niceflyer1186

I use AirBuds ($40 amazon) They are made from memory foam so the tips expand and stay comfortable forever. I never travel without them anymore and they have completely replaced my bose sound canceling phones

MAN Pax

Prompted by this thread I dug out my old Sure E3C in ears and replaced the custom ear pieces with the yellow foam tips.

With the yellow tips, I do feel them after about two hours, but a lot more wearable than with the customer ear pieces. I'm keeping them in my travel bag for the times I don't carry the Sennheisers.

Need

Not noise cancelling, but the under $50 Philips Citiscape Downtown on ear headphones seal out noise well. They are very comfortable with the memory foam. They don't fold flat though.

kebosabi

My selection criteria:

1. Do you wear headphones while you're asleep?
Yes.

2. Do you sleep on your side?
Yes.

Hence, over the ear headphones for me would just be a pain in the butt. In ear phones are better for me.

I use a Shure SE535 which is pretty steep, but I'm sure there are in ear headphones that's just as good and within your price range.

vmsea

Yah the Shure 335 which is less than half the price, but does the same thing as the 535.. i mean the 535 is better if you're in a more ideal listening environment, but on a plane, you won't notice too much difference..

ani90

I suppose then you always fly in front cabins. For some of us who fly in coach, sleeping on the side is not an option, and for those who travel shorter trips sleeping will be in a sitting position.

PhilipWest

As I take a lot of short flights 1-2 hours so lots of customs, checking in, bus transfers, phone calls then the bluetooth Sennheiser mm450 are really good. Unfortunately the battery only lasts 8 or so hours so limited use for long haul

numericmischief

Another option which you might consider would be noise cancelling headphones over the ear + musicians earplugs in your ears. Then you get passive noise reduction of the musician's ear plugs and isolation similar to in ear, plus you get the active noise reduction of the headphones. You'd want musician's ear plugs otherwise you'll find your music distorted as the hearing protection ear plugs are not designed to dampen all frequencies equally.

gungadin25

Does anyone have experience with noise-canceling earbuds? I feel like they might be the best compromise for sleeping, comfort, and noise reduction. There are two highest-rated models that I see often:

Audio Technica ATH-ANC23: http://www.amazon.com/Audio-Technica.../dp/B004K09H32

Phiaton PS 20 NC: http://www.amazon.com/Phiaton-PS-20-.../dp/B00456V6WQ

Anyone? I can only sleep on planes when I have silence. And unless I sleep on an Asia to U.S. flight, I'm a zombie for at least 3 days.

JulieKirkwood

Ive never got on with in-ear so use Bose QC15 and I am very happy with them

divingdancer

I like my Bose QC15's. i get headache from the engine noise so they are a life saver. :-)

Chris C

I use Denon AN-NC600 ear buds with Comply T-400 foam, they are very comfortable, great sound quality and cut out a great deal of background noise. the noise cancelling seems to be optimised for aircraft engine noise too. I use wax ear plugs for sleeping, correctly inserted they cut out background noise completely.

gohan403

I use the Harman Kardon Over-the-Ear Headphones a little pricey but the mids, lows are wonderful and the noise cancellation is great.

young707

what is your experiences with noise cancelling headphones and earphones?

I am shopping for new one. I heard about the expensive Bose Quiet Comfort 15 at $300. Is the money spent worth it? I often have to endure the 16 hours cross Pacific flight, Plase share your experiences on this? C-Net rated this 4 stars out of 5. Seat Guru rate the older QC3 high quality. But TopTenReview rated Bose QC15 7th with 8.38 - so what is with this?
http://noise-cancelling-headphones-r...enreviews.com/

Sony Cancelling Headphone (not earbud) is only $50 at Staples. Cnet rate this 3.5 stars. But it is over the ear, not cover the ear.

However, none of these noise cancelling around-the-ear headphones are wireless. I hate the cord plug on the seat. Have you used any blue tooth type? How does the audio plug adapter to the seat works?

I have usied several noise cancelling earbuds - made by Sony, Pansonic & Philips. The recent one I left in the seat pouch in front of me when I went to the toilet. It was missing when I returned. Well, somebody stole it.

chollie

I'm a bit confused.

AFAIK, 'noise-cancelling' headphones usually have an on-off switch and actually do something to offset the noise. I think most are over-the-ear type. That style can be a significant factor - it works well for some people, others can't sleep with them or can't find the right fit.

Earbuds are usually 'sound-isolating', ie, no on-off switch. They are really just a combination of ear plugs and regular earphones. They're much smaller than over-the-ear models (if that is important to you). Some people find them uncomfortable on long flights. Durability can be a concern.

There are also issues of sound quality - this is more important to some folks than to others. For example, Beats might not be the best choice for someone who listens to opera.

For example: I travel light, don't have the best of hearing, often try to sleep on flights. For me, 'sound-isolating' earbuds work well. They are small, light, I don't have ears sensitive to excellent audio, they block enough of the external noise, and they don't generally interfere with my sleep (although I sometimes switch to regular earplugs just so I don't damage the wires by sleeping on them). It is important to try out the different ear bud styles. I find the flange ones more comfortable on longhauls; the soft, mold-to-your-ear rubbery ones give great blockage but can leave the inside of my ear tender after a very long flight.

I think Cnet's reviews (and many on other 'electronics' sites) are coming more from the standpoint of an audiophile listening at home or work, not so much from someone who is flying (where there's inevitably a lot of sustained background noise of a particular type). So those reviews aren't always the most comprehensive if you're thinking about phones/buds for flying.