would NEVER rely upon anything wireless as a reference. There are simply too many variables that can interfere with the device accurately representing sound. I have never seen a location sound person using wireless headphones, and I've been doing this for nearly 30 years. Sure, people use wireless mikes all the time. But I can almost guarantee, the engineer on the other end of that wireless signal, is checking it with wired headphones of some sort.

Why do I keep mentioning location sound guys? Because they have to get it right the first time, or they're hosed. So they have to be able to accurately hear every nuance and potential problem, immediately.

It's only one wire! If you're using headphones as a tool for evaluating the sound the client is paying for, you owe it to them to use headphones that accurately represent the sound you're producing. Wireless, in my opinion, is not the way to go.

My $0.02.