Noise cancelling headphones

[FireInTheHole]

I have to travel to Atlanta and back next week and am not looking forward to all of that plane time. I was thinking that a set of noise canceling headphones may make the trip more tolerable. Does anyone own a pair? I'm wondering if they actually work? Can anyone make any recommendations? Thanks in advance!

[Bobblehead]

Originally Posted by FireInTheHole

I have to travel to Atlanta and back next week and am not looking forward to all of that plane time. I was thinking that a set of noise canceling headphones may make the trip more tolerable. Does anyone own a pair? I'm wondering if they actually work? Can anyone make any recommendations? Thanks in advance!

I have some Phillips active noise reduction headphones. Better than nothing but not as much as I had hoped, but for airplane sound they will work well. Noise isolation canal-phones work better, but for a "white-noise" type of sound, they are alright. They probably cut 50% of the noise.

[Marvelous]

http://www.bose.com/controller?event...adphones_index

Tried these on the way to Singapore and they are dead quiet when on.

[DementedReality]

Originally Posted by Marvelous

http://www.bose.com/controller?event...adphones_index

Tried these on the way to Singapore and they are dead quiet when on.

now i know what to ask Santa for!lol ...

[Azure]

Bose makes the best ones by far.

[Indi]

I travel long haul once per month, and noise cancelling headphones are a must. I have pair made by logitech, I cant remember the model number, but they were rated better than last years Bose.
Looking around the airplane, Bose are by far the most popular though. Things to look for on the ear or over the ear models (I like over the ear), the way the loop fits on your head...should fit forward so you dont feel it when you are laying down.
If you are just travelling occasionally, Costco has some phillips (already mentioned I think) that will do the job...no need to spend the big bucks on the Bose. If you can find the logitechs, i highly reccommend

[Dr GonZo]

I have a problem with the Bose QuietComforts... I tried them on and the noise is deffiantely cancelled out, but two things suck about them. Firstly, at least my own experience, the noise-cancelling function gives a penetrating high-pitched tone, which you can't really hear, but it feels like you're in a plane that's lifting off or getting ready to land, like a deffinate difference in air pressure, which I found to be very uncomfortable. Secondly, something I still believe is very stupid by Bose, is that if the batteries in the headphones are dead (needed to charge the noise-cancellation), the headphones won't work at all. Not even with the function turned off.

I bought the On-ear headphones from Bose, which have basically the same form as the noise-cancelling ones, but are half the price and have the same fidelity as the QuietComforts. Moreover, because these headphones are placed ON the ear, it automatically blocks out alot of noise; when I'm on the train for instance, I only hear music and nothing else, I used them only once in the plane, and I thoroughly enjoyed them there too.

My two cents. But those cents are Euro cents.

[Iowa_Flames_Fan]

I had a similar experience to Dr. Gonzo. I really felt like the "noise cancelling" headphones were just adding a hum to the noise that was already there, and it started to give me a headache after a while. I took them back and got these headphones, which I love, both for work and travel:
http://www.bose.com/controller?event...adphones_index

[koop]

has anyone tried the Bose in ear headphones? Usually ear buds suck, but I like the idea of them and was curious if these were any different.

[FireInTheHole]

Thanks for all the feedback so far! I've done some more digging, and have heard some mixed reviews on the Shure sound isolating earphones. Some swear by them, and some say they don't fit their ears. Anyone have any experience with these?

http://www.futureshop.ca/catalog/pro...0093989&catid=

[hah]

I have a pair of Shure. Very good for listening to an ipod on an airplane, they also have an awesome warranty.

http://www.shure.com/PersonalAudio/P...dels/index.htm

London Drugs usually has them on sale, they keep them behind the counter.

Here is a faq on sound Iso vs sound canceling.
http://www.shure.com/PersonalAudio/R...logy/index.htm

[Ro]

Originally Posted by FireInTheHole

Thanks for all the feedback so far! I've done some more digging, and have heard some mixed reviews on the Shure sound isolating earphones. Some swear by them, and some say they don't fit their ears. Anyone have any experience with these?

I have a similar pair, and I highly recommend them. Probably not as noise-canceling as some of the others mention in this thread, but the foam earpieces are both marvelously comfortable and extremely form-fitting. I wanted a less obtrusive pair of headphones I could wear to the gym and not have them fall out of my ears, but also provided good sound quality and didn't hurt my inner ear, and they fit the bill perfectly.

[KevanGuy]

Originally Posted by FireInTheHole

Thanks for all the feedback so far! I've done some more digging, and have heard some mixed reviews on the Shure sound isolating earphones. Some swear by them, and some say they don't fit their ears. Anyone have any experience with these?

http://www.futureshop.ca/catalog/pro...0093989&catid=

I have a pair that I bought on the Buy/Sell here and love them. They are the only thing keeping me sane on public transit. They came with 9 diff options of ear plug covers so you should be able to find one that is comfortable. Basically just like wearing ear plugs.