[consolidated] Noise Cancel Headphones vs Earbuds
 

Just curious everyone's recommendations on whether I should purchase noise cancelling head phones or ear buds? Specific model recommendations. I want to spend less than $150 if possible.

If you can stand to stick something in your ears, I'd go for so-called in-ear monitors. The ones with the silicone flanges give you a passive noise reduction of easily 20db. More than the circum- or supra-aural designs like Bose and without masking the actual signal. In addition, some companies offer in-ear monitors WITH active noise canceling on top of it, usually built into a little box hanging at chest level.

The main reason for this decision is sound, ease of transportation and price to sound quality.

A pair of $70 Klipsch S4 will sound better than the Bose sets and better than the comparable Audio Technica set.

If you are willing to spend up to 150, check if there are any in-ears in that price range that have detachable cables. The cables are the first thing to break. If they do, you basically need a new pair of headphones. With detachable cables you just get a new set of cables.

Check out Sennheiser, Etymotics, Shure.

Till

There is no right answer here, or at least not one you can get from anyone here :) It's all about what YOU find comfortable. Every person has different preferences. There are positives and negatives to both types. I'd suggest searching in the Travel Technology forum here for previous threads on the topic to review those pros & cons. You'll surely find a lot of discussion from other users about the ones they like/don't like.

+1

This is a very personal decision that only you can answer.

I did a lot of search around on FT when I was trying to make this decision. I don't know if there is any substitute for just trying it out yourself.

I ended up purchasing in-ear monitors. They are comfortable enough that I can wear them as earplugs for sleeping.

Bose Qc3 FTW... Sleep with them on on long hall... To answer your questions. over the ear.. not buds...

It's also not necessarily an either or. I have a pair of Etymotics 6i I use for all sorts of travel. Space wise they are hard to beat. (though I wish they had a shorter cable (since they are never connected to something farther away than my pocket or my hand). I also routinely borrow my significant other's Audio Technica over the ear active noise cancelling headphones.

When I want maximum noise cancelling and sound I wear both. When I want to sleep without music, I wear regular foam earplugs with the Audio Technica headphones. When I want to travel light (or am on public transit, like a subway or bus, or we are both travelling), I wear just the Etymotics.

Granted, my combined set up exceeds your budget, but you could consider both. When I had to chose one, I decided the compactness, portability, and broader use of the in ear ones were a better value for me. But then again, I don't mind sticking something in my ear (though it did take some learning to get a good seal.)

They sell both because some people prefer one and other people prefer others. I hate ear buds, so I would vote for NC headphones, but there are many people who feel the other way.

You need to try both and see which you like better.

It's really up to you; both serve different purposes and thus have their own pros and cons. I would also suggest consider full sized closed headphones (think the size of the Bose over hear noise cancelling headphones), as they also provide very good isolation without the ear fatigue experienced with ear buds while (potentially) retaining superior acoustic properties.

Bose noise canceling headsets are amazing if you are looking for quiet; music quality however, is ok at best. I really enjoy my Bose headset on the long flights. I would say pick these if you value peace and quiet above all else. The sound quality is certainly not bad, it’s just nowhere near as good as on a quality set of headphones.

A pair of good quality ear buds or full sized "cans" will yield much better sound quality with less isolation. Some are more geared towards low end sound and pair nicely with rap/techno/electronica; while others (Grados come to mind, although they are open so not a good choice at all for an airplane) are great for the high end of the sound spectrum, think rock/jazz. You can increase isolation (silencing of ambient noise) by changing the ear pads or by changing the tips of the ear buds (including ordering tips custom made to fit your ear). If you choose this route, there is another forum which I'm sure can be found by searching for the words head and fi...

Good luck and enjoy.

This! I had Bose QC2 that finally broke. Taking redeye flights I noticed that it's easier for me to sleep with in ear as opposed to on-ear because I like to rest on the side of my head.

I was a longtime Bose headset until I switched to in-ear buds (etymotics ER4) three years ago. Since then I have put away the Bose headsets and it use primarily when mowing the lawn or using the snow blower.

Here are the reasons I like the in-ear buds over the over the ear noise cancelling headsets:

1) Ear buds are discreet and can be worn anywhere and anytime during my travels. I usually put my earbuds on after going thru security up until I pick up my rental car at my destination. Try wearing the Bose headsets at an airport terminal while walking around the airport waiting for your next flight.

2) Ear buds are compact and easy to put away. With the Bose (or any over the ear) headsets, there is that one extra thing you have to worry that you don't leave them in the plane. If you don't like to wear buds outside your flight, you can always put them in your pants or shirt pocket.

3) FAs are trained to spot those over the ear headsets before take-off or right before landing. Since most of them have a power button, they have to be put away during takeoff or approach. I never have that issue with the earbuds.

In the end, it is a personal preference. I think one of the reasons Bose is popular is because it spends lots of $$$ on marketing. Plus, every flyer recognizes the huge cups over the ear. Nobody else recognizes the $299 Etymotics that I use which is my preference.

Good luck !!

If you can swing the extra, I'd highly recommend the Vsonic GR07 and the Fiio E6 amplifier and cable. It would be pushing $200, but the quality far exceeds what I've heard from Shure and Ety over the last decade at around that price point.

If not, Shure has been my go-to in the recent past at the $100-150 point.

I had big, over-ther-ear phones once - 50x larger to carry, you look like a goof walking up and down the aisle wearing them, they prevent you (me) from sleeping on a plane due to their bulk, the sound quality is nowhere near as good, etc. Yes, the NC works well, but I'll take the noise blocking and all the associated benefits.

Earbuds all the way.

I did have the Bose QC15s but found them much too bulky. I prefer to travel light. :)

I use the Sennheiser CX 880 Noise-Isolating earbuds. They sound fantastic, isolating noise really well. Currently about $85 - the best bang for your buck imo. My only complaint is that the cable gets tangled up quite often. :rolleyes:

I prefer in-ear ones, and I have the Sennheiser MM70's. It's worth noting that if you buy the ones that squeeze into your ear can to a certain extent block noise emanating out from your earphones so you can have the volume quite a bit higher without bothering those around you. The Bose in ear sets are a bit more comfortable but don't do this.

I have followed a lot of your posts as regards space saving travel tips. I have a QC3 which is getting worn. Recently I have gone to trialing one-bag travel and one thing that really gets to me is the space these Bose headsets occupy in my hand baggage. It is a pain when trying to maximize utility of space to have to accomodate the Bose case.

What noise cancelling options do you recommend for easy of packing and space saving? I know the obvious is to move to ear-buds but is there a middle ground? I have never survived earbuds for an entire transatlantic or transpacific flight, and at some point need to take them off, and think I still may need over the ear for comfort but maybe I havent tried real good ones. Another concern I actually have about spending so much on buds is I tend to 'lose' them. I have a set I bought 100 USD couple years ago and have no idea where it went to. I am sure it is in some pocket somehwere and will reappear someday but I never have had a problem locating my bose headsets in that ridiculously large case...