# Can you REALLY hear a difference between open-back headphones and closed-back headphones?



## Double-A

Hello, I might be interested in purchasing open-back headphones in the future because I have heard that they sound superior to closed-back headphones and that they sound like you're listening to surround sound speakers, not merely 2-channel/stereo headphones where the music sounds like it's coming from inside your head. If they truly did sound like surround sound speakers then I could listen to them instead of having to worry about fixing up a room so that it has good acoustic properties, and then having to worry about proper speaker placement (and so on and so forth) so that I could experience the best quality sound that I possibly could. But I'm worried that open-back headphones don't truly sound similar to surround sound speakers, that people's brains have imagined that open-back headphones sound similar. Has a blind test ever been conducted to test if people can hear the difference between open-back headphones and closed-back headphones where participants were able to identify the open-back headphones because they thought the music sounded like it was coming from outside of their heads and that it sounded like it was coming from surround sound speakers?


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## Megaohmz

AA there is a definite difference. The open back style does not allow for sound reflections and makes the headphone less resonnant. Ressonance changes the sound and this is why movie theaters use curtains to help absorb radical reflective sounds that you don't want. I just modified some Fostex T50RP cans and these are closed back with some porting (semi open, or semi closed if you will). The result I found to be extremely satisfying. If you want you can do the mods very cheaply and the headphones cost about 120-130 bucks on Ebay.
   
  There are specific reasons to want a closed back design, such as in DJing and loud surroundings to block outside noise. The Fostex T50RP are a great investment and I believe every headphone listener/nut sould own a pair. These are Power hungry and you will need a somewhat powerful headphone amp, about 2x an Ipods power.
   
  If you want to experience the actual changes to a good dampened headphone, go with Fostex.


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## Autobat

I have both open and closed headphones. Sadly I have never had the ability to hear the same internals in both open and closed format. it would be an interesting experiment i think.

I use open in my office as I have people asking me questions throughout the day so I can just pause and talk and not have to take them off my head


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## julian67

Why would identifying the difference between open and closed back 'phones require a blind test? Blind tests aren't magic, only part of a process to remove bias. Any person with two working ears can try some closed back 'phones and some open back 'phones and identify the clear and obvious differences which derive from the very obvious and substantive physical differences. No blind test is required. I also don't need to perform a blind test to check if my plastic beach sandals feel different on my feet to my leather walking boots. You have to start with some reasonable assumptions or else you simply waste enormous amounts of time pointlessly "rediscovering" the blindingly obvious. Does fire really hurt or can I put my hand in the hot flames and be OK? Did anyone blind test this? There is a huge difference between skepticism and adopting a state of mind where one simply disbelieves everything and always starts from zero.


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## Jaxblack11

Open back headphones don't sound like 5 channel home theater systems. They sound like good old stereo, but the difference is that they sound much more spacious than closed headphones.


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## Mooses9

with closed backed headphones you are relying on the internals of the headphones to create the soundstage, the mfg might play with the design of the cup to extend the soundstage or reflect the sound differently. but mostly you are only relying on the intenals for how wide the soundstage is, or how spacious the headphones sound.
   
  on the other hand. both internals and the way open back headphones are created create the wide spacious soundstage.
   
  in short yes there is a difference and yes you can tell the difference. ive tried the beats,m100,a few sony and bose... then one that i owned is the k701 and k701 as far as soundstage and discerning spacious sound. the k701 tops them all.


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## chewy4

I don't think a blind test would work, you could tell the difference just by the feel.


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## ender323

Quote: 





chewy4 said:


> I don't think a blind test would work, you could tell the difference just by the feel.


 
  It would be a matter of testing headphones you aren't familiar with. If I blindfolded you, and put a random pair of open headphones on you, which you have never heard before, I don't think you could tell they were open or not.


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## chewy4

Quote: 





ender323 said:


> It would be a matter of testing headphones you aren't familiar with. If I blindfolded you, and put a random pair of open headphones on you, which you have never heard before, I don't think you could tell they were open or not.


 
  I believe I easily could, _especially_ if they weren't playing anything. I can tell if something is cupped around my ears.


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## xnor

Well some open headphones are actually cups. In other words the outer cup may be open but not the inner one, where the driver is mounted (and the driver doesn't have holes).


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## chewy4

Quote: 





xnor said:


> Well some open headphones are actually cups. In other words the outer cup may be open but not the inner one, where the driver is mounted (and the driver doesn't have holes).


