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Noise Cancelling Headphones...
- Thread starter edge540
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I have the Bose Quiet Comfort 2 headphones. They are the best. They are light, do a great job, and I love them. I took them on an airplane and at first was surprised that they didn't block as much sound as I thought. Then I took them off to move around and it was loud!
Plus they come with adaptors for just about anything.
Plus they come with adaptors for just about anything.
Bose QuietComfort 2
Very comfortable, work as advertised, particularly on airplanes. But be aware that as part of the noise cancelling process, the headphones generate a sound pressure that pushes against the eardrum, which for me caused a headache. For most people, it's not an issue, but I was bothered by the pressure and eventually ebayed them.
Very comfortable, work as advertised, particularly on airplanes. But be aware that as part of the noise cancelling process, the headphones generate a sound pressure that pushes against the eardrum, which for me caused a headache. For most people, it's not an issue, but I was bothered by the pressure and eventually ebayed them.
I have to agree Bose, I have the first seires and they are amazing, my brother has the second series and i loved them even more then i love mine, infact i'm thinking of upgrading
umm... yeah. He specificallly said not bose, because they are so big.
For smaller headphones, I would go with the Shure E3c. They aren't technically noise cancelling (they don't need batteries or anything), but they are noise isolating headphones, so they're designed to make a really good seal with your ear, so noise doesn't get in. If you're on a budget, you could get the E2c headphones. My mom has a pair, and they have very good sound isolation, and quite good sound quality. It's just that the sound quality of the E3c's is even better.
For smaller headphones, I would go with the Shure E3c. They aren't technically noise cancelling (they don't need batteries or anything), but they are noise isolating headphones, so they're designed to make a really good seal with your ear, so noise doesn't get in. If you're on a budget, you could get the E2c headphones. My mom has a pair, and they have very good sound isolation, and quite good sound quality. It's just that the sound quality of the E3c's is even better.
I was actually very impressed with Sony's MDR-NC11 (actually the model before this but these are the ones I could find the part number on and I'm sure they're the same). I thought they worked much better than the Bose personally. With these someone talking was basically canceled out where with the Bose you can pretty easily hear someone talk. They only canceled out low frequency.
Get the Etymotic ER-6 or ER-6i (or the ER-4 if you have enough money). They are the best in noise cancelling there is because they are in-ear headphones, plus they sound awesome.
With the ER-6i and the ER-4 you cannot hear the airplane noise while flying, very nice and quiet.
Etymotic Research
With the ER-6i and the ER-4 you cannot hear the airplane noise while flying, very nice and quiet.
Etymotic Research
Diatribe said:
What he said. I have both ER6 and ER4 Etymotics and they are great. I've heard good things about Shure E3c.
lasuther
bose.
i know you said not bose, but they work better than anything else out there. the small in ear ones are the worst. i tried a pair of sony in-ear and they are horrible compared to the bose. other full size earphones are good, but still not the quality of bose.
i know you said not bose, but they work better than anything else out there. the small in ear ones are the worst. i tried a pair of sony in-ear and they are horrible compared to the bose. other full size earphones are good, but still not the quality of bose.
wPod said:
Better than anything else out there huh?
You must have had a lot of time and money trying out every single one...
THE small in ear ones are the worst?
You come to that conclusion by having tested ONE pair?
I'm sorry if this sounds harsh but if you have nothing to say don't post.
Diatribe said:
Jeez, did someone wake up on the wrong side of the bed this morning? That wasn't harsh, that was downright nasty. People need to chill out.
Anyway, my vote would go for Bose as well. While I haven't test EVERY pair as Diatribe seems to think one should do before making an informed opinion, I have gone through many in my lifetime and thus far, I conclude that my Bose headphones have given me the most enjoyment so far.
As for the in ear headphones, I like them. I have a $50 Sony pair which I use when I work out. It works excellent. I couldn't bear to use my Bose ones while I work out and have sweat drip on them. I know that Sony sells a much more expensive $100+ in ear noise cancelling headphones and although I haven't had the opportunity to use them, I wouldn't think they'd be dramatically different from my $50 pair. The fact that they are in ear would mean by default that a lot of outside background noise would be blocked out but that's just my own logic...free of any bitter or resentful retorts...
