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I am looking for a headphone for a very specific situation and could use some suggestions.

  • First of all, it must have very good noise isolation: not as much for me, but more for those in the same environment, whom I don't want to trouble with whatever I'm hearing. Therefore, I thought of a closed-back headphone.
  • Second, I live in a very warm weather, which reaches over 40°C (100°F) in summer, accompanied by high humidity. So, I need the headphones to be as breathable as possible, which kinda goes against my previous point... I have had on-ear headphones before, and found them to be incredibly uncomfortable at these temperatures, due to the contact between the padding and the ear skin, so I think Over-the-ear devices are probably better suited to me.
  • Still on the topic of very warm weather, I have heard very good things about velour pads and think they could be a good idea. They seem to diminish sound isolation, but given I am thinking of closed-back devices, I believe the isolation would still be quite good overall.
  • I have no need for attached microphones nor for the headphone to be wireless, I am fairly happy being corded to my computer.
  • Finally, where I live the diversity of electronics found in stores is not great, and importing them is expensive and difficult. So, the more models are suggested as answer, the greater is the chance I can actually find one of them.

I list all my requirements, and their respective motives, since anyone is open to question my deductions and make their own suggestions.

PS. I am very new to the site, using it only sporadically and only as visitor, and it seems to me questions about headphones are not that common: so, if they are not really that welcome, please let me know.

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I can't promise these are what you're looking for, but I've DJ-ed in the Panasonic/Technics range for over a decade now, in decidedly less than ideal environments (i.e. not clubs, if you get my drift), and so, being able to hear what I'm doing, whilst standing directly behind a festival stack going "WHOOMPH! WHOOMPH! WHOOMPH! WHOOMPH!" for a couple or four hours at a stretch requires my cans to isolate very well indeed and be comfortable for that length of time!

Whilst I've not had to do so in 40C temperatures, I've found myself in rooms in which, never mind the Niagara Falls of sweat pouring off my face, it was raining communal sweat from the ceiling - so, although I can't say how well they'd hold up where you are, they've held their own in some pretty unpleasantly hot rooms.

I'd recommend the Technics RP-DH1200/1250/1250-S range because they're the ones I know, but YMMV.

I use Beyerdynamic DT 990 Pro headphones in the studio, but they're open back, so won't meet your needs. However, they have the 'velour' you're after (which the Technics don't). So, whilst I can't vouch for them personally, you might find the similar (but closed) DT 770 Pro model is more what you're looking for than the Panasonic/Technics.

One caveat though: given how much I've sweated into my headphones when Di-ing, I wouldn't want to wear velour covered cups under those circumstances myself - they'd very quickly become unpleasant to wear (literally soaking in sweat) and, furthermore, get ruined in no time (which, in the long tun, would probably end up weakening the seal around your ears as well) </just a heads up>

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  • The Beyerdynamics are a nice suggestion, although I would probably look for a newer model, and the Technics also seem good options, despite the fact I am having difficulties finding them at all close to where I live. But let me ask about your last point: I agree that the velour would probably soak up the sweat, but isn't the idea to stop the sweat from breaking? I mean, I won't be DJing with them, I would be seating for long periods, under a fan but on temperatures of 35-40°C, don't you think the velour could help simply not sweating?
    – user16732
    Commented Dec 7, 2020 at 23:15
  • I can't say, because, as said, I haven't used the velour ones when DJ-ing. However, whilst I might be wrong about this, I don't think the velour is a "catch the sweat" thing so much as a matter of keeping them comfortable over extended periods.
    – Techsplorer
    Commented Dec 8, 2020 at 11:45
  • The reason why you might break out in a sweat not as significant as the fact that you might, so I'm not sure the fact you won't be DJ-ing in them specifically is relevant; either you sweat in them or you don't.
    – Techsplorer
    Commented Dec 8, 2020 at 11:45
  • So the question is really whether you'll wear them long enough for them to become drenched or not. If yes then they'll 1) be unpleasant to wear, 2) will stop performing whatever sweat-trapping function they were and 3) potentially get ruined (it depends on how regularly it happens).
    – Techsplorer
    Commented Dec 8, 2020 at 11:45
  • But I don't know the environment you'll be in, so I can only raise issues you might want to consider based upon my own experience - if the fan means you won't sweat (much) then the velour ones might be fine.
    – Techsplorer
    Commented Dec 8, 2020 at 11:46

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