 
  If the inner cup is closed in then yeah, that might be difficult to tell if it's open or closed.
   
  But with something like a Hifiman headphone where you can see right through it and it doesn't block any outside noise at all it would be very easy.


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## Double-A

Quote: 





jaxblack11 said:


> I just want to point out that open back headphones don't sound like 5 channel home theater systems. They sound like good old stereo but the difference is that they sound much more spacious than closed headphones.


 
  I should have worded my post better, I'm sorry. I've never actually heard someone come out and say that open-back headphones sound like surround sound speaker systems, I thought that it sounded like open-back headphones sound like surround sound speakers because of the way I saw people describe the sound of them. I always hear people say things like "when you're listening to open-back headphones, it sounds like the audio is coming from outside of your head," and "you can hear where every sound is coming from when you listen to open-back headphones," which, to me, sounded like how someone would describe listening to a surround sound sound system.
   
  EDIT: @chewy4: Thanks for pointing that out, I never thought of that. That is a good point.


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## proton007

The only difference I can tell is that with open headphones, you can hear your surroundings when compared to closed ones that feel closed and isolated. 
  Based on sound alone I'd say its rather hard to tell. You may find one better than the other, but not necessarily due to their open/closed design.
  About the sound being placed better, I would say the distance of the drivers from your ears has a big role to play in that.
   
  So in general, good headphones sound good because of a variety of reasons, there's no definite way to say that "open headphones are better" .


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## TMRaven

Some of the most resonant headphones on the market are open.


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## joshkim12

yes


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## StudioSound

There is a noticeable difference between the sound of open and closed headphones.
But it is _nothing_ at all like the difference between stereo and surround sound. They are both stereo.
It's easier for open headphones to create the impression of a wide soundstage, but that doesn't mean closed headphones can only have a narrow soundstage, or that open is better - it depends on the headphone.

The main difference is that open more readily lets in the sound from your environment, and closed tends to isolate external sounds.
When comparing cheap headphones, it's easier for open designs to sound better, but with even moderately expensive headphones closed designs start sounding really good.


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## ultrabike

Quote: 





double-a said:


> Hello, I might be interested in purchasing open-back headphones in the future because I have heard that they sound superior to closed-back headphones and that they sound like you're listening to surround sound speakers, not merely 2-channel/stereo headphones where the music sounds like it's coming from inside your head. If they truly did sound like surround sound speakers then I could listen to them instead of having to worry about fixing up a room so that it has good acoustic properties, and then having to worry about proper speaker placement (and so on and so forth) so that I could experience the best quality sound that I possibly could. But I'm worried that open-back headphones don't truly sound similar to surround sound speakers, that people's brains have imagined that open-back headphones sound similar. Has a blind test ever been conducted to test if people can hear the difference between open-back headphones and closed-back headphones where participants were able to identify the open-back headphones because they thought the music sounded like it was coming from outside of their heads and that it sounded like it was coming from surround sound speakers?


 
   
  In my experience, headphones (open & closed back) in general do not sound like surround sound speakers. They have no crossfeed channel, and are bypassing your head which is used for positional cues.
   
  Open-back headphones have less reflections from the cup than closed-back headphones which may reduce standing waves, frequency response suck-outs, and flat out weirdness. These frequency response issues manifest themselves as wonkyness, hollow sound, and coloration... which further mess up the "soundstage." Well designed closed-back headphones reduce these issues by resorting to all sorts of crazy damping inside the cup (similar to what is done within speaker cabinets.)
   
  There are a few products out there that attempt to reproduce surround sound by using headphones:
   
  Entry level: http://www.turtlebeach.com/product-detail/dolby-processor-accessories/ear-force-dss2/33
  High end: http://www.smyth-research.com/technology.html
   
  Alternatively, binaural recordings can provide some soundstage perception though headphones.


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## green-fi mk2s

Just take some open headphones and put your hands over the openings. I just did it with mine they literally close up


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## atomiccow

Remove the rear vent of an open headphone and put the palms of your hands close to the rear of the driver. If you can't hear the difference, you need your hearing checked. Open back vs close is not a myth or marketing ploy, the resonant chamber of a speaker is critical to the sound of the speaker. Open back vs close back is a case of having a resonant chamber vs not having one.
  
  Sound gets absorbed and reflected by materials. A concert in a open field sounds different from a concert in a ampitheatre which sounds different from a cylindrical or square opera hall. There are engineers who are paid to design these buildings. They're not paid because they have "golden ears," they're paid because they know science.