Spymit007 said:
Nasty? Someone is overly sensitive here.
My point was that general statements like "this is the best" and "this kind is crap" are crap too. If you think something is good, state why, the same with the things you don't like because this way it seems like one doesn't want to help but rather persuade and state opinion for fact.
And you don't need to have tested every single one but saying that an entire product linne is crap because you have tested a low end product of that line is kind of low.
Sorry if this "offends" again but this is just a pet peeve of mine. No hard feelings.
jayscheuerle
macrumors 68020
Size matters.
The bigger ones are going to be better because they cover more of your ear to isolate and then cancel the exterior sound. Larger headphones will block more of the outside sound even without the noise-cancelling features. That's why in situations where the noise level is loud enough to cause damage, people have giant ear protectors on instead of little plugs in their canals.
The bigger ones are going to be better because they cover more of your ear to isolate and then cancel the exterior sound. Larger headphones will block more of the outside sound even without the noise-cancelling features. That's why in situations where the noise level is loud enough to cause damage, people have giant ear protectors on instead of little plugs in their canals.
The Sennheiser PXC-250 is well worth a look. They're not in-ear, but more like compact over-the-ear headphones. Despite the fact that they don't sit in the ear canal like earbuds or completely cover your ears like the Bose, the noise cancelling circuitry is very effective - especially on airplanes.
Diatribe said:Sorry if this "offends" again but this is just a pet peeve of mine. No hard feelings.
Point taken and no hard feelings at all
I got the Etymotic ER4s and I think they are kind of painfull to use all day. I went back to the stock earbuds after trying them for a month.
Make sure you are ok with the in-ear type before spending too much on them.
Make sure you are ok with the in-ear type before spending too much on them.
wPod said:
That is because sony makes some of the worst headphones you can buy.
Diatribe said:
The Shure E3c's are far more durable though.
ieani said:
Good advice. If you really want to know more about headphones check out this forum
Most people on this board are quite inexperienced and suggest Sony, who can make decent high-end phones, but make a plethora of crappy headphones. Sony only gets recommend due to their saturation, not quality.
ieani said:
While it is true for many Sony models, the larger over-ear type Sony MDR-7506s that I have and have used now for about 11 years are fantastic. For home listening, I recommend them highly, even if only with an iPod. I would not recommend any other Sony headphone as I've heard bad things about a few of them, but this particular model I CAN say is the best I have heard (and I've tried some "nicer" models from Sennheiser and Beyerdynamic and found them lacking in comparison.)
I don't like in ear phones and therefore can't say much about them.
I have some closed-ear Sony headphones and the quality is actually very, very good. A little more bass would definetely be nice, but they sound incredible. I just have a problem with the noise cancelling pressure effect mentioned earlier. I get a headache after having them switched on for too long.
When I used to work in music production and radio, Sennheiser was the norm. They make a fantastic product, but also aren't shy about charging for it.
I have a pair of Sennheisers that I use at home and Bose noise-cancelling ones for when I travel. The first time I used th Bose ones on a plane I was absolutely stunned at how well they worked. Not only was ambient noise minimized, but I didn't have to run the PowerBook and iPod volumes at 100% to hear things. I was also surprised to notice that after a coast-to-coast flight, I felt MUCH more refreshed and relaxed. I'm assuming it because I was playing things at normal audio levels and I also didn't have the constant drone of the jet engines pounding my senses for six hours.
All in all, if you travel, I recommend getting them. I'm happy with the Bose ones but can't speak for others.
I have a pair of Sennheisers that I use at home and Bose noise-cancelling ones for when I travel. The first time I used th Bose ones on a plane I was absolutely stunned at how well they worked. Not only was ambient noise minimized, but I didn't have to run the PowerBook and iPod volumes at 100% to hear things. I was also surprised to notice that after a coast-to-coast flight, I felt MUCH more refreshed and relaxed. I'm assuming it because I was playing things at normal audio levels and I also didn't have the constant drone of the jet engines pounding my senses for six hours.
All in all, if you travel, I recommend getting them. I'm happy with the Bose ones but can't speak for others.