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$50-$100 Headphones good at blocking out noise? [Edit: Ordering Etymotic MC5's!]

K

KingstonU

Golden Member
Edit: Ordering Etymotic MC5's for $80

I've had the same pair of $20 headphones for almost 10 years, the quality of the sound is not bad but they're not very good at blocking out external noise like in an airplane.

I figure it's time I get myself a decent set but don't know anything about headphones. I find most of the ones that go inside your ears are painfully uncomfortable so would rather avoid that.

Can anyone give some recommendations that are between $50 and $100-ish? Is there even a justifiable difference between a $30 pair and a $100 pair?

Thanks
 
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I just bought a Sennheiser HD201 (full ears cover) for $15 (Shell Shocker deal) from Newegg for my 12+ hours trip across the Pacific in a month or so. So far it is pretty good.
 
I fly with a pair of Etymotic HF5's. Super comfortable with the foam tips and they block out almost everything.
 
I've got the Ultimate Ears 600s and they have a pretty good seal that keeps noise out. They sound pretty good as well.
 
Go on over to headfi.org and read one of the thousands of threads that discusses every range of IEM ever made.

I was using a pair of UE Super.fi 3s that I bought for $40 on sale, and they lasted me for 3 years and blocked out everything on a plane. When those broke, I bought a pair of Soundmagic PL50s for $50 and they did just as well, and were much smaller to boot. Great sound. Not too much bass if you're a basshead though.

Last Thursday when Amazon had their BF sale I bought a pair of UE TF10s for $95. By far the best $95 ever spent for a pair of IEMs. There's a seller here on FS/FT selling them for $140, still not a bad price IMO.

I gave my dad, who's been using the stock Ipod earbuds, a pair of one of the Meelectronics IEMs that pop up on Slickdeals all the time and he loves them. You could try them before plopping down more dough for a better set.

You want to be looking for IEMs if you want to block out nearly everything on a plane. Your ears will thank you. Sorry for the long post, I just hate how people pay hundreds for an mp3 player but don't bother to treat their ears to better sound.
 
Bought a pair of (new) Able Planet noise canceling headphones for $60 off Woot!

If Bose are a 100% solution then these are a 95% solution. Well worth the price considering they are 1/5th the price of the Bose ...
 
I use Zune V2 earphones.

You should be able to find them for about $20 on ebay.

Amazing sound quality, great blocking of outside noise.
 
I prefer noise isolation headphones (the kind that are like ear plugs mixed with headphones) vs. the noise cancellation ones. That way people talking, babies crying, etc. are all blocked out instead of just the engine and airplane noises.
 
The deeper in your ears the better for iem type, mostly for airplanes you gotta seal out the noise rather than fight it. That or large closed ear cups. fight the engine noise and u will just raise the volume to ear damaging levels
 
IEMs really are the way to go if you're looking for sound isolation. Just make sure you get some decent tips (the foam/rubber thing that actually comes in contact with your ear).
 
I'm interested in this as well, same price range as OP. Anything recommended for over ear style (to just block outside noises for studying)?
 
99 cents.
foam-ear-plugs.jpg
 
Looks like I'm going to go with Etymotic MC5's after doing some reading as they seem to have the best sound isolation at the ~$100 price point. I hope they are comfortable enough for me. I was also considering the Atrio X's and Ultimate Ears 600's but could not get enough info on them.

Headphoneinfo.com had the best reviews. I had no idea how much of a market there seems to be for headphones that are $200, $500, or even >$1000!!!! Color me oblivious to headphone quality before, still am but feel like I've at least done enough reading to not get ripped off 😛

Thanks for the suggestions!
 
KingstonU said:
Headphoneinfo.com had the best reviews. I had no idea how much of a market there seems to be for headphones that are $200, $500, or even >$1000!!!! Color me oblivious to headphone quality before, still am but feel like I've at least done enough reading to not get ripped off 😛
Click to expand...

Hopefully you don't realize you were "blissfully unaware" of the wallet sucking aspect of high end headphones. In the last two months I've spent over a grand trying to replace my Sennhieser HD555s. Finally settled on the HD650. But it can turn into a real expensive hobby, real quick.
 
Should've forked out a bit more for the HF5. They are known to be comparable with the $500 or even >$1000 headphones!!!!!!!!!!!

MC5's will still bring you into the world of audiophilia though. Etymotic kicks butt! 🙂
 
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