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## green-fi mk2s

Nice explanation


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## DogMeat

I have no trouble telling the diff....
  in fact, I make strong practical use of the differences for specific needs.
   
  For instance, if there is noise in my environment that pretty much kills the ability to hear the music correctly, it's my closed-back Beyerdynamics for me.
  If the environment is quiet, I go with my open cans every time, as they present a far more open stage, a greater appreciation of space. More like being at a live performance.
  And sometimes, when I want a REALLY rich, DEEP experience, I will run my speakers while I am wearing the open-backed phones, put myself in an optimal spot between the speakers and become ABSORBED into the music.
  I listen to quite a lot of classical music in this way.
   
  Here's a really good way for you to test whether you can hear the difference or not;
  Put on a pair of open-backed phones.
  First notice, without music playing, that you can hear sounds through the mesh from outside.
  Next, put on some nice music, maybe not head banger, just something like jazz or classical.
  Bring your hands toward the external mesh- notice that you start to hear a dampening of the stage, a dampening which increases as you bring your hands closer and closer.
  Cover the mesh with your hands, then take your hands away.
  Repeat until it becomes clear to you that you are, indeed, hearing a distinct difference between your cans when open, and when closed.
  (This procedure effectively eliminates driver distance as a factor in your appreciation of the sound difference, and prevents one from being able to blame differences in headphone brands and builds for sound changes, if one were switching between 2 headphones to test it out.)
   
  You can play with closed cans in this way by lifting the edges away from your face and noting the increased sense of space when the edges are a few mm away from contact.
   
   
  So, YES.
  You CAN tell the diff.


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## Double-A

Content deleted and replaced with this sentence.


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## dead99

open headphones sound more spacious and are more comfortable (heat build up is less / none) but if your surroundings aren't silent you won't hear anything just like with speakers in that case closed is handier.


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## ktm

ender323 said:


> It would be a matter of testing headphones you aren't familiar with. If I blindfolded you, and put a random pair of open headphones on you, which you have never heard before, I don't think you could tell they were open or not.


 
 Really?????? You didn't think that through very well. Any room noise would tell you in an instant if it was open or closed.


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## xnor

What if the room was an anechoic chamber?


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## ktm

xnor said:


> What if the room was an anechoic chamber?


 
 one set of closed headphones     CHECK
 one set of open headphones       CHECK
 two set of blindfolds                  CHECK
 one dozen lab coats                  CHECK
 One MP3 player                        CHECK
 one anechoic chamber               ??????
  
 only in sound science forum!


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## KamijoIsMyHero

ktm said:


> one set of closed headphones     CHECK
> one set of open headphones       CHECK
> two set of blindfolds                  CHECK
> one dozen lab coats                  CHECK
> ...


 
 Just get a room with no windows and cover its walls, floor and ceiling with styrofoam then you pretty much have an anechoic chamber-minus the metal enclosure though.


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## ktm

Perhaps the OP should just show up at a head-fi meet and use his ears?
 I know that option rarely is brought up here. Better an endless string
 of discussion rather than a little trial and error.


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## Trae

The only way we can truly hear a difference between open and closed headphones is if we have two exact headphones, with the same headphone chassis, same driver, same earpads, and cable, but one headphone's drivers are tuned for closed headphones, and the other open. Since they're aren't any headphones out there that do that (The Audeze LCD closed headphone may be the only one to compare to the LCD-2.3/3, but that's still a prototype), we can't truly make an assessment as to which headphone design truly has better staging performance. 
  
 Then again, I'm the person who thinks that headphone transparency and the peaks and dips in the higher frequency range are a direct correlation to soundstage performance, given the headphones are tuned right. I listened to a super old pair of Sony MDR-V600s (Closed headphone), and the soundstage was really good on them, rivaling the Audio Technica AD series soundstage.


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## ktm

Headphone listening is pretty much a different experience than listening to speakers. Not better or worse, just presented differently.
 That is it's nature. If you want surround sound, buy surround sound. Closed vs. open?  Whatever. Treat each one by it's own merits.
 There have been a lot more good sounding closed cans available in the last year or two.Find one that makes you happy and fits your budget.
 Don't go broke chasing the dragon. I can only comment on what I've heard, and for me the closed models had a closed sound.
 Not that they sounded bad, but I could tell they were closed. At this point, there's no real way to do the apples to apples compare
 to see.So all this is just speculation. We can go on page after page, but in the end try a few sets, pick a nice one and go about enjoying
 the music.


