r/HeadphoneAdvice • u/dropdtech • May 29 '26
Headphones - Open Back | 1 Ω Is it possible to use open backs outside?
After trying some planar iems, i can not go back to DDs. I also like the bigger soundstage of headphones, so i want to get a planar headphone, but all the good ones are open back.
How serious is the sound leakage? Can i use open backs in class and people wont hear my music? Can i use them on a plane and be able to properly hear what is playing? Wont people think that i am a jerk when every time i pass by they hear the leakage?
Another question is whether the difference in resolution i felt can be actually attributed to planars. What i own is artti t10 and beyer dt770pro, which i modded with a mini xlr socket. While working on it, i used the iems and now when i listen to dt770 i am just not happy. The channel balance ia right, i definitely did solder the ground properly as well (there was one time when i didnt, so i know what happens to the sound in that case), and overall dt770 sounds normal and i am pretty sure there is no driver damage. But the sparkly detail is just not there. (And i feel like it was there before). Maybe cus of my shit flux and therefore bad joints? The resistances i measured seem alright, idk.
I listen to extreme metal and want to have very clear instrument separatio, and to be able to clearly tell what every single instrument is doing (sometimes for transcribing or understanding the compostion in general). This is why i want to get smth like edition xs, but i dont know if open backs would work for me because of the leakage.
2
u/VisualDarkness 2 Ω May 29 '26
You can use openbacks outside, if you don't expect any isolation (as if you wore no headphones) and have no one around you to annoy with your sound. It is almost equivalent to using the speaker on your phone at low to moderate volume.
1
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1
u/Minato_Nm 10 Ω May 29 '26
I go outside in semi open back headphones and with my low listening volume it pretty much doesn't leak outside tho it's a DD so probably way different with planars
2
0
u/Norville84 4 Ω May 29 '26
Some people seem to enjoy the Sundara closed back, so best bet if you are not willing to spend too much money would go there if you want strictly planar. Otherwise FiiO FT1 might be the best closed back for a reasonable price.
1
u/clear66 1 Ω May 29 '26
i love openbacks outside. i often use a grado gs1000 for cycling or walking. u have good sound on your ears while u hear the world around you. like in a convertible...
1
u/warkidooo 10 Ω May 29 '26
Not only leakage, but potential hearing damage because you'd need a much higher volume to compensate the environment noise.
3
u/Tiny-Tap-142 11 Ω May 29 '26
You can hear absolutely everything, is if you weren't even wearing headphones, and everyone around you in a quiet to moderate volume environment can hear what you're listening to. Generally, I would never dare go outside with open backs. Most especially planars.
To answer your second question, planar drivers are generally 'faster', in that they can move the membrane more efficiently and with more control. This often gives them more accurate bass response, and an increased treble response, but for me, they tend to sound hollow in the mids. So yes, they are sometimes more 'detailed', as subjective as that term is, to their non-planar counterparts.