Hiss reduction has nothing to do with hphone bleed.

A GOOD pair of closed ear (sealed), circumaural heaphones will do. However, there IS a limit. If your talent really cranks up the volume there will be some bleed at some point.

I've never done it myself, but a buddy of mine has used this trick with very good results. He puts up another mic off axis to the vocalist and records it, then inverts it for playback. He's even done it for a singer who wanted to use a wedge instead of cans so he could have that "on-stage" vibe.

This trick was used back in the 60's to control mic bleed on stage. Look at some old Hendrix concerts and you'll see a mic taped on top of the mic he sang into. The second mic was phase inverted and canceled out the bleed when he stepped away from singing. I guess that they were just too wasted to actually mix during the performance.

For this kind of use, check out the Audio-Technica ATH-D40, which can be had for about $60 now. (Much less than I paid!!) Many people like the Sennheiser 280's, but I don't at all. Headphones are rather personal, both in fit and in the way one's ear shape interacts with the sonic character.

A different approach is to get some big, headband-style hearing protectors at the hardware store, and put them on over a pair of earbuds. This is probably the best way to reduce leakage, but is somewhat clunky.

http://www.envirosafetyproducts.com/product/Peltor_H10A_Headband_Earmuff

For a more elegant solution, check out "Direct Sound" Extreme Isolation Headphones:

-30dB reduction from outside noise. I have a pair and they are GREAT!

thanks for the repsonses and advice!

It seems the best solution for me is to buy a pair of closed ear headphones.. Thanks again for the point in the right direction!!

:D

Regards,
Happy camper! haha