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## pyite

double-a said:


> Hello, I might be interested in purchasing open-back headphones in the future because I have heard that they sound superior to closed-back headphones and that they sound like you're listening to surround sound speakers


 
  
 Not really.  Especially the surround sound part -- that is just wrong unless you have two speakers per ear.*
  
 The big difference is whether you want to be isolated from the noise around you -- all other differences are trivial compared to this.
  
 95% of the time I'm listening at work or at home when people are awake, and I want to hear what's going on -- so I prefer open ended headphones.  I have a set of Q701's and they are great for this...
  
 They are awful on a plane though!  You need closed ended headphones for this, or data center work.  Also, when I need to concentrate I'll switch to a closed ended pair.
  
 It seems like most of the cheaper headphones are closed (e.g. the $10 Big Lots specials), so it will probably cost more to go open.
  
 * - it would be really cool for gaming to have extra surround speakers for up/down as well as front/back but I don't think there is a good S/PDIF type of protocol for this yet.


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## CoffeeDog

There seems to be life left in this thread, and the topic will likely remain relevant for some time, so here's my two cents worth.
 
Many of the posts in this thread comment on the noise isolating properties of closed headphones, and if you are concerned about keeping outside noise out or keeping your music from intruding upon others then closed back headphones are the way to go.  But the original poster had asked about sound quality, and that is another matter altogether.
 
As has also been pointed out previously, we can not definitively conclude that the acoustic differences between one pair of closed back headphones and another pair of open back headphones are due solely or primarily to the ear cup type, IF we are only using those two samples as the basis for our conclusions.  On the other hand, when we notice that virtually all of the open back designs have common sonic properties that differ significantly from closed back designs, we can safely conclude that those differences are due to the design.  It's similar to an argument regarding automotive performance: if a V-12 Ferrari consistently leaves a four cylinder Toyota Corolla behind when drag racing, you don't need to put the Toyota's engine in the Ferrari and measure performance in order to correctly conclude that the designed performance differences are mainly due to engine differences.  There are sonic differences between open and closed back designs.  The bigger questions are: will you notice those differences and will you care?
 
I do notice those differences, and to my ear they are significant.  However, based upon the comments of others, it is apparent that not everyone can hear them, or perhaps they do but they aren't listening closely.  (I think one common characteristic of audiophiles is that they do listen closely, very closely.  Music listening is not simply another activity, but is for the duration the entire focus of attention and concentration.)  All of this having been said, one headphone type is not necessarily _better_ than the other, only different.
 
Overall, I prefer the sound of open backed headphones.  I won't try to describe the differences, for many others have already attempted to do so and in a manner far better than can I.  I think they sound more natural, open, fuller, and so on.  I have two pair of open backed, Sennheiser's HD650 and Hifiman's HE-1000, and they are (I think) standard setting.  Yet, there are exceptions.  I have just finished auditioning a demo pair of Oppo PM-3 phones, courtesy of the loaner program currently under way by Oppo.  (Thanks guys!!!)  I've found that I am a fan of planar-magnetic headphones, but when fully enclosed within the ear cup they lose that sense of air, expanse, and "reality" found in open-backed designs.  BUT, I preferred the PM-3 phones to the HD650 when listening to natural, acoustic sets such as jazz, fingerstyle guitar, orchestral, and the like.  Although I tend to prefer an open back sound, there are other considerations in play; I still preferred the HD650 for much rock and synthetic sounds.  But not all.
 
I'd purchased my HD650's blind, having considered many of the opinions and reviews found online, primarily those here on Head-Fi.  I have absolutely no regrets at having done so!  All things considered, going in blind and unable to audition any of the better headphones, I'd say you can't go wrong with a well regarded pair of open backed phones.  The _only_ closed back I have heard that I often prefer to my HD650 are the planar-magnetic PM-3, but that sound may not be to everyone's liking or preference.
 
So yes, you REALLY can hear the difference between open-back and closed-back headphones.  To me, and apparently to many others, the differences are obvious, and chances are they will be to you as well.  I'm sure the originator of this thread has made up his mind long ago, and I wonder what his thoughts about all of this are now.


