Headphone for use with scanners?

[iMONITOR]

I'm looking for a good pair of headphones to use with my scanner radios. What do you suggest?

Preferences/Requirements:

Fit large heads. Many I've tried don't come down low enough on the ears.
Considering over hear, or on ear, but not in ear.
Not too big or clunky.
Must allow hearing ambient sounds around me.
Not leak a lot of sound so they don't disturb the wife while she's watching TV.
Preferred wired/cord off one side, rather than one on each side, not wireless.
Proper impedance for Uniden BCD346HP/536HP series scanners.

 

[NYRHKY94]

They are "pricey", but I find the Bose QC15 headphones to be excellent for my scanners as well as phones, tablets, airplane travel etc. Very comfortable for long periods of use, over the ear coverage and a nice long cord on one side. They are noise cancelling so you will hear very little ambient noise and will not disturb the Mrs. TV viewing (my situation exactly).

 

[iMONITOR]

They are "pricey", but I find the Bose QC15 headphones to be excellent for my scanners as well as phones, tablets, airplane travel etc. Very comfortable for long periods of use, over the ear coverage and a nice long cord on one side. They are noise cancelling so you will hear very little ambient noise and will not disturb the Mrs. TV viewing (my situation exactly).

Thanks for the suggestion, I'm doing a little research.

I've seen new prices from $150 to $350+. Some are in what appears to be a plain white OEM box, that doesn't even say BOSE anywhere on it. One seller claims the OEM box is brown. I wonder if they're fake?

 

[spacellamaman]

MHP81

having given up on a similar quest, bout a week ago i found these at a gun store on clearance for $40

MHP81 Talkabout® Electronic Earmuff

https://www.motorolasolutions.com/e...sumer-accessories/mhp81.html#tabaccessoryinfo

Aside from the big head part, (i have a normal/normal-small sized head) it
should fit the bill for ya. does require N batts but claimed life is 200+
hrs and after 4 hours use so far just fine. works great using a BR330T.
seems i will never find anything that will work the way i want it to with
my PRO-668. the 2 sided cord thing is a issue for me too but the way it is
set up i find it mitigates the normal issues due to positioning of plugs
etc.

and if you have ever used peltors for shooting etc, these work just as good
as ones of a 2006 vintage, based on my recollections.

essentially all of your requirements have generally been mine as well, and
while some aspects may not look as if it fits your needs, i found all of
the aspects to be of little concern. at least for $40 bucks.

 

[flythunderbird]

I'm looking for a good pair of headphones to use with my scanner radios. What do you suggest?

I bought a set of these for my online racing activities. The microphone has since died, but the cans still work well and are very clear.

https://www.amazon.com/HyperX-Gaming-Headset-Nintendo-Switch/dp/B00SAYCVTQ/

They are over-ear, with a padded headband, not heavy, and the wire comes out of one side. The microphone boom plugs into a jack on one of the cans; if you choose not to use the microphone, a plastic cap is included for the jack. A very nice set. No idea on the impedance question, though ...

 

[radio3353]

You may want to concentrate your search for a set of communications headphones rather than a set of hi-fi headphones. Communications headphones, like communications speakers, will accentuate the voice frequency range making your reception more intelligible. I don't have a specific recommendation for you, but Google is your friend - search 'communications headphones.

 

[iMONITOR]

You may want to concentrate your search for a set of communications headphones rather than a set of hi-fi headphones. Communications headphones, like communications speakers, will accentuate the voice frequency range making your reception more intelligible. I don't have a specific recommendation for you, but Google is your friend - search 'communications headphones.

I was thinking the same thing. The extra money is for the wider frequency response for high quality music sound. Voice coms are usually tailored between 500Hz-5KHz. The problem is finding a set that still meets my other criteria.

 

[Wilrobnson]

I use an Aluratek Bluetooth audio transmitter synced to Bose QC35's....mostly for travel where the radio is in my carry-on as I hang around the airport during layovers/plane changes.

Every idiot you see is listening to something on headphones, so I just blend in with the rest of the idiots....Wait. I should rephrase that.

 

[CQ]

Start out with a pair of existing headphones and see where that leads you. This isn't critical listening now.

