I have been offered an Emirates headphone set, clearly marked 'Emirates'. The story is that they were given to a First Class/Gold Card member along with the usual First Class 'goodies'. Having travelled Business Class I was always of the opinion that you were not supposed to remove the headphones from the A/C. Is it different for first class passengers or would I run the chance that they would be snatched back if I bought them and used them in economy on my next trip.

As a frequent first class passenger, i have never been offered the head sets, they are only useful on the plane and hence why would emirates give them away?

PS Private head set is always better

The headsets are clearly marked "Property of Emirates" not simply "Emirates" - look at the leather connector between the two earpieces. I don't think they can be given away.

If these are the over-the-head type headphones available to first and business class passengers on EK flights they are, as a previous member has pointed out, marked “Property of Emirates” so removal could technically constitute theft. Not that the flight crew will immediately arrest you and put you in chains for the rest of the flight, but they may well ask for their property back (nicely of course) which may cause you some embarrassment .

The noise cancelling headphones are only usable in first and business classes. The plug/socket having a three pin configuration (one pin being used to provide power to the internal noise cancelling circuit within the headset). Economy class headsets are two pin configuration plugs/sockets, so you would not be able to use the noise cancelling headphones in economy anyway.

You mentioned being offered ‘headphones’. I’m not sure if there is not a little confusion here.

This year Gold card members were offered a choice of ‘thank you’ gifts. One of these being a set of noise cancelling headphones. These headphones are in fact in-the-ear earphones. They are black, marked with the Emirates logo, come in a small carrying bag (also marked with the Emirates logo) and have both single and dual pin configuration, which allows them to be used with most audio devices having a standard stereo socket as well as in all classes of Emirates flights.

I opted for this gift and have found them quite good in terms of sound quality. They are not ‘true’ noise cancelling (as my Bosse headset), but they do a good job and are far more convenient to carry on board in my hand luggage. If you have been offered a set of these, take them.

I took the same as a Gold - on reading the fine print, I realized that they were marketed as "noise reducing" headsets by Emirates, but I read them as "noise canceling" as that is what I was expecting as a 'loyalty' gift/ bonus. They are still lying in my drawer and I haven't used them at all to comment on their sound quality, but by the looks of it, doesn't seem much different than the 'el cheapo' headsets you get on ebay.

There was a thread by Ahmed777 which discussed this in quite some detail. I believe he was given a set by a crew member when he was in first class and once used them when he was in economy and the crew accused him of stealing them. I think in the end he had to give them back but may be wrong.

I got 'gifted' these by Emirates. Must have cost them nearly a Dollar!
I'd leave them in that drawer if I were you.
The sound quality is representative of the manufacturing cost..........

Not quite correct according to recent posts on here.

There are aircraft where the Y cabin is fitted with 3 pin sockets. This thread from earlier this year discusses it:

http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/emira...dphones-y.html

Can somebody suggest a good set to buy ( nothing crazy priced )

There are so many out there

The Bose QuietComfort range are hard to beat.