Noise cancelling headphones... need a pair

[StreetScooby 5]

Anyone have any recommendations? I need to be able to wear them for about an hour at a time. Plus, I wear glasses and don't want the ear muffs cutting into them/my head.

Thanks.

We are all engines of karma

[theonlyski 8]

I have a pair of Bose A20's that I use for flying. Almost too good at canceling out sound. The first couple of times I turned them on, I thought the engine died!

No real issues with my glasses, but they make an on-ear version of the headphones (you won't need to get the A20s, maybe a pair of QCs or something?)

"I may be a dirty pirate hooker...but I'm not about to go stand on the corner." iluvtofly
DPH -7, TDS 578, Muff 5153, SCR 14890
I'm an asshole, and I approve this message

[BillyVance 34]

You could just be like me, a deaf fucker, and not have to worry about that shit.

I kid...

"Mediocre people don't like high achievers, and high achievers don't like mediocre people." - SIX TIME National Champion coach Nick Saban

[Opie 0]

http://www.bose.com/controller?url=/shop_online/headphones/noise_cancelling_headphones/quietcomfort_20/index.jsp

If you are open to earbuds instead of headphones these from bose will absolutely amaze you when you turn the noise cancelling switch on. More comfortable that headphones imo.

I also have a bluetooth Phiaton set that is nice for it's bluetooth convenience but the bose has a much, much better noise cancellation factor it you are using them for flying.

http://www.phiaton.com/ps-210-btnc

[StreetScooby 5]

Quote

You could just be like me, a deaf fucker, and not have to worry about that shit.

I'm half way there Was born deaf in my right ear. Absolutely cannot tell sound direction, and I mean not even close. You should watch me in a public place when someone calls out my name. All I can do is turn 360s until I identify someone It can be very entertaining for those involved.

Worse, if a noise really starts annoying me, it can be days before I track it down, if ever.

Back in the day of pagers, my wife took the kids to England while I stayed home and worked. She left her pager buried in one of the kids room, and it went off the day she left. Keep going for a week, and I could not find it. Took every smoke detector apart, because that's kind of what it sounded like. After a week, had someone else come over and help me find it. I hate pagers...

We are all engines of karma

[StreetScooby 5]

These look interesting. The A20's theonlyski talked about look very nice, but also very pricey for my budget.

We are all engines of karma

[yoink 321]

I've got a pair of Bose QC-15s - they're comfortable enough that I regularly wear them for 8 or 9 hours at a time over glasses, and the sound quality and noise cancelling is great.

I've never found in-ear ones comfy - I might just have a weird ear shape.


It's one of the best investments I've made in recent years.

[StreetScooby 5]

This looks like something one of the guys in my "group" wears. He literally wears his all day. A Russian "quant", who keeps a focus literally all day. I'm definitely going to ask him what he's wearing.

Just read the review on these, and apparently they are favorites of frequent fliers. Are these good enough to "drown out" crying kids? Or, is that a ridiculous question?

We are all engines of karma

[StreetScooby 5]

Thanks for all the input here. It's given me a toe-hold into the market place. Just read a bunch of Amazon reviews on the Bose QC-15s,

yoink - how long have you had yours? I've read several reviews claiming they die within a year. For $300, that seems a bit much.

I came across one review that was really good, IMO. Thought I'd post it here, in case others are interested.
FYI,



Bose QC15 vs. Sennheiser PXC 450 vs. Audio-Technica ATH-ANC7b
By Joshua Brooks on August 23, 2011
Color Name: Silver
Bose QC15 vs. Sennheiser PXC 450 vs. Audio-Technica ATH-ANC7b

Disclosure: I have tried all these on an airplane. I am not an audiophile. Noise Cancelation is the most important attribute to me.

The Carrying Case: All three are quite durable and stiff.
1.) Bose- the smallest, a low profile, room for an Ipod, accessories too.
2.) Sennheiser- Square shape, low profile, however not a lot of room for anything else in case.
3.) Audio Technica- Nice big case if you want to carry extra stuff (Nintendo DS, ipod, etc).

Build Quality:
1.) Sennheiser- you can tell this is built VERY well. Strong plastics, good components, thick cord. Top notch. You feel like you are getting something really high quality.
2.) Audio Technica- Nice solid construction, appears durable.
3.) Bose- If this had a Sanyo logo on the side, I would not have flinched. How can something $300 be so incredibly cheaply made.