Used a set of V-Modas and work fine. Also found some throwaway ear buds that do the job as well.

 

[radio3353]

I was thinking the same thing. The extra money is for the wider frequency response for high quality music sound. Voice coms are usually tailored between 500Hz-5KHz. The problem is finding a set that still meets my other criteria.

How about the Kenwood HS-5?

 

[iMONITOR]

How about the Kenwood HS-5?

I almost went with those, however their impedance is 8-ohms, and I recently found out in another thread I started, that the earphone jack impedance on the x36HP series scanners is 32-ohms. So I'm thinking 8-ohms headphones would not provide optimal performance, ie; either overload the scanner's audio output circuit, or not provide good volume and possibly some distortion?

Or am I over thinking this?

 

[radio3353]

I almost went with those, however their impedance is 8-ohms, and I recently found out in another thread I started, that the earphone jack impedance on the x36HP series scanners is 32-ohms. So I'm thinking 8-ohms headphones would not provide optimal performance, ie; either overload the scanner's audio output circuit, or not provide good volume and possibly some distortion?

Or am I over thinking this?

8 ohm and 32 ohm would both be considered low impedance. You won't hear a difference.

 

[iMONITOR]

8 ohm and 32 ohm would both be considered low impedance. You won't hear a difference.

Thanks

 

[nanZor]

The communications quality frequency response is recommended, especially with a scanner. Aside from rolling off the highs, rolling off the lows can be just as important if your scanner is passing low-frequency PL tones from analog systems.

Internal speakers may be filtered or may not be large enough to reproduce these frequencies efficiently, but sometimes the headphone / line outs can, and drive you nuts.

Amplifier hiss: even when properly matched in impedance, some audio amps don't operate cleanly at very low audio levels, or when squelched.

While frequency response is part of the solution, so is a proper load beyond simple impedance matching. Resistive in-line attenuators (volume pots for each ear), or simple external "volbox" or similar 3rd party attenuators can help provide a better load to the amp when not driven loudly, and reduce hiss when they are operating with inefficient volume drive.

 

[Ubbe]

Headphones/earphones vary very much in sensitivity that (sometimes) are declared in dB. Too sensitive and you'll be listening to the hiss from the scanners audiosection when the squelch is closed.

Get a cheap extension cord with a volume control and adjust until no hiss can be heard and then adjust the scanners volume to a suitable level.

Listening to constant hiss will drive you crazy and will probably make you tension you muscles so you could experiance neck pain and headache.

/Ubbe

 

[iMONITOR]

All of this is causing me to thing some of the least expensive headphones might be the best choice. But a lot of them, like the typical race-track headphones are very big, heavy and bulky. All of which I'm trying to avoid. I actually used to like the $10.00 ones Radio Shack used to sell. How many of you remember these?

 

[captainmax1]

I mostly use good generic ear buds when I'm in public so that I can also hear sounds around me. Ear buds are also good when watching TV with other people so that you don't disturb them. You can hear the scanner and TV at same time. I would say the best over the ear headphones for voice you can get are from Racing Electronics (RE). I use them when I go to Nascar Races, Flight Shows or any loud racing event. I have the Gemini 5 System but they have many models and price ranges. I also have several professional studio headphones I use in my Music Lab/ Radio Shack but they are engineered for music and not voice. You will not be disappointed with a pair of RE Headphones.
https://racingelectronics.com/collections/headphones-accessories

 

[iMONITOR]

You will not be disappointed with a pair of RE Headphones.
https://racingelectronics.com/collections/headphones-accessories

They look like they'd get a little warm after awhile?

 

[captainmax1]

Never noticed that they created or retained heat in my head and I use them in the summer. I would say wearing a ball cap is hotter but wearing anything on your head in the Florida Summer Heat will be hotter than nothing at all. Most of them are amplified with a volume control for each ear. I do own a set of RE Headphones that are not amplified and they sound good also.

 

[Peerlessk]

I’m very picky with anything audio related . For the money the Sony 1000x headphones outperformed anything Bose has on the table . I have several headphones costing from $200- $1500 the Sony 1000x just does everything right . Music,talk, they are perfect for scanners .