Noise cancelling headphones

jflail2

Hi all.

I'm looking for some recommendations in regards to a good set of noise cancelling headphones. One of my office colleagues sounds like he's perpetually speaking into a megaphone (and sits right behind me), so I'd like to be able to drown him out when I'm not on the phone.

I've looked at the Sennheiser PXC 350 and 450's, but wanted to make sure there wasn't a better option out there in regards to noise cancellation/sound quality.

I obviously don't want Blose, so any other recommendations would be appreciated.

Polk user

Think what you want about Blose speakers but their noise canceling headsets are VERY good. Try them, you may like them.

BaggedLancer

I went on a couple plane rides recently and saw ATLEAST 6-8 people with those Bose ones....they must be decent although I have not tried them yet.

Hefty price tag though, I'd buy them from a retail store....try them and if you like them then return them and look for a better price online.

zingo

I have had some cheap noise cancels, but the Bo$e are the best ones I've been able to find. The QC2 are amazing and do work wonders are planes and other places with repetitive noise. They are a consumer version of their flight headphones technology, so it's pretty good. As much as I hate everything about Bo$e speakers, the QC2 and great.

Jstas

Sony had an awesome set a while aog but I dunno if they even make headphones anymore.

Tollaksen

I had some pani's from sam's and they were ok. My dad has the bose and they are alot better.

jflail2

Wow, so maybe Bose is the way to go after all? Interesting...

sucks2beme

http://www.headphone.com/products/headphones/sealed-and-noise-canceling/

http://www.sonystyle.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/CategoryDisplay?catalogId=10551&storeId=10151&langId=-1&categoryId=3728

http://www.guitarcenter.com/Headphones-Pro-Audio,Page-5.gc?ipp=15
Guitar center is a good place to see the units, maybe not a good place to listen.
They have a buttload availble in very store, though.
The Bose are typical. Overpriced, overhyped, break easy.
Go to headfi and do your homework.
http://www.head-fi.org/

jflail2

Great links s2bm, thank you very much. I knew of the avs forums, but for some reason had never seen head-fi. Thank you so much.

audiobliss

I would second the recommendation for the Bose Quiet Comfort headphones. Dad bought them back before the QC2 came out and loved them. Then the QC2 came out, and they're a lot more compact and convenient so he sprung for those. And he loves those, too.

And as far as them being delicate or easily broken, I've spent a little bit of time with the QC and QC2, and I really think they both seem to be really robust. I had a pair of the Bose Tri-Port headphones, and yes, they were very delicate and did break on me! But not so with the QC, 1 or 2.

As far as sound quality goes, Dad thinks my Sennheiser HD590's sound better. But then again, they don't cancel out any noise.

John30_30

jflail2 wrote: »

Hi all.

I'm looking for some recommendations in regards to a good set of noise cancelling headphones. One of my office colleagues sounds like he's perpetually speaking into a megaphone (and sits right behind me), so I'd like to be able to drown him out when I'm not on the phone.

I've looked at the Sennheiser PXC 350 and 450's, but wanted to make sure there wasn't a better option out there in regards to noise cancellation/sound quality.

I obviously don't want Blose, so any other recommendations would be appreciated.

Hi-
If you're not adverse to canal-buds, aka earbuds, Shure's E4C is very good. Some people can't stand the invasive feeling of them.
I find the wires stiff, though, but these will rule out outside noise. Also, I go with the flange-type inserts. The others kept falling out.

jflail2

Wow, nice link Keiko. Most competitive price I've seen, and many seem to prefer those over the Bose. I'd just like to find them somewhere so I could actually try them on, but for that low of a price, I might just take the plunge.

Yea, can't stand the in ear headphones John. I wish I liked them as they are much more portable/discreet, but I just can't get used to the feel.