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## goodvibes

Open back do tend to be better for me but it's not an absolute or about reflections of the cup. Wavelengths are too to short for that to be a major issue. It's also not hearing the 'air' outside like some have also described in ported IEMs which respond similarly as described here. It will have to do with changes in Q (damping) and corresponding changes in frequency response. Cups can over damp the system and create a less free sound along with more midbass and sometimes less low bass. This is partially due to the surrounds having sufficient damping on their own (without the added resistance of a sealed enclosure) with the drivers usually being of a universal design and rarely intended for added acoustic suspension type damping. A good sealed phone maker will specifically design and build drivers to work properly in that environment, I would suspect with a softer surround and smaller diaphragm to get the system resonance frequency lower. There's no real better or worse here but I do think it's easier to build for open and fine tune the back resistance.


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## sonitus mirus

xnor said:


> What if the room was an anechoic chamber?


 
  
 I would guess that all of those that claim open headphones to be more "spacious" would question this after listening.   Most of the differences in sound signature could probably be attributed to the room characteristics. For me, headphones are a compromise when I am in a situation where either I do not want to disturb others around me or when I need to block outside noise.  Open headphones would be ok, but in limited situations, such as in an apartment or similar close quarters.  Otherwise, I almost never listen with headphones anymore, just with speakers.  Work and travel is about it for me for headphones, but when compared to speakers, I can't get into the music as much.   I also use an older HeadRoom amp with crossfeed at work with my closed headphones.  This makes a subtle difference with a lot of the music that I enjoy.  With headphones, I've always attempted to find a solution that best replicates what I hear with a stereo speaker setup.  To me, closed Denon AH-Dx00 are the closest I've come to this, at a price I'm willing to pay.  I suppose some newer Fostex or Massdrop variant would be my choice now, since the older Denons are no longer manufactured.


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## ScanSpeak HiFi

Yes, there is a definite difference between the two. In general, I'll argue that open back will give superior sound quality yet at the expense of some low end. Easily fixed with a little EQ though.


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## sikki-six

I'd say good bass really about the frequency curve - you can't simply EQ a K701 to have a punch in the lows like many closed models (DT770, D2000 etc.). Big bass is where closed models do generally better, though Philips X2 and many Audezes can do that fun kind of punch well too. Sub-bass is quite often lacking in dynamic-driver open pairs vs the easier to achieve higher bass frequencies.
  
 With guitar cabinets, you get more bass with closed-back cabinets. I think this is somewhat similar.


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## goodvibes

It's not. With guitar amps, closing the back inhibits the out of phase rear wave from cancelling the front. The open back version actually has a lower free air resonance frequency than the sealed back but you don't hear as much bass because the lowest out of phase front and rear frequencies are effectively wrapping around the cabinet and cancel out in free air. The sealed back also tends to bump up the midbass in smaller cabinets making bass that much more apparent and warmer. In a headphone, the sealed back does the the bass bump part but there's no cancellation happening in an open back because the back and front wave are not generated into the same space. The same driver in an open back vs sealed back will actually go lower but may not sound 'bassy' enough due either lower damping or less amplitude in the midbass.


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## nofarewell

I vote for open back headphones. They are more spacial, "airy", even the best earbuds in the world are open designed.
 Though it can be tricky as the best Sony Headphones - the MDR-R10 is closed and they say it is very airy and detailed.
 I guess many years of engineering laid down in that beautiful set of caps.
 I have the best buds, the Aiwa HP-V99 and several Sony headphones from the "Hair" fepartment, which are all open.
 I could not find any recent earphone/headphone that can match them.
 So at the end, not to start the last sentence with "I" , open buds/phones are better imho. Nice open cans are really
 dynamic and they make up for the resonance closed cans produce (which are mostly artificially sounding with their
 spacial, beautiful airy presentation and better, more lively dynamics and even more balanced sound. IMHO.


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## music4mhell

I will go for open back headphone/earbuds anyday.
 It gives some air for sound wave to breath, and i don't feel suffocation with open backs.. while closed back.. i feel suffocation.
  
 Meze 99 is a great headphone, but as it's very nicely build closed back, i felt like as if i am isolated from the world .. which i don't like that kind of feeling


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## GRUMPYOLDGUY

I know the thread is three years old... but I have to ask... Isn't this a loaded question?
  
 The only way you could answer this is if you had two identical sets of headphones... one in an open back design and one in a closed back design. I don't know such a product exists...
  
 Certainly there is no easy way to measure the "back lobe" or, more importantly, how much of it is reflected back from the cup? And how much interference (e.g. comb filtering, etc) it causes... 
  
