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Sound Cancelling Heaphones

Spinal

Spinal

MB Enthusiast
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between Uxbridge and the Alps
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x254, G350, Duster, S320, Mach1, 900ss and a few more
Howdy!

I'm looking for a pair of headphones to use on the tube and on long plane journeys... they need to have 3 features:
- Small & Light (so earbud type probably)
- Need to cancel out the airplane's engine's drone, the tube's brake compressor noise and the screaming baby sat next to me
- Comfortable... (subjective, I know)

The only in-ear headphones that do sound cancelling that I can find are Sony's MDR-NC22 and NC23 now...

Any advice?

M.
 
Hi,
My wife has a set of Audio Technica anc3.

She is very happy with them, I have tried them and was amazed at the sound quality and noise cancellation.

You should maybe try some out at a retail store first.

Alex
 
Spinal said:
I'm looking for a pair of headphones to use on the tube and on long plane journeys... they need to have 3 features:
- Small & Light (so earbud type probably)
- Need to cancel out the airplane's engine's drone, the tube's brake compressor noise and the screaming baby sat next to me
- Comfortable... (subjective, I know)

The only in-ear headphones that do sound cancelling that I can find are Sony's MDR-NC22 and NC23 now...

Any advice?
Click to expand...

Philips do a cheap (and they are cheaply made as well) set of in-ear buds that claim active NC capability for about £20 - Tesco sell them:

Unexpected error occurred - Tesco.Direct

For getting rid of high pitched noises then in-ear is probably the way to go if you're comfortable with them. And these are cheap enough just to try and if you don't like them you can chuck them.

I use Sennheiser PXC 350s for travelling (train and aircraft). They're bulky. I don't think they'd be that good on the tube - though they are excellent for use within equipment rooms, planes, and intercity trains.

Quite a few people swear by the specialist (expensive) bud types - if properly fitted - which do not actively noise cancel. I don't particularly like ear buds and haven't been inclined to try them. But these are probably the ones to go for to deal with a screaming kid within your vicinity.
 
I was looking at them in the US last week, the packageing over there, on all brands stated the percentage of background noise that they were capable of blocking out. Not sure if the UK market ones have this info on the box?

In any case, at the cheapest end of the market, around $99, claims of only 70% blocking of background noise, mid range priced headphones, $199 were in the 80%+ & top of the range ones claimed up to 99.9%, but they were $400. It seems you get what you pay for performance wise.

The headphones provided on the flight were advertised by the airline as as noise cancelling, but were merely padded over the ear phones. To me, noise cancelling headphones have a battery & microphone to cancel out any droning noise.

Russ
 
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Sound cancelling headphones?

I assume you mean noise cancelling headphones :D

I bought some panasonic ones for about £60. They reduce the noise by about 50% I guess, which does help on a plane. Not sure how much better the ones at the higher end of the price range are.
 
I have a pair of Sony MDR-NC22 and they work very well on a plane, but I've never tried them on the Tube. In general, noise cancelling headphones work best against broad spectrum noise (like the roar in an aircraft cabin) and less well against something more narrow spectrum, like a squawking infant. There are a number of sub-£100 alternatives to the Sony ones available from JVC, Panasonic & Philips and most provide similar performance. Google is your friend.

Alternatively, if you're serious about sound quality then these can provide a much better solution, depending upon the earphones you use them with.
 
st13phil said:
Alternatively, if you're serious about sound quality then these can provide a much better solution, depending upon the earphones you use them with.
Click to expand...

I had custom moulds made for my Etymotic ER6s - brilliant in that the noise reduction was huge and the comfort was perfect.

Having impressions made is an experience too - the silicone in the ear is a weird feeling.
 
One step down from custom ear fitting jobbies is the Sennheiser IE6 which I cannot praise enough, you get enough rubbery bits to fit any lugs and they sound amazing.
 
While I'm sure the that the passive sound-deadening headphones do work (I bought a pair of CX500s before realising they were passive) I really am looking for something with active noise cancelling capabilities...

Something with a battery and microphone... something technological, geeky and ... well.. active :p Though the custom made moulds sounds like an interesting concept... I wonder if the two can be combined (active sound cancelling headphones with moulded ear bits)

M.
 
Most bodies in Business Class seem to use the Bose ones.......
 
Spinal said:
Something with a battery and microphone... something technological, geeky and ... well.. active :p Though the custom made moulds sounds like an interesting concept... I wonder if the two can be combined (active sound cancelling headphones with moulded ear bits)
Click to expand...
:D :D :D I understand...

I wear custom moulded comms earplugs when I'm on the bike, and also have the Sony Active noise-cancelling MDR-NC22's. In terms of ambient noise reduction, the custom moulded plugs are superior. The MDR-NC22's win hands down in terms of geek points, but ER-6's with custom moulded sleeves (like timskemp has) would slaughter the Sony's for sound quality so I would say that they are the better solution.

Regarding combination of the technologies, give Andy at ACS a call and ask him. They're at Banbury so relatively close by (assuming you're still in Oxford), too.

Edit: Just read your sig and realised you're in Uxbridge. OK, it's just a trip up the M40 then
 
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WLeg said:
Most bodies in Business Class seem to use the Bose ones.......
Click to expand...

A lot of that is down to advertising. Some airlines use Bose as well.

I know a few people who went for the QuietComfort 2 and 3 models without looking at alternatives because they didn't realise there were alternatives.

The Bose phones are good but not significantly better than lower priced alternatives. The rechargable batteries are a bit of a pain as well.
 
WLeg said:
Most bodies in Business Class seem to use the Bose ones.......
Click to expand...


I bought a pair of Bose QC2 headphones a couple of years ago. They are absolutely worth every single penny.

It is not just that they cancel out ambient noise. It is not just that they are lightweight and comfortable. Many makes achieve that for a fraction of the price. It is the superb sound reproduction that simply blows me away. You hear instruments that you never thought were on the track. You hear background sound that you never thought was on the movie.

Without exception, they are the absolute best headphones I have ever owned, by far.

I would have thought that on a Mercedes Forum I would not read postings on the lines of "you are paying for the name". After all, we are certain that MB cars are superior to the mass market and worth the extra money.

Likewise, so are BOSE.
 
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Meldrew2 said:
I would have thought that on a Mercedes Forum I would not read postings on the lines of "you are paying for the name". After all, we are certain that MB cars are superior to the mass market and worth the extra money.

Likewise, so are BOSE.
Click to expand...

I'll agree with you when QVC start selling MBs.

Till that point comes I'll treat Bose with a bit of respect but not as much as they think they're worth.
 
.

Looking at some postings on this forum about people's experiences with MB dealers, I think I'd actually rather like to buy my next MB from QVC........






.
 
timskemp said:
Most people in business class have more money than sense / taste.
Click to expand...
generalisation?
 
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