noise cancelling headphones?

[marcandalysse 0]

Woiuld appreciate your reviews of any quality noise cancelling headsets.

There was a thread about them a couple years back, but not many product reviews/comparisons/complaints.

Comfort and effectiveness appear to be the most important factors.

Bose, Sony, Sunheiser etc....what do you like about them?

Thanks,
Marc

"The reason angels can fly is that they take themselves so lightly." --GK Chesterton

[dynamicedge 0]

Bose!!!!!!!!! Bose makes the absolute best audio devices. The Bose noise cancelling headsets are amazing!!! while you're at it get the Bose Wave radio and the Bose Lifestyles home theatre surround sound system. awesome stuff!!!

[freefalle 0]

yea, I had a pair of bose, I liked them.

[anthonyfellows 0]

Bose, Bose, Bose ... I wouldn't waste my money on anything else ... Well, other than the pair of Shure E3 ear buds that I have.

Serious relationships turn into work after a few weeks and I already got a fucking job :)
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
H.A.F. = Hard As Fuck ... Goddamn Amateurs

[skymama 35]

My husband has Bose that he wears when we travel and he really likes them. I don't like them because I think I'm the noise he wants to cancel.

She is Da Man, and you better not mess with Da Man,
because she will lay some keepdown on you faster than, well, really fast. ~Billvon

[TrophyHusband 0]

i had the bose qc2 headphones and i loved them, until they got stolen.

"Your scrotum is quite nice" - Skymama
www.kjandmegan.com

[LouDiamond 1]

I have the Bose quite comfort 3s and have been using them for about a year and a half now. I use them at a minimum of twice every month for about 8+hrs each way. Fantastic device, works good at removing the "hiss" and white noise. I would have gone insane on a recent flight to France if I hadn't had them with me. There is nothing like the synchronized screaming of children on an International flight to make you glad you have them. I also didn't think it possible but both circus midgets screamed the whole flight minus about 45 mins. Another reason why having the extra battery for the headset in the carry case is a must.

Things I have noticed about them:

1. The Comfort 3s are good for your average flight(s) as they are small and sit on the ear and are low profile. I find that on longer trips or constant continual use that my ears start to hurt and I have to take the headset off for awhile and peel my ears away from my skull so to speak. I think the Comfort 2s, while bigger, may be a better bet if you're going to wear them for a long time or your ears tend to hurt after prolonged ear muff use.

2. They are awesome for eliminating noise, just not all the noise in the spectrum. On several occasions I was trying to sleep and swore that the person sitting behind me was talking in my ear only to turn around and find out it was someone several rows back having a conversation. I could also hear the stewardess's voice on one flight and she was in the galley area about 12 rows back. I guess it depends on the persons voice but I have found that the headphones actually seem to amplify some peoples voices(mostly female)/sounds on occasion.


3. These are awesome for listening to movies/music in flight. All you hear is what is coming out of the headphones. Had it not been for the music channel and the movies on the flight to France I guarantee you there would have been an International incident and or a rapid cabin depressurization at 35 thousand feet over the Atlantic.


4. Bose are worth the money,every penny, especially when you can sleep while everyone else is miserable and has to listen to screaming banshees.

"It's just skydiving..additional drama is not required"
Some people dream about flying, I live my dream
SKYMONKEY PUBLISHING

[korbin 0]

I've been waiting to talk about this but I've got a dealer account with quite a few audio/video outlets (Dealer price on everything + Resale capability)

Audio Technica's most recent product is damn good for your buck. (about 110 bucks dealer price.) -- Main thing, the quality is perfect and you CAN NOT hear anything outside of it (turbine, maybe). It was rated product of the year last year at Consumer Electronics Show. (If I can find a dz in Vegas this February, I will, everyone.. awesome show to go to)

Bose is nice, but it's highly overrated in todays consumer market (You see quite a bit different stuff in showroom/performance audio), and I do sell it. (No highs, no lows, just Bose).

Shure and Sennheiser make great product also. (I don't sell Sennheiser), but for the money, the ATs and the Boses are the ones you want to go with.

The Bose have a bit better bass response IMO, but it really depends on the setting and where you are going to be with the product. They have about equal canceling capabilities.

Bose are quite a bit more dealer/retail price.

[ladydyver 0]

I have a pair of sony headphones and love them. compact and comfortable.

my hubby has a pair of bose - i like them better just because their is more noise reduction. his 1st pair broke and they had him send them back and he paid 100$ for a new pair. the 2nd pair was a newer model, more compact.

it really comes down to how much money you want to spend. I think we spend about 125$ for my sony -they work well ---- Bose are more expensive but you get a little better quality. either way I don't think you could go wrong from my perspective.