 But it leads to an interesting question... can a closed back headphone with absorbing material attenuate the "back lobe" enough to have the effect of an open back? I imagine the cups would have to be prohibitively large....


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## Per Axel Hagne

grumpyoldguy said:


> I know the thread is three years old... but I have to ask... Isn't this a loaded question?
> 
> The only way you could answer this is if you had two identical sets of headphones... one in an open back design and one in a closed back design. I don't know such a product exists...
> 
> ...


 
 What exactly do you mean with identical sets of headphones? Drivers are made different depending on closed or open design so you can't really compare them with the same driver!
 I guess you could compare Audeze's EL-8(CB) and EL-8(OB).


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## watchnerd

Of course I can hear the difference between open back vs closed back headphones.  Just like I can between different speakers.
  
 They're measurably different...they have different frequency responses...
  
 Not sure why this is even a thread / question?


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## sonitus mirus

watchnerd said:


> Of course I can hear the difference between open back vs closed back headphones.  Just like I can between different speakers.
> 
> They're measurably different...they have different frequency responses...
> 
> Not sure why this is even a thread / question?


 
  
 What if the FR is the same?  In a quiet environment, open headphones may not sound any different than closed headphones.  Once isolation is matched, there is not much to separate the two, other than reflections, but those would be minimal at best, and possibly not audible.


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## KamijoIsMyHero

sonitus mirus said:


> What if the FR is the same?




Do you know of one?


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## watchnerd

sonitus mirus said:


> What if the FR is the same?  In a quiet environment, open headphones may not sound any different than closed headphones.  Once isolation is matched, there is not much to separate the two, other than reflections, but those would be minimal at best, and possibly not audible.


 
  
 No...you're ignoring free-air vs sealed driver resonances.
  
 I know of no headphone that uses the same exact driver to make both a closed and open variant of the same.  Even if they did, the resonant frequency (absent EQ) would be different, thus making them different headphones.
  
 I don't understand the point of this thread...


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## sonitus mirus

watchnerd said:


> No...you're ignoring free-air vs sealed driver resonances.
> 
> I know of no headphone that uses the same exact driver to make both a closed and open variant of the same.  Even if they did, the resonant frequency (absent EQ) would be different, thus making them different headphones.
> 
> I don't understand the point of this thread...


 
  
 Yes, my bad.  I can remove the wooden cups from my Denon D5K, which would probably be the closest thing to a legitimate test from a non-scientific consumer option.  The various, though subtle, FR differences found in recent Massdrop Fostex TH-X00 headphones should have been a reminder to me that cups both opened and closed, can make a difference in FR.  I was trying too hard to conjure up a situation where a combination of room environment and open headphones could be made to sound identical to a closed headphone.


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## SP Wild

It is generally accepted that closed backs will sound different to openbacks, because the theory is highly plausible, perhaps it is easily picked in a double blind test. 

I pose the question, can we look at a set of measurements from a dummy ear and derive from the data alone, with absolute certainty, whether the data was obtained from a closed or openback can? 

We are sending people to colonise Mars in the absolute confidence in our measurements.


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## labfm1

Just saw this thread pop up on the "recent" feed.
  
 I posted this elsewhere but will do here too. I bought both Audeze EL-8s, open and close to test out. I can say without a doubt that open sounds not only different to closed, but SIGNIFICANTLY better. More clarity, "fuller" sound, and more details in instrumentation. Closed sounded very "thin" comparatively....
  
 I was actually expecting them to sound fairly similar but they did not. I had both sets playing the same songs, going back and forth. Did this for a few days, swapping which cans I listened too first and playing various genres (alternative, indie, pop, r&b, funk, rap, reggae/dancehall, jazz). I had my wife listen too, and without any bias, she immediately noticed huge difference in sound and said keep the open ones.
  
 Not definitive as it's a small sample size and only 1 brand, but for me, difference was remarkable. Clear difference between open and closed. Obviously, closed got returned.


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## SP Wild

labfm1 said:


> Just saw this thread pop up on the "recent" feed.
> 
> I posted this elsewhere but will do here too. I bought both Audeze EL-8s, open and close to test out. I can say without a doubt that open sounds not only different to closed, but SIGNIFICANTLY better. More clarity, "fuller" sound, and more details in instrumentation. Closed sounded very "thin" comparatively....
> 
> ...


poll 

Bloody obvious right? 

Ability to decipher via measurement, not so...


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