Need Recommendations for Noise-Cancelling Headphones

Can anyone recommend a good set of noise-cancelling headphones? Thanks.

Paul

 

I had the $200 Sonys for a few years and always travelled with them. I was sitting next to someone 6 months ago who was kind enough to let me borrow his Bose jobbies, so I did an A-B on the plane with my Panasonic player and Total AirHead amplifier. I tried quite a few comparisons with different CDs.

I bought a pair of Bose at Denver airport a week later. I really like them and cannot fly without them (and that's coming from a Bose hater).

 

I have the sennheiser pxc 250's that I got from ecost for about $75. They're $130 on there now, I don't know if I'd spend that much on them... you could probably find them for a lot cheaper than that if you look around. They sound really good for $75, I was impressed by how detailed they were.

I'm a student & I've been working in a computer lab for a while, we had old computers until just a few weeks ago. The pxc 250's got rid of all the droning fan noise from the 25 computers in the room. I read somewhere that they cut out 1000 Hz and lower the best.

When I bought them I was hoping for too much in terms of noise cancellation, I wanted all the noisy people in the lab to be silent but that didn't happen Once you add music, it makes it pretty easy to ignore everything else though. I really like them, they were definitely worth the money I spent on them.

If you want to block out noise you might want to consider getting earbuds too. A lot of people like the Koss 'The Plug' earbuds and they're really cheap ($15-$20). I've never heard them though, so I can't comment on how they sound.

-adam

 

Don't be fooled by marketing claims, etc... sofar the best and most effective noise cancelling headphones are the in-your-ear style; of those the ones with custom ear molds are superior, www.sensaphonics.com & www.ultimateears.com they are expensive but very, very worth your while.

Also check www.headfi.com

 

I use the Etymotic ER-4Ps. While not truly noise cancelling, they're in-ear and they block out most sound, and are quite the audiophile headphone. I've been using them now for like a year and half and wouldn't go bakc. They're nice and small and wasy to transport.

I tried Noise Canceling phones once (a pair of decent Panasonic ones), but I found it futzed with the sound too much. The Bose are too big for me to schlep all the time - too much real estate. The ER-4Ps do the trick when watching a movie on a plane or listening to music.

 

How about the Shure's that are actually used by musicians on stage?

 

Shures are nice too. There are three pairs: e2, e3, and e5, that cost about $80, $140, and $375, respectively. I had a pair of e2's and really liked them. They block a lot of noise and sound good. I ended up getting rid of them because they were a pain to take in and out (not unique to that earphone). The e5's are supposed to be amazing though I've never heard them.

 

Stereophile reviews the Ultimate Ears in the latest issue and has done one of the Shure models recently. A thread in another forum suggests the in-ear phones as superior to the noise-cancelling models.

 

I hate "in-ear" headphones - all forms of ear buds are unacceptable to me. The Bose things are extremely comfortable and size is not a big issue. The second version (that's the one I have) fold "flat" and into the little zipper case they go. Not a problem on that score.

 

hehe, what good is all the fit when they sound like dawg poop.

I do agree though, in-ear headphones are potentially annoying; though I find that the comfort level of those with custom ear molds to be superior to anything else I wear on my head.

 

I have a pair of Sennheiser HDC 451 NoiseGard mobile. They are good sounding, and cancel well. ( German quality) I don't really use them like I thought I would. Twice really. I would sell them to forum people for $85? (plus actual shipping). I can't recall what I paid exactly, but it was more. (list is $149 last I saw) I have the unused airplane plug adapter with it. I can shoot a pic if any serious interest is out there. The condition is AS NEW.. Consists of cloth covered 'phones with a power/electronics "belt" pack for 2 AA batts. and airline connector/adapter plug. Let me know. RE

 

I didn't like 'em, and they still take up too much real estate (even the V2s). And the sound quality vs. the Etys isn't even close if you ask me.

Crappy headphones are crappy headphones no matter how much they are.

Until the Etys, I hated in ears, but now I love 'em. I even use them on stage as monitors. I'll probably get ear molds made to make 'em easier to get in and out. Not a priority.