the t.bone HD 990D

As the title says, this gave me exactly the amount of noise reduction I was looking for. That was the main factor in purchasing it, and it delivered. Sticks well to my head too!

When it comes to the sound, the elements lack a lot in the upper range. I had to add a custom software EQ with 3 wide bands (q-factor around 0.72) that boosted the 6-12KHz area with around 6dB, give or take. And no, my hearing is not damaged for my age of 43, I can hear treble frequencies around 15KHz fine, actually. This headset is just really, really wooly.

But that was to be expected. The elements go to 20KHz, which means the roll-off starts waaay before that! For mixing purposes I'd recommend something that at least goes to 25KHz, like the t.bone HD1000! But my purpose wasn't mixing, it was hearing protection and peace of mind.

And HD 990 delivers at that! :)

This pair of headphones are great for tracking, but not for mixing as the audio lacks on the bass frequencies, so keep that in mind. Their noise-cancellation capability isn't also that great --not for example at the level of a pair of earmuffs-- but still work to some level to isolate you from the environment. The volume of the headphones is definitely loud, though, which can counteract the lack of noise-cancellation. I haven't tried any other pair of headphones for drummers, but for the price I guess they're ok. A plus is the screw 3.5 mm jack and the included 3.5 to 6.35 mm screw adapter. The cable itself is around 2 m long without stretching the spiral segment. I'd recommend these but with caution, you may want to try out some other headphones for drummers before buying this ones.

I've used these headphones as monitors for myself and the musicians during recording sessions. I am a bedroom producer, but have successfully recorded vocals, guitars and drums with these headphones.

These headphones are usable specifically for recording tracks. The metronome doesn't bleed into microphones, and the noise suppression is so good you can play along backing tracks with a loud amp or drums. Unlike the isolation, the sound quality is rather terrible. It's low-mid heavy, and the higher frequencies are not too clear or present at all; these are not useful for mixing or enjoying music. They are also quite uncomfortable - the headband becomes looser over time, but wearing them becomes challenging within an hour. The curly phone cable is also inconvenient if you have to move between the instrument and your recording device frequently, but it is very useful on field recordings, though. Lastly, they are more resilient than they look, and the price tag is low, they not a huge investment.

The headphones meant for a specific task: recording and practicing. They are good earmuffs, but don't consider these if you want to listen to music for work or pleasure.

I bought these for drummers to use when I'm recording.

Good points: Noise cancellation is fantastic - almost as good as the industrial ear defenders I have lying around. They're really tight fitting too, which means moving about isn't an issue either. Despite that, they're still pretty comfortable too - you can wear them for a full day without any major issues.

Bad points: They don't sound great. They're really lacking in high-end, which does mean they don't get too fatiguing, but it means getting enough cymbals in them for drummers can be difficult. I *hate* curly cables, they're just a pain, and it's annoyingly short. I've had them for about 3 years, and a couple of bits of (unnecessary) plastic have fallen off the headband - they still work perfectly though.

Over all, not too bad. If your priority is cutting out background noise or reducing headphone bleed into close mics, they're great - just don't expect stellar sound quality.

These headphones clamp to your head like there's no tomorrow. No spill whatsoever to the outside environment and vice versa, so they are great for tracking guitars and drums to a metronome with no spill into the mics. However, after some time they get uncomfortable as they are too tight whatever you do.

Heaps of bass and not much treble make them a muddy mess, but they are listenable if you EQ them out. Lots of 100hz to 300hz, and drops out over 8kHz out of the box.

That said, they are very good for voice-over work where no spill is of utmost important, and recording quiet instruments such as acoustic guitar to a click track.

I had a pair of these which I abused for around 3 years until the left earcup broke off the headband. They had been sat on, thrown, dropped, had stuff drop on them... anything you can think of. They only bit the bullet after being carried around on a back pack for 3 years - so pretty good build quality. The sound quality lacks a bit but in comparison to the price and the total lack of spill in or out of them it makes them a handy tool to have around when you need them - not for the sound quality, but for their other talents.

I bought these to use when monitoring when recording my band 'live' in a rehearsal studio.

My set up is a 24 track portable recorder and small headphone amp, and I record drums, bass, guitars and vocals.

With no separate control room, it is often hard to hear what is going in to the recorder when the band is playing in the room. I wanted a cheap set of 'phones which would insulate me from external noise to carry around with my portable set up. The headphones are comfortable to wear, not overly heavy, are sturdy enough to survive and offer very good external noise insulation.

The sound is, however, average at best. Slightly boxy, with some loss of high end compared to my more expensive 'phones. If I wanted headphones for mixing or general listening purposes then I would look elsewhere. However, for my purpose these will do the job at minimal cost.

I bought these headphones one year ago, because as a drummer, i was tired of using normal in ears with cheap earmuffs on top of them, so i could ear music and isolate the sound of my drum set.
These headphones do both, they isolate external sound, and they let you ear the band/mp3/etc you're playing with.

They are pretty similar to the Vic Firth ones, but they cost less than half the price. They also isolate a little less than the VF, but nothing special. They have a spiral cable, that when you stretch it, it's way bigger than the VF cable.
I also wear glasses, and they can be a little bit uncomfortable after using them for a while (+1h) because they are pretty tight. Tight headphones + glasses are not a good mix.
The sound itself isn't great, but it's good enough to do the job if you're not that picky.

Pros: really cheap, good isolation, long cable

Cons: the sound is not that great, a little uncomfortable after hours of use

Choosing between this and the Vic Firth ones will come down to your preference, do you prefer a cheap but reliable option, or a more expensive (2x) but a bit better option?

Plenty of other reviews so I won't repeat what others have said, would just like to chip in and say it hurts my ears (not the sound, the fit) after a few songs.

It would have also been nice if the cord detaches from the earphones so it can be used just for noise cancellation...

Other than the above two things, it's a decent pair for the price.

Edit:
Update, if you live in a snowy country this is pretty awesome to keep your ears warm, add this to the Pros list :)


(Rate my comments, it encourages me to go nuts! )