Best noise canceling headphones for travel?

[Fingolfin269]

Currently looking at everyone's favorite brand: Bose. :sneaky: Not a fan of the brand for home audio but have to admit after using a friend's Bose Quietcomfort 15 I'm impressed. Super comfortable, noise cancelation that actually works well, and sounded good enough to me. Of course they're expensive (here's a link to Amazon @ $269)http://www.amazon.com/Bose%C2%AE-Qui.../dp/B0054JJ0QW

I'm looking for alternatives. Obviously a lower price is a plus. Order of importance to me is as follows:

1) Comfort
2a) Noise Cancelation (quality NC, not just a listed feature)
2b) Sound Quality
3) Packaging (The Bose had a nice travel case)
4) Price

Comfort is most important. Noise Cancelation and Sound Quality are basically tied but NC is more important to me than SQ for air travel.

Note: I do NOT want in-ear headphones. Cans only!

Appreciate any input you guys may have.

 

[fralexandr]

Monoprice sells some that are supposed to be pretty comfortable
http://www.monoprice.com/Product/?c...id=1082706&p_id=10010&seq=1&format=4#feedback
cheaper than the bose, but probably not as good at cancelling

I'm not sure there's much that can beat Bose at active noise cancellation.

cnet has a list of noise cancelling headphones with short reviews
http://reviews.cnet.com/best-noise-canceling-headphones/

 

[Dunkman04]

Yeah Bose are the best, and I'm a Bose hater. However, they make great noise cancellation and tiny speakers. Just don't buy anything else from them.

 

[richaron]

Another Bose hater here, but the Quietcomfort 15s are one of the best at the thing it does...

Though I would look at the Audio Technica ANC70 also.

 

[The Stigenator]

I bought a BOSE QC15 for my trip to Philippines. It was SO worth it!

My old NC headphones were SO not the same, it was a SONY unit, but it was horrible.

 

[Fingolfin269]

Another Bose hater here, but the Quietcomfort 15s are one of the best at the thing it does...

Though I would look at the Audio Technica ANC70 also.

Good call on the ANC70. I'll wait until there is more information available but from what I've been able to find thus far they look pretty good.

 

[Ns1]

I did a ton of research on the subject and everyone says the same thing: Bose sucks, but not at this.

 

[CA19100]

I'm on an airline flight at least once a week. I've tried numerous ANR headsets, but none have done as well for me as the Bose QuietComfort 15. (I had the QC2 previously, which is physically identical, but the QC15 is quieter.) It's tuned specifically to remove the high-pitched air noise on a jet, and it works very, very well for that.

I also tried the QuietComfort 3, which is the on-ear model, but I found it uncomfortable having it press on my ears. The over-the-ear style works better for me, but it might be worth trying both to see which you like better. And I actually prefer not having another battery to recharge. The QC3 has an internal rechargeable, while the QC15 just takes a AAA. I get dozens of hours out of a single AAA, so battery life really isn't an issue at all.

It doesn't drown out screaming babies and credit card pitches on its own, but if you have some music playing, it does a great job at removing those, too.

 

[alkemyst]

I don't have a set yet, but most of the engineers I work with swear be the Bose QuietComfort 15's as well. Many of them have been Bose haters so tried other brands before finally biting the bullet.

For our needs it makes taking a phone conversation in a loud data center / server / equipment room almost like taking it at your desk.

I know some of the guys use rechargeable Enerloop batteries instead of single use batteries. I am not sure if their is a difference in battery life. If there is they seem to last through a 8-10 hour day just fine.

 

[Oyeve]

There is no comparable alternative to BOSE. They pretty much corner the market. FWIW, I hate them too.

 

[Chapbass]

+1. Their over the ear headphones are solid. I'll never buy their speakers, but their headphones aren't too bad at all.

 

[alangrift]

Skull candies are good for what you are looking for.

 

[NonToxic628]

FWIW, I had purchased the Bose QC3's as they were more compact for traveling, but I found that I hated the way they felt on my ears.

I took them back for the QC15's and I have found that over the ear headphones are much more comfortable, atleast in my case. The headphones work well enough on a plane, although they wont drown out everything.

