Noise Canceling headphones

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Aggietex04

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I was curious if anyone had any recommendations for some noise canceling headphones. I live in a small apartment with birds that like to squawk and loud televisions, so they would need to filter out that type of noise. It would be nice if they were wireless as well so I could lay in bed and watch Netflix without disturbing anyone. Ideally they would block out everything, including people talking. I was looking at the Sennheiser MM 550-X. Thanks for any help/advice.
 
If you want true noise canceling you have only one real option: Bose quietcomfort

While they may not sound as good as high-end headphones their ability to isolate you from surroudings is nothing short of amazing. I have tried many other in-ear and CA headphones but nothing has come close to the Boses active noise canceling performance.

Do note however that even the Bose can't filter out bird chirping etc. sounds completely. They operate the best on constant background noises. If you haven't already, find a test bench at a audio retailer. Busy shops with tv:s playing, ac, people etc. are an excellent place to test the noise canceling.
 
B00nie said:
If you want true noise canceling you have only one real option: Bose quietcomfort

While they may not sound as good as high-end headphones their ability to isolate you from surroudings is nothing short of amazing. I have tried many other in-ear and CA headphones but nothing has come close to the Boses active noise canceling performance.

Do note however that even the Bose can't filter out bird chirping etc. sounds completely. They operate the best on constant background noises. If you haven't already, find a test bench at a audio retailer. Busy shops with tv:s playing, ac, people etc. are an excellent place to test the noise canceling.
Click to expand...

+1. I have a pair of quietcomfort headphones and they're fantastic. I use them on airplanes everywhere and I can keep the sound of the seat TV down in the 1/6th to 1/4 volume range (plane dependant). They're not a 100% noise blocker, but they work amazingly.
 
B00nie said:
If you want true noise canceling you have only one real option: Bose quietcomfort
Click to expand...

I prefer high-end IEM's myself over the Bose solution. I've tried both and I really prefer my Etymotic ER-4P's over the Bose cans. They basically block all sound across the board (35-42 db of sound attenuation/isolation) so that one doesn't have to bother with canceling any of it out in the first place. They are much smaller, lighter, more portable, don't require batteries and as an added bonus, reproduce sound amazingly well... something the Bose cans can't really compete with. You can also get them cheaper than what you pay for the Bose noise canceling headphones and also use them pretty much anywhere without looking like a nut job when not flying. :p
 
+1 for the Bose Quietcomfort! I love my QC15 a lot, they feel great on my ears and head (almost as if they are not even there) and the sound is great (not as great as a non-soundblocking headphone of that price, but it is to be expected that you pay a premium for a lovely feature like that).
They won't cancel out voices completely, but all kinds off buzz and high pitches are blocked out almost 100%. They are also very light and are decently build.
For noise blocking, this is the only pair of sound-blocking headphones I would ever use (and I tried more than 3 for an extended period).

Good luck with choosing the right headphones for your needs!
(and btw, going to a store where you can test them is your best option in choosing the right ones, I would gladly pay the 5-10% premium for good service and help with choosing)
 
Supercharged_Z06 said:
I prefer high-end IEM's myself over the Bose solution. I've tried both and I really prefer my Etymotic ER-4P's over the Bose cans. They basically block all sound across the board (35-42 db of sound attenuation/isolation) so that one doesn't have to bother with canceling any of it out in the first place. They are much smaller, lighter, more portable, don't require batteries and as an added bonus, reproduce sound amazingly well... something the Bose cans can't really compete with. You can also get them cheaper than what you pay for the Bose noise canceling headphones and also use them pretty much anywhere without looking like a nut job when not flying. :p
Click to expand...

*cough* QC20 *cough* perhaps

qc20i_wg_lg.jpg
 
Sure, those are smaller and don't have quite as many of the drawbacks I mentioned earlier, but I'd argue that sound reproduction capability/quality on the ER-4P's would blow those away. There is a reason Bose never talks about nor publishes any performance specs for any of their products... It's because they aren't all that good and would really hurt them as to marketability, which is king above all else where Bose is concerned.
 
Supercharged_Z06 said:
Sure, those are smaller and don't have quite as many of the drawbacks I mentioned earlier, but I'd argue that sound reproduction capability/quality on the ER-4P's would blow those away. There is a reason Bose never talks about nor publishes any performance specs for any of their products... It's because they aren't all that good and would really hurt them as to marketability, which is king above all else where Bose is concerned.
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I find it very hard to believe that any passive in-ear or on-ear headphones could offer anything close to the isolation the active Boses do. Even other brand active headphones can't touch them.

