Originally Posted by
PTravel
In my view, they represent the best compromise for active NC and audio on a plane.
I also have a set of Etymotics. I do sometimes use them on short flights (90 minutes or less), but they do get uncomfortable and their bass response is lacking compared to phones.
I have to agree with you on Bose being a good compromise. They have a very good (best?) active NC and, let's admit, mediocre sound quality. But an airplane is not a listening room, so mediocre SQ might be good enough. But once you leave the plane the SQ is not good enough, you'll start to hear the noise introduced by the ANC, etc. I have the QC15 which only works with ANC on.
I prefer noise isolating - Etymotic. I have had their medium range products for many years (er6, er6i, hf3, hf5) No issues with bass (just insert correctly), with the right tips they are comfy and the outside world just disappears (which is why I rarely dare to use them while biking). Pair this with top of the class SQ, minuscule size, no batteries...