Best noise cancelling headphones for flying?
Sep 24, 2018, 6:09 am
#31
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Likely that the OP was referring to iPhone 6 or 6s, which was the last model generation with headphone jack. To your point, beginning with the iPhone 7, Apple did away with headphone jacks.
Sep 24, 2018, 9:42 am
#32
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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!
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!
when you are talking about paying at least $1000 for a phone and $300-$400 for the headphones, buying a $9 dongle to just leave plugged into each pair of headphones becomes a no-brainier.
That said, once my trusty QC20i dies, I'll probably look for a completely wireless alternative... at which point getting a bluetooth adapter thingie for the plane's audio for IFE becomes a bigger deal.
Sep 25, 2018, 5:18 pm
#33
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I went from the Bose QC25 wired headphone so the Bose QC 35 II headphones recently. I really like the QC 35's, great audio whether it's Bluetooth, or wired audio. I didn't want to pay full retail so I shopped around on local for sale forums until I found a pair new in box for much less than retail price, just make sure you install the official Bose app on your phone, so that you can pair before completing your purchase. 
Patrick
Patrick
Sep 25, 2018, 6:41 pm
#34
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Sep 25, 2018, 7:09 pm
#35
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So today I received the Bower & Wilkins PX headphones. I had them on 5 minutes and they went back in the box for return. They were too heavy, or something just made them really uncomfortable.
Then I ordered the Bose QuietComfort 35i I wouldn't use Alexa.
Then I ordered the Bose QuietComfort 35i I wouldn't use Alexa.
Sep 25, 2018, 9:33 pm
#36
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The Bowers & Wilkins PX headphones initially felt a little tight on my head the first time I put them on which may be what you describe as being uncomfortable but after several hours of wearing them they flexed a little and the tight feeling became a non issue for me. The true test for me will be in 2 weeks when I use them on 2 flights.
By the way I understand that the comfort factor in headphones is very personal and subjective but I really wish that you gave them a longer trial as the sound from the PX was definitely superior to the Bose. IMO that review you linked in your earlier post from what-hifi was accurate, the PX has superior sound!
Sep 26, 2018, 12:28 am
#37
Join Date: Aug 2008
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I went from the Bose QC25 wired headphone so the Bose QC 35 II headphones recently. I really like the QC 35's, great audio whether it's Bluetooth, or wired audio. I didn't want to pay full retail so I shopped around on local for sale forums until I found a pair new in box for much less than retail price, just make sure you install the official Bose app on your phone, so that you can pair before completing your purchase.
I would stick with the QC25.
Sep 26, 2018, 12:37 am
#38
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That’s not really a problem. Most Bluetooth headphones come a cable and a 2 prong plug as backup. Not to mention aircrafts that are not certified for Bluetooth are already rare and will only get rarer going forward.
Sep 26, 2018, 5:35 am
#39
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It took long enough, but I am finally a convert. Almost.
I'd been an ardent proponent of in-ear passive headphones. Superior noise suppression than battery-powered active units in a miniature package with better sound fidelity.
But since I've long dropped carrying standalone iPod in favor of playing music through phones, that last argument has lost its legs. And wireless headphones offsets the inconvenience of wired in-ear units.
The other point being that older noise cancelling headphones weren't effective at all. Until I tried the Sony WH1000XM2 in the stores today. It's almost black magic what they did - the low-frequency cancellation is a given, but the job it did taking down normal human conversation to a whisper is amazing. Tried it against the Bose units and that's where the biggest differences stood.
The WH1000XM3 is supposed to be even improved on it. My unit is still in transit somewhere, but if audio playback is balanced and decent then I'll drink the whole jug of koolaid
I'd been an ardent proponent of in-ear passive headphones. Superior noise suppression than battery-powered active units in a miniature package with better sound fidelity.
But since I've long dropped carrying standalone iPod in favor of playing music through phones, that last argument has lost its legs. And wireless headphones offsets the inconvenience of wired in-ear units.