Size:
1.) Bose- as far as over the ears go, these are pretty small.
2.) Audio-Technica- mid-sized.
3.) Sennheiser- These are big. No question, but they store flat.

Comfort:
1.) Sennheiser- Very comfortable, will fit almost any size ears. Keep on for hours.
2.) Bose- Also comfortable. I did not experience "highs" discomfort.
3.) Audio-Technica- Perfectly satisfactory. Larger opening than previous AT model. Gets warm and tight on head on long flights.

Sound:
1.) Sennheiser- I actually wore these at home too, simply to hear parts of songs I had never heard before. Astounding. My 10yr old music collection sounded totally NEW.
2.) Audio-Technica- Well balanced, good sound.
3.) Bose- Great sound, but very heavy on the bass. I listen to a lot of rap and pop, so it was mildly annoying. I ultimately had to turn my treble settings up on my ipod to balance the sound.

Features:
1.) Sennheiser- nice cord, push to talk button (temporarily mutes NC and sound which is great for interruptions on airplanes).
2.) Bose/Audio Technica- just the basics. Bose simply an on/off switch.

Price:
1.) Audio Technica- $150 to $225 depending on how you shop.
2.) Sennheiser- $200 to $275
3.) Bose- Hard to find below $300+.

Noise Cancelation:
1.) Bose- No question here, far surpassed the other two. Best Noise Cancelation.
2.) Audio-Technica- Good Noise Cancelation.
3.) Sennheiser- Not sure what happened here. Incredible sound, satisfactory noise cancelation.

Summary:

I ultimately kept the Bose because I was only using these for flying and the Sennheiser's (as much as I loved them) let me down in the Noise Cancelation department. The Sennheiser's had by far the most superior sound, but the Bose Noise Cancelation was night and day. The Bose are made very poorly for a $300+ product, it was disappointing.

Final assessment:

Audio-Technica- best balance of value for money
Sennheiser- Best sound and comfort
Bose- Best Noise Cancelation

We are all engines of karma

[ControlFreak 0]

I have had the Bose QC15s for a long, long time.
I'm on my second pair; one of the plastic pieces on the headband broke on the first pair after many years of happy use. (They did spend a lot of time in my parked car) I wrapped it neatly with electrical tape and got several more years before the other side broke. I called Bose to ask about repair and they let me trade them in for half-price credit on a new pair.
I like the over-the-ear type best and these cups are soft and comfortable even over my glasses. In my unqualified opinion, the sound quality is fantastic.
A couple years ago my boss and I were working together in a noisy environment. He had a pair of Sonys and after he tried mine, he went to Best Buy at lunch and bought a pair of Bose.
YMMV

ETA: Noise cancelling feature, of any brand, will not help with mouse-banging noises.

Alcohol never really solved any problems. But then again, neither did milk.

[StreetScooby 5]

Quote

ETA: Noise cancelling feature, of any brand, will not help with mouse-banging noises.

Ahck... Why is that?

Worst case, I pipe in some low volume ambient music when I'm wearing them e.g., Relaxing River, Calming Electric Fan (which I absolutely love, having grown up in the deep south), or Distant Thunderstorm (which I like a lot, also). Right now, I'm leaning toward the Bose QC-15s... Haven't bought them, yet, though. Can I plug these into my computer, and play the above mentioned CDs?

We are all engines of karma

[StreetScooby 5]

Went to a BOSE store on Saturday to look at the QC-15s. Only sale for $260 right now. Wonderful pair of headphones. Extremely comfortable, and the noise cancellation demo was impressive. Definitely going to get a pair in the near future.

We are all engines of karma

[adamUK 3]

My wife has a pair and I have a pair of JVC noise-cancelling headphones. The Bose ones were twice the cost for sure but for air travel the Bose ones were much much better.

[Stumpy 284]

I had some black box ones, then some bose ones, but I've actually moved away from the noise cancelling ones and now have a pair of B&W P3's. Found the noise cancelling created a "pressure" that became quite irritating over a long time. Much happier with the new ones and the sound is waaaay better.

Never try to eat more than you can lift