DPH # 2
"I am not sure what you are suppose to do with that, but I don't think it is suppose to flop around like that." ~Skootz~
I have a strong regard for the rules.......doc!

[NWFlyer 2]

Quote

I think the Comfort 2s, while bigger, may be a better bet if you're going to wear them for a long time or your ears tend to hurt after prolonged ear muff use.

I haven't tried the QC-3s, but I have a pair of QC-2s, and that's what I like about them - the fact that they don't sit on the ear, but that they surround the ear. Maybe it's just psychological, but the fact that they surround the ear is also part of the "cocoon" effect that they create for me, and I think it contributes to the noise-canceling effect.

To the OP - every review I read before I bought my QC-2s a few years ago said "there's BOSE and there's everyone else." No contest - if you travel a reasonable amount, they're worth every penny. They make it possible to watch movies without subtitles - with regular headphones watching DVDs on my laptop, I usually had to put subtitles on or I'd miss some of the dialogue, even at full volume. If I'm trying to sleep I'll usually put them on and put on some mellow music as well because like Scott said they don't get rid of all the noise in the spectrum, so I'd rather have my music than have certain noises coming through to wake me up.

"There is only one basic human right, the right to do as you damn well please. And with it comes the only basic human duty, the duty to take the consequences." -P.J. O'Rourke

[quade 3]

David Clark.

quade -
The World's Most Boring Skydiver

[normiss 619]

So you're saying you hear voices?

[LouDiamond 1]

Quote

So you're saying you hear voices?

Doesn't everyone who can hear,hear voices when people speak?

"It's just skydiving..additional drama is not required"
Some people dream about flying, I live my dream
SKYMONKEY PUBLISHING

[Jewels 0]

Quote

Bose, Bose, Bose ... I wouldn't waste my money on anything else ... Well, other than the pair of Shure E3 ear buds that I have.

I have a couple of pairs of Shures and LOVE them. They are fabulous quality and very comfortable.

TPM Sister #102

[p1p3 0]

First of all I would say STAY THE HELL AWAY FROM BOSE. What they make are maybe not the worst on the market but you could pick something up for less than half the price that will beat it. Sorry to all you BOSE lovers, but they are all about marketing not quality.

When you are looking at noise canceling headphones there are 3 basic styles to choose from:
IEMs (In Ear Monitors)
Closed Headphones
Active Noise Cancellation

They have all pros and cons.
IEMs are great for travel. They basically look like the iPod type headphones but they go inside the ear channel. The two big names that make IEMs are Shure and Etymotic Research. They have very good noise cancellation but some people dislike sticking things in their ears. Its also hard to have a conversation without taking them out of your ears. Some models have a talk trough mode but if i remember correctly the are quite expensive.
Closed Headphones are my favorite noise canceling phones. Not that great for travel because of their size but in my opinion have a superior sound only rivaled by open headphones and electrostatics. This category is probably where you get most bang for the buck. The big brands in this category are Beyer Dynamics, Sennheiser and AKG.
Active Noise Cancellation comes in many different styles. They work by using a microphone in the headphone and playing back the sound from in inverted 180 degrees to cancel out the noise. I recently bought a pair and while their noise canceling abilities for statics noises like airplanes, fans and ventilation systems impressed me the sound quality suffers badly from it. They also don't block out "random noise" like people talking. If the is good or bad is up to you. Haven't done much research on different brands here but at least Sennheiser has them. Costs more than a closed headphone and don't really offer anything extra that is worth having. The big ones offer better isolation but have the same problem with traveling that closed headphones have: size.

http://www.head-fi.org/ is a great forum for headphones with good reviews and lots of helpful people.

Maybe I should also mention that my headphone setup cost me a bit above 700$ so I'm a bit biased towards the high end stuff.

EDIT: If I haven't mentioned any brands under the different categories its not because they are bad or I don't like them, its just I haven't heard them so I cant recommend them personally.

[Rookie120 0]

I have a pair of the BOSE and the Sony. Both are great but I think the BOSE is just a step above the rest. I gave the Sony to my wife and she wears them at work. It drowns out the sound from Manhattan and her co-workers. She loves them. My BOSE are great for those long flights. Great buys.

If you find yourself in a fair fight, your tactics suck!

[The111 0]

Quote

Audio Technica's most recent product is damn good for your buck. (about 110 bucks dealer price.) -- Main thing, the quality is perfect and you CAN NOT hear anything outside of it (turbine, maybe). It was rated product of the year last year at Consumer Electronics Show. (If I can find a dz in Vegas this February, I will, everyone.. awesome show to go to)

This.

