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Noise-Canceling headphones (not isolating)
EggyToast
Jersey CityRegistered User regular
Jersey CityRegistered User regular
This has come up a few times in the past but I wanted to get some opinions from people who have used these. I'm going to be on some very, very long flights in the near future and want to make sleeping easier and reduce ear fatigue. Some googling tells me that there is a worthwhile advantage to noise-canceling headphones over foam earplugs due to the fact that they *cancel* rather than just attenuate noise (especially low-frequencies), and over-the-ear headphones are generally more comfortable for 10+hr periods compared to having something shoved in your ear. Plus sleeping, etc.
So my questions are:
1. Must you listen to audio in order to experience the noise-canceling effect of these headphones? Most are active and battery powered, which makes me believe that you can "turn on" the canceling effect even if you're not otherwise using the headphones, but I haven't been able to find anything conclusive
2. Anyone have any good pairs to recommend? My wife and I are looking for something cheap, as spending $400 for us to each have headphones is a hard sell compared to just living with $2 for 10 foam earplugs, but searching just based on price brings up in-ear noise-isolating earbuds (which we already own).
So my questions are:
1. Must you listen to audio in order to experience the noise-canceling effect of these headphones? Most are active and battery powered, which makes me believe that you can "turn on" the canceling effect even if you're not otherwise using the headphones, but I haven't been able to find anything conclusive
2. Anyone have any good pairs to recommend? My wife and I are looking for something cheap, as spending $400 for us to each have headphones is a hard sell compared to just living with $2 for 10 foam earplugs, but searching just based on price brings up in-ear noise-isolating earbuds (which we already own).
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Your mileage may vary. I can't recommend any good pairs, but I think making sure that you have a comfortable clamshell model that totally encloses the ear would be the best bet. Avoid anything over 100 dollars, as the difference between a cheap model and an expensive model is very small in terms of the noise cancelling effect. You will get better audio quality from the more expensive models, but if you wanted that, you'd probably purchase your own studio monitor headphones or something.
1. That's how mine work.
2. They're not the cheapest, but I've been very pleased with them so far. I owned a pair of (more expensive) Bose noise-cancelling headphones before I got these, and find these much more comfortable.
Hahn: what kind do you currently have? Anecdotal recommendations are fine by me.
Gihg: Pilot headsets do seem to combine the best of both worlds, with attenuation and cancellation, but the prices are probably too high for us. And yeah, with their bulkiness it might make sleeping difficult. Or easy, perhaps, as the head may not bob so much.
Herk: Thanks!
Shogun Streams Vidya
However I found them uncomfortable when trying to sleep for a long period, they would make whichever side of my head I was leaning on ache a bit. I found it easier to sleep by making a pillow and leaning to one side. If you sleep bolt upright then these might be for you.
I sold my Quietcomforts and went for some passive Shure earphones, with buds that you press into your ear. To be honest I would say they work just as well as the Bose and they were only $99 from Best Buy, and that was some years ago (like maybe 3 years). The Shure in-ears are much more comfortable.
Check this link out - it has a good reviews of all the major players in this field.
At $40 each, this is the way I'd go if I were you, buying them for both my wife and myself. (And when you sleep, wear foam plugs AND these for a blissful experience). The noise cancellation part is powered by a AAA battery, and is toggle-able via a switch on the rear of the right side.