Technology & Social Media Noise Cancelling Headphones

Anyone here have experience with the above and can recommend a good brand/model that doesn't cost as much as a 65' TV??

Going long-haul soon and thought they may be useful.

Looking at wireless but not sure how that works on a plan, and also what battery life may be if flying for around 20+ hrs.

 

I travel a lot, and personally don't like the noise cancelling headphones. I can usually pick up the white noise, and they have no positive impact on my fatigue levels.

I carry two sets of head phones with me. I have an over ear set of BW 3's which I love.
And a second set of in ear noise isolating ones (the ones which 'plug' your ears) - I got a very good set of Dr Dre Beats.
Each set cost me about Aus$200 from memory (I've had them for about 4 years now).

I find both very comfortable for about 6hrs before needing to give them a break.

Other than these my travel essentials include a neck pillow, eye shades (free on the plane) and a set of the 20c ear plugs.

Blacky

 

I have the Bose QC25 headphones and I find them great at noise cancelling. When I bought them, they were around the $400 mark but they are now at about $350. Definitely not as much as I paid for my 60 inch Sony. You will have to keep buying AAA batteries for QC25 - so thats an additional expense. With these I have never really 'heard' the hiss that most noise cancelling headphones come with.

I haven't used them on a plane but they cut out the office chatter - serving their prime purpose. As a measure of their performance, I cannot hear my phone ring when I am listening to pleasant music on a medium setting - my phones ringer is always at full volume. I have heard good things about their performance on planes. A mate of mine flies choppers/planes on the weekends and thinks they are at least as good as the ones he uses when he is in air.

Personally, I'd rather not go with the wireless headphones. Depending on what technology/frequency they are, usually when you turn your head around, you will lose the transmitter and just hear static. I have also heard good things about the Sony and Audio Technica noise cancelling headphones. Good luck with what you decide. I know it was a tough decision for me when I chose mine, but I am very happy with the performance.

 

I don't have noise cancelling but my wireless plantronic headphones has been one of my best recent purchases. Use them all the time - out the back in the garden, out jogging, shooting hoops or talking on the phone. They'd work great on a flight too. They're the backbeat FIT - not crazy expensive either.

 

I have the Bose ...not sure what model but I purchased on Ebay from the US at nearly half the AUD advertised price. I was surprised at how much noise is cancelled from these things.
I get well over 20hrs of listening on 2x AAA batteries. I have actually left them turned on by mistake for a couple of days and the batteries are still good.
A tip I can recommend if your on a long haul and want a sleep....put some ear plugs in, then put the noise cancelling head phones on without any music. It makes a quite a difference!

 

Remember there are two types of noise cancelling ear phones.
Passive: Simply blocks out noise.
Active: It creates mirror sound waves to the noise so they both cancel each other. It may not work well changing noise environment like an office. It is supposed to work well in a flight but I never felt comfortable. Sounds a little weird in my ears.

 

Some of the noise cancelling head phones, you can't use as 'normal' headphones without turning the noise cancelling on (such as the Bose). Others you can use as normal headphones.

+1 for the plantronic wireless backbeat fit (not noise cancelling though). Best running headphones I've ever used.

 

Passive - These are not noise cancelling headphones they are noise 'isolation' headphones. Like you say they block outside noise.

I don't like the active ones, in effect they are pushing more noise into your ear. On a flight I don't find the useful at reducing fatigue. I guess because I am still 'listening' to the noise, just not hearing it.

I struggled to get my head around the cost. Spending $500 on headphones just irked me. Im glad I did though. They make traveling that little bit less painful.


Blacky

 

i prefer the passive in ear earphones.

I picked up Ultimate Ears 200 - around $20. Works a treat on the plane.

 

Thanks for the recc's guys. I have some shopping to do!

 

This Sony one is not bad for $59.
Buy Sony MDR-ZX110NC Noise Cancelling Over-Ear Headphones | Read Reviews | Dick Smith Online Shopping
use the code GET10

 

I have a set of Bose rechargables I bought at Dallas Fort Worth Airport. I think they cost about $300 Us when the dollar was at parity. The worst thing about them, that I never considered at the time due to jet lag, is the recharger is a 110v socket American plug. I had to charge them in a shaver socket every time I stayed in a hotel for the first 12 months when I got them home until I found an adapter.

The noise cancelling is astounding though. They really are that good

 

I'd go to your local store and try on the lot and then go on amazon to source them, I got my pair of Soul ones for $300 less than Harvey Norman was selling them but you want to make sure they fit as that's a huge part, I found the Bose ones particularly uncomfortable on my ears, some of my mates swear by them though for example. Some like the in-ear variety, some like on-ear and some like over-ear, it's important to find which you prefer and what suits you best.

They need to be comfortable before even worrying about the noise cancelling side of things because there's not much point in the noise cancelling if you can only wear them a few hours at a time.

Also worth considering if you're planning long flights/trips is how they charge, I prefer the battery powered to the rechargeable ones because you can always carry spares and there is nothing worse than them going flat and not having them when you've become used to it.

I would put noise cancelling headphones as the very first thing I'd recommend to a frequent traveler, cordless isn't a big deal (and smashes battery life and adds significant cost) for the traveling thing, cordless for me is more of a living room or, particularly, exercise thing. I remember my last flight to LA where I ended up between about 5 babies and I ended up sleeping like one because I couldn't hear their screaming!

They don't work very well for certain things but they have the added bonus of allowing you to listen to music on a significantly lower volume because of the lack of outside noise.

But yeah, go into a store and try them on for fit, try the noise cancelling function without music, some of the cheaper sets in particular have a audible buzz to them that you probably wont like. Check online because you can almost always find them cheaper online.

 

I have a pair of "Extreme Isolation" headphones. They are designed for musicians in recording studios. When you put them on you can immediately feel you're in a bit of a vacuum which is great. The moment you turn some music on and listen through the headphones, you pretty much cannot hear anything else. Fabulous

 

Depends on a budget.

Nothing beats Bose QC for active noise cancellation.

I have heard good reviews abt monoprice too.

I have tried few other brands but always went back to Bose. Hate to pay the price, but they are best for long haul flights.

 

Haven't found a good pair of noise cancelling headphones that I like.
For long overseas flights, I like a good pair of earplugs and a pair of over ear headphones with some ambient/easy listening music while trying to sleep.
But the big earphones stop me from turning my head to get comfy sometimes.

 

+1 for the Plantronic wireless, but I went for the Backbeat Go 2 (good for bike and walking, probably not as good as the Fit for jogging). Pretty cool technology.

 

Man I love those headphones.

I use them in the office now for handsfree on the mobile as well.

Perfect for ignoring the kids at home too

Cheers

Jamie