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Best noise cancelling headphones for flying?

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Old Sep 15, 2018, 1:58 pm
  #16  
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Update: I purchased the Bose QuietComfort 35 Il and used them on a recent trip FLL-DFW-EGE. The noise cancelling feature on the Bose was excellent but I was a little disappointed with the sound. Yesterday based on the post from Sixth Freedom I returned the Bose headphones to Best Buy and ordered the Bowers & Wilkins PX in the blue/gold combination.
I was looking for a lower price with an online price match but there was none to be found but luckily as an Elite Plus member I received a birthday discount from my Best Buy so they only cost $359.

By the way, the Bowers & Wilkins has a feature really worth mentioning as their ear cups are replaceable. They attach magnetically to the headphones and i don't have to tell you how the ear cups eventually wear out on most headphones.
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Old Sep 16, 2018, 12:54 pm
  #17  
 
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Seems like the Sony 1000X M3 has taken the crown for best noise cancelling headphones.
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Old Sep 16, 2018, 1:09 pm
  #18  
 
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Hopefully they won't snap in half after 18 months use like the previous models did. I ended up going with the QC 35 II over the 1000Xm2 because of that even though I thought the Sony's had a little better sound.
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Old Sep 16, 2018, 4:07 pm
  #19  
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Originally Posted by RSSrsvp
Update: I purchased the Bose QuietComfort 35 Il and used them on a recent trip FLL-DFW-EGE. The noise cancelling feature on the Bose was excellent but I was a little disappointed with the sound. Yesterday based on the post from Sixth Freedom I returned the Bose headphones to Best Buy and ordered the Bowers & Wilkins PX in the blue/gold combination.
I was looking for a lower price with an online price match but there was none to be found but luckily as an Elite Plus member I received a birthday discount from my Best Buy so they only cost $359.

By the way, the Bowers & Wilkins has a feature really worth mentioning as their ear cups are replaceable. They attach magnetically to the headphones and i don't have to tell you how the ear cups eventually wear out on most headphones.

So how is their sound, comfort and noise-canceling abilities?

Does it fold as compactly as the Bose?
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Old Sep 18, 2018, 8:43 pm
  #20  
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Originally Posted by wco81
So how is their sound, comfort and noise-canceling abilities?

Does it fold as compactly as the Bose?
I wanted the gold/blue version which was a special order from their warehouse I should receive them on Thursday and will give an update after trying them
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Old Sep 20, 2018, 6:48 pm
  #21  
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I picked up my B&W PX headphones today and paired it with my iPad Pro using iOS 12.0 and the sound is fabulous and they feel really comfortable on my head.

I am having an issue connecting with my iPhone 8 which also was just updated to iOS 12.0. With the Bluetooth turned on and in pairing mode the iPhone will not pair with the PX headphones. The blue light is flashing on the headphone, does anyone have a suggestion?
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Old Sep 20, 2018, 7:46 pm
  #22  
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Toggle Bluetooth on the iPhone?

Or even reboot it?

Or if it already has an entry for the headphones, delete it and start from scratch.
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Old Sep 20, 2018, 8:18 pm
  #23  
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Originally Posted by wco81
Toggle Bluetooth on the iPhone?

Or even reboot it?

Or if it already has an entry for the headphones, delete it and start from scratch.
I already tried toggling the Bluetooth on the iPhone and rebooting it.

The headphones were never paired so they are not listed,

My next step is to try rolling the headphones back to the factory settings but I am afraid I might brick it.
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Old Sep 20, 2018, 8:26 pm
  #24  
 
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After reading this thread I was inspired to replace by QC-25s and my Sony WH-1000X M3's arrived today. My next TATL trip is in 10 days so they will get a good workout. Wore them around the house and they were very comfortable. Just have to be delicate with the hinges, I guess
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Old Sep 20, 2018, 8:41 pm
  #25  
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Originally Posted by RSSrsvp
I already tried toggling the Bluetooth on the iPhone and rebooting it.

The headphones were never paired so they are not listed,

My next step is to try rolling the headphones back to the factory settings but I am afraid I might brick it.
That's weird. Maybe your iPhone has a faulty BT but if you can pair other devices ...

Or you can pair the headphones to one device but not to another ...
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Old Sep 20, 2018, 10:33 pm
  #26  
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Originally Posted by wco81
That's weird. Maybe your iPhone has a faulty BT but if you can pair other devices ...

Or you can pair the headphones to one device but not to another ...
OK, I figured out what I was doing wrong and I finally got both my iPhone and iPad Pro to pair. There is an on/off switch you push down to power the headphones and start the Bluetooth pairing process but you are then supposed to hold that button down to actually connect to each device.

The sound when watching movies is great and the sound listening to music is fabulous!!!
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Old Sep 20, 2018, 10:42 pm
  #27  
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Originally Posted by wco81
So how is their sound, comfort and noise-canceling abilities?

Does it fold as compactly as the Bose?
The Bose folds flat and goes into a hard case and the B&W has a soft case which is more like a pouch and cannot fold totally flat in order to fit inside. I checked their website and they don't offer a hard case which IMO is a mistake.

The NC on the Bose is definitely quieter but I think the B&W will perform just fine on a plane. My next flight is a few weeks away and I will know for sure how good it is then.

Also the build quality on the B&W is definitely superior to the Bose which feels cheaply made in comparison.
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Old Sep 22, 2018, 5:04 pm
  #28  
 
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and the winner is.....

After having read several threads, including this one of course, involving which are the "best" headphones, I have made my decision.

I was great with my Bose noise cancelling headphones until... the first flight after I bought iPhoneX I realized Apple chose to not give me a place to plug my headphones in. Oh crap, why didn't I pay attention to that.

Conveniently for me, DH told me today he wanted some new headphones, his seem to have walked out of the house sometime. He has iPhone 7, my Bose will work great for him. Fantastic!

In addition to this thread I did some more comparisons online and decided I am going to get the Bower & Wilkins PX. I'm linking to a comparison article that was interesting to me since it dealt with the three brands I was looking at.

https://www.whathifi.com/features/bo...which-are-best
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Old Sep 22, 2018, 10:40 pm
  #29  
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Originally Posted by Jeannietx
the first flight after I bought iPhoneX I realized Apple chose to not give me a place to plug my headphones in. ...
Conveniently for me, DH told me today he wanted some new headphones, his seem to have walked out of the house sometime. He has iPhone 7, my Bose will work great for him.
I'm confused...I don't think either the iPhone X or iPhone 7 have a headphone jack, although both have lightning ports and both, I believe, come with a lightning to 3.5 mm adapter (can also buy separately).
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Old Sep 23, 2018, 7:53 am
  #30  
 
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How are they for feeling breathable. One problem I've had is that kind of sticky feeling on my errors grows annoying after a bit.
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