If you have never had a pair, I would suggest trying them out first. You will find that the headphones create an additional pressure on your ear when you turn the noise canceling feature on. Its a bit odd at first, but you get used to it fairly quickly

 

[Ksh977]

A an owner of both the Bose QC 15 around-ear headphones and the QC 20i in-ear headphones, I think the QC 20i beats the QC 15 in the audio fidelity, noise rejection, and comfort departments. A little pricey at $300, but well worth it. One of those rare purchases that exceeds expectations.

http://www.bose.com/controller?url=...ncelling_headphones/quietcomfort_20/index.jsp

 

[Chapbass]

A an owner of both the Bose QC 15 around-ear headphones and the QC 20i in-ear headphones, I think the QC 20i beats the QC 15 in the audio fidelity, noise rejection, and comfort departments. A little pricey at $300, but well worth it. One of those rare purchases that exceeds expectations.

http://www.bose.com/controller?url=...ncelling_headphones/quietcomfort_20/index.jsp

OP specifically stated that he didn't want in ears. Plus, if in-ears were an option, then theres much better choices than the QC 20i, especially for 300 usd.

 

[Ksh977]

OP specifically stated that he didn't want in ears. Plus, if in-ears were an option, then theres much better choices than the QC 20i, especially for 300 usd.

You're right, my mistake. I should have read (more carefully) before posting.

 

[vbuggy]

I know what the OP said, but if he has not tried custom in-ears, he should.

While ANC headphones block noise in a specific band (i.e. the engine as well as the in-cabin air whoosh) and the Boses excel at that, they aren't great against screaming babies, people in conversation next to you, etc. Customs provide more all-aspect noise blocking.

In a nutshell:
- ANC dramatically reduces all engine drone and AC whoosh, but not much else - everything else relies on the physical ability of the headphones to block noise, which in the case of the comfortable phones isn't a lot
- Customs hugely reduces all noise, but lowest-frequency drone coming from the engines through your body is still perceived.

- ANC around-ears are reasonably comfortable, with Bose's design being a particular standout
- Customs are more comfortable for extended wear since there's nothing on your ears. I find this especially to be a case on older planes with fluctuating cabin temps - I don't end up sweating like a pig under the earcups

- ANC headphones are off the shelf
- Customs have to be fitted at a qualified audiologist

- Bose is, again, as good as it gets in post-NC sound quality.
- Customs can significantly exceed NC headphones in terms of sound quality

- NC headphones need a working battery - one more thing to charge / keep batteries ready for.
- Customs don't need additional power

- Bose NC headphones are pretty cheap - around $300
- Really good customs can be expensive, >$1K, but you can get those that are favourably comparable to the Bose from not much more

For me, going the custom route has been the better route (after owning some of the major NC phones).

 

[Gintaras]

http://www.head-fi.org/

 

[ProchargeMe]

I recently bought a pair of Skull Candy Crushers. They're good for NC, and have better sound quality than some more expensive sets. The extra bass is a plus if you listen to bass heavy music, the earphones vibrate with the bass to give extra effect, but this feature can be turned down or off if it is too much. I use these daily and they're the best over the head NC headphones I've used. I like the bose lineup but like always they're very overpriced for what they can do. Also you can take calls and make calls with the microphone and it's a good mic that picks up your voice well. As far as packaging the headphones fold up completely and they come with a nice drawstring bag/sack for travel. Overall I would give these two thumbs up and 4/5 stars. Also the price tag is only $99

 

[hans030390]

Bose doesn't give the best sound for the money (not bad, not stellar), but noise cancellation is one thing they apparently do better than anyone else.

 

[Fingolfin269]

Has anyone heard anything recently on the Audio Technica ANC70? I'm still leaning towards the Bose but want to try these before I drop $300 on a set of Bose.

Also, since it was mentioned earlier, I understand the benefits of custom in-ear but have my own personal reasons for not wanting those.

 

[vbuggy]

In which case I would just say don't bother beating around the bush and go with Bose.

 

[Ns1]

Has anyone heard anything recently on the Audio Technica ANC70? I'm still leaning towards the Bose but want to try these before I drop $300 on a set of Bose.

Also, since it was mentioned earlier, I understand the benefits of custom in-ear but have my own personal reasons for not wanting those.

Amazon has a 30 day return policy...

 

[Fingolfin269]

Just wanted to let you guys know that I ended up going the over ear isolation, non-NC route. Ordered a set of NAD Viso HP50 cans at the same price as the Bose. Looking forward to them arriving on Tuesday.

 

[Childs]

I bought some lightly used (3-4 times) Audio Technica ANC9s on ebay for $100, and the noise cancellation is pretty good. I have a few 16 drive raid enclosures, bunch of switches, and 6 machines in my office. Basically it sounds like a lab, and the ANC9s reduce the noise to essentially the sound of my gaming machine at idle. And the sound quality is pretty good too. Best $100 I've ever spent on headphones. If you are on the fence about spending a lot, check ebay. Apparently people buy them for a couple of long distance flights and then sell them. I only wish is that it was wireless, but for the price I got them at I can deal with the wire.