Noise Cancelling Headphone Recommendations
 

My previous pair of noise cancelling headphones (the old old ones that sharper image used to sell) have broken for the second time on me (Replaced last time under warranty).

So I'm looking into researching what are the best noise cancelling headphones. Getting off EWR-HNL nonstop without them, they were well missed.

I haven't had an opportunity to compare different noise cancelling headphones in the store as no stores carry all the brands (Sony, Jensen, Bose, etc)

I have tried the Bose ones and they sound good the only problem for me is the $299 (I know its an investment) and they are slightly larger than others like sony which fold well. My old ones fit well into my bag since they folded flat.

So, does anyone have opinions? I'm more concerned with the quality of "noise cancelling" versus the sound quality of the audio. They seem to all cancel the same amount of noise according to the specs.

Thanks!

I'm very happy with the Bose. I tried the Little Sony ones that are more like earplugs and found they caused discomfort after several hours.

If you go for the Sonys, there is a Sony outlet at the Woodbury Commons Outlets, they sometimes have them in damaged boxes for some incredible savings. Walk in the store, far back corner on the left hand side. Don't always have them, but when they do savings are incredible.

There is a Bose outlet there too, but as you know they don't discount the headphones yet.

Hey! My wife spends most of my paycheck at Woodbury Commons. I'll have to have her check that out during her next visit/binge!
Thanks for the tip!

I will echo QuietLion. I have the Sony, my wife has the Bose. I prefer the Sony because I can remove one and sleep on the uncovered ear, but they do become uncomfortable after many hours.

I also have a set of David-Clark N/C headphones which work really well, but they would draw rather too much attention http://www.flyertalk.com/travel/fttr...orum/smile.gif

birdstrike

Thanks for the info on Woodberry... Still haven't checked out the Sony products but did get to see the Bose and I like them.

I also tried some other cheaper ones (under $100) at Brookstone and Sharper image, they were just plain horrible. The ones at Brookstone don't even fit on your ear right and let all the sound leak in.

I suppose for the extra money and despite lack of folding the bose might be the way to go.

As for the sonys that fit inside your ear, I had headphones like that before and they were very uncomfortable and sometimes fall out while you're sleeping. I'll have to check out the sony store to see how the larger foldable models work.

Thanks

I've had Bose for a couple of years and they do a great job. The only negative I can see is that they appear to be a little "too tight" around the ears. Domestically this is not a problem. However, transpacific, my ears tend to "sweat"a little and the tightness tends to become uncomfortable. I've heard that the Sony's are better in this respect.

You get what you pay for... I'm 100% satisfied with my Bose headset, even though they might get a little warm after a few hours -maybe the next version will have a drain http://www.flyertalk.com/travel/fttravel_forum/wink.gif). But, the snugness is what make the difference.
BT

Sennheiser has a new model coming out. Supposed to be way better sounding and have better noise cancelling circuit than their older model. Unlike the old Sennheisers they will cover the ear to give 15-25db of isolation--I think this is a better spec than the Bose. A nice feature is that they fold up to fit in a pretty small space.

http://www4.head-fi.org/forums/showt...threadid=20094

i've tried the
sony, but love the
bose.

I use the Sony NC20 and am very happy with them.I find them a little better size wise as they fold away very nicely than the bose, and the price is also pretty competitive (MRSP 179$.

Ditto what JohnG said. I picked up the NC-20s (got them on sale from etronics.com for $119) and don't know what took me so long. They are not as nice as the Bose, I'll admit, but they fold up better for my laptop backpack, and they were much cheaper. So for weekly travel, I think they're a good option.

The "Top 10 Gifts" issue of the TravelSmith catalog has an Anti-Noise Headset on Page 34. It can also be found at their website by entering item number 9158 in the search field. Their price is $99. Anyone know anything about this one? Looks too expensive for the Sennheiser, but nowhere near the Bose price...

For those of you who are comfortable with earplugs, you should try earphones from Etymotics.

My Sony MDR-NC10's are falling apart, so I'm gonna go for the Etymotics - probably the ER-4P's.

I am using the ER-4Ps. They have way better sound quality than the Bose. They also reduce external noise far better than the Bose. They are like earplugs, so you have to take them out when you want to talk to the Stewards/Stewardesses. Not everybody finds them to be comfortable--people tend to love them or hate them.