The other point being that older noise cancelling headphones weren't effective at all. Until I tried the Sony WH1000XM2 in the stores today. It's almost black magic what they did - the low-frequency cancellation is a given, but the job it did taking down normal human conversation to a whisper is amazing. Tried it against the Bose units and that's where the biggest differences stood.
The WH1000XM3 is supposed to be even improved on it. My unit is still in transit somewhere, but if audio playback is balanced and decent then I'll drink the whole jug of koolaid
Sep 26, 2018, 6:50 am
#40
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It took long enough, but I am finally a convert. Almost.
I'd been an ardent proponent of in-ear passive headphones. Superior noise suppression than battery-powered active units in a miniature package with better sound fidelity.
But since I've long dropped carrying standalone iPod in favor of playing music through phones, that last argument has lost its legs. And wireless headphones offsets the inconvenience of wired in-ear units.
The other point being that older noise cancelling headphones weren't effective at all. Until I tried the Sony WH1000XM2 in the stores today. It's almost black magic what they did - the low-frequency cancellation is a given, but the job it did taking down normal human conversation to a whisper is amazing. Tried it against the Bose units and that's where the biggest differences stood.
The WH1000XM3 is supposed to be even improved on it. My unit is still in transit somewhere, but if audio playback is balanced and decent then I'll drink the whole jug of koolaid
I'd been an ardent proponent of in-ear passive headphones. Superior noise suppression than battery-powered active units in a miniature package with better sound fidelity.
But since I've long dropped carrying standalone iPod in favor of playing music through phones, that last argument has lost its legs. And wireless headphones offsets the inconvenience of wired in-ear units.
The other point being that older noise cancelling headphones weren't effective at all. Until I tried the Sony WH1000XM2 in the stores today. It's almost black magic what they did - the low-frequency cancellation is a given, but the job it did taking down normal human conversation to a whisper is amazing. Tried it against the Bose units and that's where the biggest differences stood.
The WH1000XM3 is supposed to be even improved on it. My unit is still in transit somewhere, but if audio playback is balanced and decent then I'll drink the whole jug of koolaid
It only came out this month and it's already making quite the splash. Bose is going to need to come up with something much better, quick.
Sep 26, 2018, 6:01 pm
#42
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When I had the Bose QC 35 ll headphones I tried them out on 4 flights in a 5 day period before deciding to return them as I wasn’t totally pleased with the overall sound quality even though the NC was great.
The Bowers & Wilkins PX headphones initially felt a little tight on my head the first time I put them on which may be what you describe as being uncomfortable but after several hours of wearing them they flexed a little and the tight feeling became a non issue for me. The true test for me will be in 2 weeks when I use them on 2 flights.
By the way I understand that the comfort factor in headphones is very personal and subjective but I really wish that you gave them a longer trial as the sound from the PX was definitely superior to the Bose. IMO that review you linked in your earlier post from what-hifi was accurate, the PX has superior sound!
Sep 26, 2018, 9:36 pm
#43
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I've only been wearing my M3s around the house (TATL trip is next week) but I am so far very happy. It takes a bit to get used to the "swipe controls" -- you have to be aware of your head position -- if I'm leaning sometimes I get "next track" when I am trying to do "volume up" (I swiped straight up but since my head was at an angle it interpreted it as a forward swipe)
They are a tad heaver than my QC-25s with the bluetooth adapter -- but I don't have to carry around an extra charging dongle and being the USB-C cable is nice as it is reversible -- micro USB always gives me a hassle but that is me.
Sep 28, 2018, 3:15 am
#44
Join Date: Sep 2018
Posts: 25
+1 for the QC35s
Although if you wanted to go with something cheaper, but with excellent noise cancelling, the QC25s are much cheaper (especially if you get them in an amazon sale) and a rechargeable bluetooth adapter will set you back around $70
Although if you wanted to go with something cheaper, but with excellent noise cancelling, the QC25s are much cheaper (especially if you get them in an amazon sale) and a rechargeable bluetooth adapter will set you back around $70
Sep 28, 2018, 6:48 am
#45
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