SKsolutions

Had the Bose, don't know who/what happened to them. They do work well. The buds are a bit more intrusive at first, but are miuch easier to sleep in. If you've awakened after a flight with over the ear cans, chances are you have a stiff neck or your ear feels like it's been boxed by a steroidal Mother Superior.

nms

I have their QC2 headphones.... much better than their speakers. ;-)

HOWEVER, they are designed to remove background noises like plane noise, and they do this very well. They are designed to let some voice through, so you know when people are talking to you. . . so, might not be the best for your situation.

sambani

i just bought a set of ath-a700. very nice probably the best ive owned.
http://www.audio-technica.com/cms/headphones/c946e97b349766d2/index.html

Snaps

Creative has a good pair that came with my mp3 player.

http://us.creative.com/products/product.asp?category=437&subcategory=441&product=11397

They may be earbuds, but are really comfortable and have a surprisingly good quality and noise canceling effect

John30_30

Snaps wrote: »

Creative has a good pair that came with my mp3 player.

http://us.creative.com/products/product.asp?category=437&subcategory=441&product=11397

They may be earbuds, but are really comfortable and have a surprisingly good quality and noise canceling effect

Heya, Snaps. Those look identical to my Sennheisers, which I'd describe the same way you did. Of course, he already ruled out earbuds. Mine get tangled really easy, tho. Also, I had one start to fray just below the sleeve cover part that connects to the bud. So I dabbed some of that Liquid Electrical Tape on the area. Looks dorky, maybe, but eh.

jflail2

After quite a long wait (and some debating) I finally pulled the trigger on the ATH-ANC7's.

Initially, they seem to be of good construction, and I like the travel case as I have been flying much more frequently with work as of late.

Only takes 1 AAA battery to run, and there is room in the case for extras, so that shouldn't be a problem.

Granted I am listening to an ipod at work, but I have to say I am pleased with my 1st impression of these cans. My bosss has the QC3's, and while they seemed to do a bit better job of noise cancellation, it certainly wasn't 200-250$ better! I got lucky and found these for 95$ shipped on Amazon after seeing the price fluctuate as high as 125$ + shipping, so I think I got the best bang for the buck in regards to noise cancelling headphones.

Bass isn't quite as deep/pronounced as another colleague's noise cancelling Denon's but once again his were $300 and mine were $95 to the door.

I'll have more feedback as they break in and I fly with them a couple of times, but for the buck, I think this is the perfect compromise. Thanks to Keiko for the initial link:

http://www.amazon.com/Audio-Technica-ATH-ANC7-QuietPoint-Noise-Cancelling-Headphones/dp/B000OMKR8E/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1?ie=UTF8&s=electronics&qid=1226624081&sr=8-1

zingo

Congrats! Have you tried burning your headphones in with pink noise? A lot of can guys swear by it and it's the first thing they do. That is a great price on those...

jflail2

Pink noise? My audio ignorance shows again, but I'm not sure what you mean there.

I just threw em on and started listening; hoping my variety of music would be sufficient for a good break in.

And yes, I was most definitely pleased for the price!

zingo

Pink noise sounds similar to white noise, but it covers all the audio frequencies in one "noise".

I use the Burn-In Wave Generator for my speakers.

wizzy

It's easy.

Just get yourself two of these. When the noise starts bothering you pick them both up, hold one to each ear, and push down for ten seconds.

When the effect wears off, simply repeat as needed.



Seriously though, I hear good things about the Bose noise canceling headphones too.

jflail2

haha, nice Wizzy. I've got a colleague that sits right behind me that is just about that loud. Not quite, but it's a close race....

Thanks for the link Zingo; I'll have to leave that running tonight.

Any input on timing? IE is there an acceptable rest period/time frame I need to keep in mind, or is this something I would run looped all night?

jflail2

Keiko wrote: »

You're welcome. Have those gotten cheaper since I initially posted the link?
That's an attractive price compared to the Bose headphones.

Currently I'm using these (probably too awkward for travel though) and I must say these are some of the best hp's I've ever owned. I've had pairs that cost 200.00 - 400.00 and these RH5MA Yamaha's blow them away.

http://www.audioreview.com/mfr/yamaha/headphones/rh5ma/PRD_127017_2750crx.aspx

95 is the cheapest I have seen them, so now might be a good time to get on board if someone else needs NC headphones.

For $50 those Yamahas are very intriguing! That's cheap enough to give a go, especially after seeing those high ratings across the board.

Thanks for the tips!