lhrsfo

+1. The Audio Technica's have great sound cancelling and, for me, are particularly comfortable.

supertester

After trying several (cheaper) ones, I finally threw in the towel and bought the factory refurb Bose QC15 for $270. On my next flight I too 3 of my other headphones to verify the performance of each one and Bose is just the best. No humming sounds, no issues.

kjm3579

I have had these recommended to me for use on my iPod: http://www.v-moda.com/headphones/remix.aspx -- I would also like to be able to use them with my laptop but would need to find an adapter to separate the connections for the mic and the earphones.

nchinetti

I have been travelling with my ATH-ANC3 for about two years (~200k miles) and they work very well. I prefer the ANC3 over the hardwired Sennheiser noise cancelling headphones found in Air Canada J cabin lie-flat beds. I also have a pair of three-year-old ATH-ANC7 that sounds better than the ANC3 and probably performs a bit better in terms of noise cancellation as well. But the ultra-portability of the ANC3 wins out for 95% of my travels since I fly carry-on-only on most of my business trips so luggage space/weight is of primary concern.

... also, I find that when flying in J with lie-flat bed, I can sleep on the side comfortably with ANC3 but not the balkier over-the-head sets.

richinaz

I got the same ones a couple of months ago and they are excellent. I had been using a less expensive Sennheiser set that was given to me as a gift a number of years ago. While the Sennheiser noise cancellation was much better than regular headphones, the Bose ones are significantly better (and of course more money). If you fly frequently they are worth the money IMO. Unfortunately they are larger than the Sennheiser but worth the extra size/cost.

whackyjacky

I'm a Koss PortaPro guy. Funky looking, but lightweight, comfortable, cheap, and delivers fabulous sound. They fold up and take up no space. Just bought my 3rd pair in 20 years. Paid $23 on Ebay. CNET loves 'em too: http://reviews.cnet.com/headphones/k...ntv#cnetReview

LAChargers

I've had the QC2 and then the QC3 but I preferred the QC2 because I didn't like the on-ear phones. My headband broke on the QC2 and when I took it in, the store was going to exchange it and instead I paid an extra $50 to buy the QC3.

Before the QC3 purchase I bought the in-ear Shure SE500PTH (I think that was the model) because I wanted to try the in-ears I heard so much about. I found that on long trips I couldn't lean against the window or lie down on my side with the Bose but didn't have much of a problem with the Shures.

I lost those Shures and bought the SE530 which I still use. A few months ago I bought the QC15s because I wanted to change at times but after listening to both at the same time with the same source, the Shures sound quality is so much better that I don't even use the QC15s. They sit in my office in a drawer.

The sound quality of the QC15s is very good but when comparing it to the Shures, it really doesn't compare. The Shures are significantly more expensive though at about $500+.

barte

Feel free to send those QC15's that are in your office drawer, if you're not using them anyways
I did heard good things about those Shure SE530's , but only tried the SE110's and those were pretty bad.

mcgahat

I got my QC15's last week and I would say the noise canceling is better and they seem to fit better but I would be hard to tell the difference between the QC15's and the QC2's from the outside.

mcgahat

Today on Woot.com, 7/2/2010.
Able Planet NC500SC Sound Clarity Noise Canceling Headphones $59.99.

Not familiar with the quality but price seems pretty low compared to what they normally go for.

Global_Hi_Flyer

Stay away from Able Planet. Really.

mcgahat

Anyone familiar with this model? I saw them in an electronics store in Tokyo while shopping today. I see the NC500D's but cant find any info on US based sites on them and in particular what the differences are between the 500D and 600D.

donaldsc

Have you thought about noise blocking earbuds instead of noise canceling earphones? The ear buds work to block all frequencies; ear phones block steady state low frequency sounds only. Also, the earbuds are much smaller - you can put a set into your pocket.

I have a set of good Shure earbuds and I love them.

DON

willyroo

Welcome to FT, donaldsc. How about "in ears" that actively cancel for $149?

Phiaton PS20 NC earphones with active noise cancelling

jamieqpr

I have always used Sennheiser CX300's, which are a great bit of kit when you take into account the price at $20-$30....

They made a big difference on flights with drowning out the engine noise and helped me sleep numerous times..

An overexcited pair of kittens put paid to my last pair of them and this time i decided to try som Creative's that had good reviews and were a bit more expensive and tbh they are absolutely nothing on the Sennheisers