If you really want to concentrate on something in a noisy environment the isolation properties are much more important than absolute sound quality. I will turn on my ESL:s anyway if I want to enjoy music.
 
Try firing a handgun while wearing your Bose headphones vs a pair of ER-4P IEM's. That would be a pretty clear/effective demonstration as to what 35-42 db of true sound isolation is.
 
Depends on if OP wants noise cancellation or isolation.

For me, to get isolation, it either requires huge clamping over-the-ears, or very tightly-plugged IEMs, which bother my ears to no end. I cannot do IEMs... just "earbuds". Not a huge fan of Bose earbuds (IE1, IE2), as the cable they use sucks, and while the audio is okay, there are far better options. I've had some cheap earbuds / IEMs come pretty close at about half the price.

The IEMs above from Bose I haven't tried (the NC ones), but if you want comfort and something over-the-ear / on-the-ear, Bose's NC in the normal QC line hands-down kills the competition, not in SQ, but in pure NC. It's the best NC circuitry I've heard, so I'm sure their NC IEM follows suit. The one above appears to actually plug as well, so it's using both isolation and NC.

Audio-technica and Sony try NC, but fail at it. For plane rides and noisy environments, the QC are great, and the sound quality, unless you're used to high-end audio, isn't disappointing, just nothing special. The unfortunate thing, as always, with Bose is that you're paying a lot for what you get (though I've heard their customer service is quite good).

If OP thinks isolation might be a better route and is not bothered by IEMs, they are less of a hassle (no batteries or charging) and cost-effective.
 
xx0xx said:
Depends on if OP wants noise cancellation or isolation.

For me, to get isolation, it either requires huge clamping over-the-ears, or very tightly-plugged IEMs, which bother my ears to no end. I cannot do IEMs... just "earbuds". Not a huge fan of Bose earbuds (IE1, IE2), as the cable they use sucks, and while the audio is okay, there are far better options. I've had some cheap earbuds / IEMs come pretty close at about half the price.

The IEMs above from Bose I haven't tried (the NC ones), but if you want comfort and something over-the-ear / on-the-ear, Bose's NC in the normal QC line hands-down kills the competition, not in SQ, but in pure NC. It's the best NC circuitry I've heard, so I'm sure their NC IEM follows suit. The one above appears to actually plug as well, so it's using both isolation and NC.

Audio-technica and Sony try NC, but fail at it. For plane rides and noisy environments, the QC are great, and the sound quality, unless you're used to high-end audio, isn't disappointing, just nothing special. The unfortunate thing, as always, with Bose is that you're paying a lot for what you get (though I've heard their customer service is quite good).

If OP thinks isolation might be a better route and is not bothered by IEMs, they are less of a hassle (no batteries or charging) and cost-effective.
Click to expand...

I second that, IEMs that passively isolate have to be like tight foam earplugs. Very unfomfortable to use in the long run and produce the sound of blood rushing in your ears (at least to me) which can also be very uncomfortable. The active noise canceling then again flips you to an alternate dimension where you just become separated from the surroundings without having to passively block your ears. The effect is very strange but pleasant. Supercharged: Have you actually tried the QC series?

The Bose QC20 plugs produce a 45db isolation at 160hz. The QC series have also got quite good reviews for sound quality so you're not compromising THAT much on that area either. Of course for 300 bucks you may get a slight improvement in absolute sound quality using a passive model but for me its a no brainer. The active cancellation is just amazing on long trips.
 
Supercharged_Z06 said:
Try firing a handgun while wearing your Bose headphones vs a pair of ER-4P IEM's. That would be a pretty clear/effective demonstration as to what 35-42 db of true sound isolation is.
Click to expand...

The OP did say noise cancelling. You are right though, Bose won't help much against firing a handgun.
 
Well this is a surprise. But yeah no active noise canceling headphones can touch the Bose qc15. if you EQ them they can sound pretty good as well. They don't play the loudest but are very comfortable.
 
Bose would be your best bet for noise canceling if price isn't an issue. Sennheiser would be my next alternative. U can't go wrong with them
 
Sennheiser.. their nose canceling have been reviewed as having much better audio quality...

PXC450's
http://en-us.sennheiser.com/noise-canceling-headphones-travel

Mixed feelings over here
http://www.head-fi.org/t/558225/whi...nheiser-pxc-450-or-something-else-please-help
and here
http://www.avforums.com/threads/bose-quiet-comfort15-sennheiser-pxc450.1267481/

These arent NC specific
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B009FRPN56/ref=oh_details_o03_s00_i00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

but i bought these and i use them at work, with my ipod at about %60 volume, i can not hear anyone in our office, 8 people who sit behind me...
 
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