Best noise cancelling 'phones????

Dick Rees

Dick Rees

Curmudgeonly Scandihoovian
Jan 11, 2011
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St Paul, MN
The son of a friend asked me what I thought the best noise cancelling headphones would be. I have never used them and know absolutely nothing about them. His usage is just to take an auditory "vacation" when he needs to as he finishes up some degree work, so music is the subject.

Any opinions????
 
Re: Best noise cancelling 'phones????

Bose. Seriously. They will do everything he wants, and they are not large. They are pretty expensive, but hey.

Personally, I use in-ear buds. Cost about the same, sound a little better, and I can pack them in my laptop bag. I'm a much bigger fan of passive noise attenuation since I can't hear it working, or hear the added hiss from the little amp in the headphones, and it doesn't require batteries.
 
Re: Best noise cancelling 'phones????

I had a pair of sony noise cancellation phones and wasn't impressed. I later traded them for one of the top end sony earbuds (which are actually low end compared to most professional pairs) and liked the physical isolation better than the noise canceling, just like Bennett.

Funny, but both were bought in airport kiosks while waiting for a flight. I don't listen to my ipod much except when it is played through the system in my car or truck, or through a sound system.
 
Re: Best noise cancelling 'phones????

Agreeing with Bennett. Bose's honestly have great noise cancelling (IMO, but I haven't heard many noise canceling headphones). If he has the money for it, then I don't see why it'd be a bad thing to buy. It'll probably do the job just fine.
 
Re: Best noise cancelling 'phones????

Dick,

Unless your friend's son is willing to spend the cash for custom molds, I think that noise cancelling headphones may be the better choice simply due to the convenience of removal and long-term comfort that they afford. You can't exactly turn off passive noise cancellation to hear what someone is saying and cheaper IEMs make my ear canals ache after prolonged use.

I have heard the BOSE cans myself a few times and must admit that I was fairly impressed. I would not buy them for myself, but would have no problem using them for casual listening if I was offered a pair. The noise-cancellation hiss is barely noticeable, but if you are listening for it, you'll notice it. Otherwise, it fades into the background and is a non-issue.

The unit's noise cancellation system relies on an externally-facing microphone on each side muff. If you block one or both mics, the noise cancellation is affected, more or less. It's a cool test, but not something one would normally do. I guess it could present an issue if laying on a pillow to fall asleep to whatever you're listening to.

If I were you, I would head to the nearest BestBuy (or similar) and demo a pair for yourself. Who knows, you might be surprised.
 
Re: Best noise cancelling 'phones????

Very pleased with the Bose ones. Since I hardly ever just sit and focus on music much anymore except when I'm in the car/truck or flying the Bose phones have allowed me to hear details in songs I thought I knew due to the lack of constant background noise of a vehicle or plane. I also am naturally uncomfortable with a plugged ear canal so the full-cup headphones give me a more open feeling IMHO as I really do enjoy listening to stereo music through a good set of speakers in a solitary aspect.
Sometimes I feel like they don't get loud enough but that may be more psychological as the noise cancelling really makes it unnecessary to be that loud so they probably are better for you long-term
 
Re: Best noise cancelling 'phones????

I'll have to agree that I prefer the passive isolation of decent in ear phones compared to active noise cancellation. I really like etymotic research. Their HF series has great and accurate sound. Extended response at both ends of the spectrum without overhyped LF and HF like you hear with many mass market products in this noise isolation/cancellation/ipod genre. They are not too expensive either...around $120 will get you a really nice pair including ipod controls and microphone if he uses them with a phone. I will confess that it does depend somewhat on the person's comfort level having something deeply inserted in the ear canal. I use Shure black foam tips with my etymotics and they are very comfortable but some people may have a hard time getting used to it. The other thing is microphonics from the cables with noise isolating ear canal phones. They will all have some transmitted sound from cable movement and from footsteps, heavy breathing etc. The active noise cancelling on ear or over the ear designs won't have that problem.

Loren Jones
 
Re: Best noise cancelling 'phones????

My sister bought her boyfriend a pair of these for his birthday. He's very happy with them and is doing exactly what your friend wants to do with them. Incidently they were also about 1/2 the price of the Bose equivalent.
 
Re: Best noise cancelling 'phones????

I have the bose, and when I have room in a travel bag I bring those, but mostly I just use my Shure SLC2 (? not pro, can't remember number) with custom ear molds and that blocks it all out. For long flights (7+ hours) at least on my noggin the Bose start to hurt whereas the shure are fine.

He could also just get a big comfy set of AKG K271's...
 
Re: Best noise cancelling 'phones????

Hello Dick,
I have a pair of Sennheisers that are at least 4 years old. They are very weird.
As in, when you put them on, or turn them on, your ears pop, and you want to move your jaw.
I like how they work, and when I side by sided them with Sonys at the time, there was a definite advantage to the Sennheisers.
That said, the Bose are way better. That is what my wife has. She got them to wear in server rooms, with lots of fan noise, but does not use them much anymore. On long flights I prefer the outer wear to something inside my ear. But I can see how the harness would bother others.
And I like active much more than passive, but sometimes wear both. I find that for flying, the lows/low mids are much better handled actively. As to music, the Sennheisers sound better in passive mode. But I do like using them for non DDLed PFLing, as they cut out the outside, and you are not fighting the inner vs outer, delayed vs real time. In active mode the Bose sound better than the Sennheiser.

I also prefer the active when carrying on a conversation, it is much more natural.


Regards, Jack
 
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