A student has just alerted me to a headphone sale at Best Buy - including my old favourites Sennheiser HD499, and the replacement  HD560S. Ends May 28.

And as some folks have asked:

1. Wired is much better than wireless, for latency especially, and for ease of use. You're sitting in a chair - cable up!
2. Open back is much better than closed if you want to hear yourself play (and you do!)
3. Avoid “isolating” and “noise cancelling”. You WANT to hear the harp sounds which those headphones think is noise.
4. If you don't have a headphone jack on the device you're using for Zoom, you'll need a Digital Audio Converter to connect your headphones to your computer or tablet. Look for the correct USB connection - USB C or Lightning, and you're good to go. Under $25. 

When COVID made us all go on-line for lessons, many folks invested in good headphones to make the state of on-line music learning at least bearable. Zoom was pretty terrible for music, and headphones were needed. But in the intervening 6 years, Zoom has made tremendous improvements to their software and now people can use their settings for music and get away without having headphones. 

But we still need to use echo cancellation so that everything I say doesn't happen twice, (or more) and as a result the very good software cuts out the sound from me while you are playing, except for tiny bits in the gaps between notes. 

So I'm suggesting that a summer project is to find a good set of headphones and use them for your on-line music lessons and classes - especially classes where you're often playing along with me. You'll find it so much better to hear what I'm playing or saying. (well, at least I hope so) 

I favour - STRONGLY favour - open back over ear headphones. They are comfortable for long use - and the open back will mean you hear your harp as well as the zoom sound. Nothing else really works as well.

Someone asked this morning about which ones to buy. My beloved Sennheiser HD 499 are no longer available but the closest thing is the new Sennheiser 560S. Sadly, they're not available at Long and McQuade, but they are, for $279, at all the usual on-line purveyors.

The more expensive versions are not so recommended for a few reasons - weight, bass response, etc. - but any open back is better than none.

Happy to hear any other recommendations folks have. And I hear they're an excellent Mother's day gift!