Go to Amazon.com and read the product reviews. None of the headsets under $300 will cancel ALL noise. There are much higher end products for much more money that will do much better.

But... in the "consumer range," the Audio-Technica QuietPoint ATH-ANC7 headset is far superior to Bose products. Cheaper, higher build quality, and better sound and noise cancellation. $120 from Amazon. They're on my head right now.

www.WingsuitPhotos.com

[The111 0]

Quote

First of all I would say STAY THE HELL AWAY FROM BOSE. What they make are maybe not the worst on the market but you could pick something up for less than half the price that will beat it. Sorry to all you BOSE lovers, but they are all about marketing not quality.

Kind of reminds me of AOL in the 90's... everybody was convinced it was the best and only way to get online. An outstanding marketing phenomenon is what it was.

www.WingsuitPhotos.com

[normiss 619]

Nice.
I was forcing myself to NOT say I think Bose products are over hyped and overpriced.
But they are.
Always have been.

Thanks Matt

[SuFantasma 0]

http://www.americanchronicle.com/articlePics/article25199.jpg

But seriously, you will be amazed how well the Skull Candy headphones work... and they are $14.95 .... will make you forget the Bose... get them at Circuit City :

http://www.circuitcity.com/ccd/productDetail.do?oid=194987&om_keycode=66

Y yo, pa' vivir con miedo, prefiero morir sonriendo, con el recuerdo vivo".
- Ruben Blades, "Adan Garcia"

[skyking59 0]

Has anyone ever thought of getting a good set of buds or headphones and wearing them under your helmet so you can listen to your favorite tunes on the way down? Or would it just be to loud?

[korbin 0]

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Has anyone ever thought of getting a good set of buds or headphones and wearing them under your helmet so you can listen to your favorite tunes on the way down? Or would it just be to loud?

Seems like it would be a distraction of a certain degree. Look at the issues people have with cameras. A good set of in-ear ones would be really nice under helmets.

There are "muffs" specifically designed to hold headphones inside of helmets for motorcycles and other purposes, im sure they'd work for a skydiving specific helmet (they're pretty thin)

[korbin 0]

Quote

Quote

Go to Amazon.com and read the product reviews. None of the headsets under $300 will cancel ALL noise. There are much higher end products for much more money that will do much better.

But... in the "consumer range," the Audio-Technica QuietPoint ATH-ANC7 headset is far superior to Bose products. Cheaper, higher build quality, and better sound and noise cancellation. $120 from Amazon. They're on my head right now.

Oh you're absolutely right on that. AT does not have the best product (their ATH-W5000s are cool but overrated). There are quite a few high enders out there. I just never find myself in a situation where I don't have a high quality audio system around me and need to use serious headphones ("audiophile" quality). My tracks aren't CD rip unfortunately (160kpbs).. For nostalgic purposes my computer desk set is an Onkyo A7090 (1979) and some RTRs (classic) standard bookshelves. Sounds pretty nice.

Totally off topic, but if you're into audio, check out some electrostats, utterly kickass highs and mids. Very unique, not so much DB.

[billvon 2,379]

>What they make are maybe not the worst on the market but you could
>pick something up for less than half the price that will beat it.

You can definitely pay less, but it's hard to find hardware that does a better job. (Goes for several of their products.)

>I recently bought a pair and while their noise canceling abilities for statics
> noises like airplanes, fans and ventilation systems impressed me the
>sound quality suffers badly from it. They also don't block out "random
>noise" like people talking.

They are actually best at blocking low frequency random noise (i.e. "white noise.") The physical earmuffs themselves are better at blocking high frequency noise. This is an issue on some aircraft like the MD-80; the noise profile goes from high frequency in the front (primarily wind noise) to low frequency in the back (primarily engine noise.) I'll often perceive less noise in the back with active headsets.

They will also happily block low frequency non-random noise (like speech) but our ears are exceptionally good at picking voice out of white noise. Since it lowers both levels equally we still have the same signal to noise ratio to work with, so we can still hear voice to some degree.

[skittles_of_SDC 0]

Quote

Has anyone ever thought of getting a good set of buds or headphones and wearing them under your helmet so you can listen to your favorite tunes on the way down? Or would it just be to loud?

I have heard of this. One guy I talked to actually had some Shure noise canceling ear buds and then had a nike amp chest mounted or something like that so he could remotely change music even in freefall.

Ever since he told me about it I have wanted to give it a try.

Note: Nike Amp only works with the iPod Nano.