earbuds with noise isolation AND noise cancellation

[zephyrprime]

Noise isolation is simply constructing the earbud in such a way that it is like an earplug. I had a pair of these earbuds before and they're pretty good at reducing outside noise. However, if there were a pair of earbuds with noise isolation AND noise cancellation, then that would be the ultimate in the listening experiences! Is there such a miraculous pair of earbuds available? I've searched around online but could not find anything.

 

[tyanni]

What you need to search for is active noise cancelling earbuds... most are just passive, as you've discovered. Amazon has several pairs, including the quite expensive and probably overpriced Bose QC 20i. Several models from AT and Sony as well.

 

[paperwastage]

most noise cancellation headphones will do noise isolation as well (so that the cancellation can be more effective). On/Over-the-ear will typically give you better noise isolation than earbuds

I have a pair of relatively cheap (<$40) Sony earbuds, they work well enough on buses/trains/airplanes: http://www.amazon.com/Sony-MDRNC13-N.../dp/B004P7O26W

I think the gold standard is still the bose QC series. bose QC 20 earbuds, ~$300 , or QC25 around ear, can probably hit $200 during holidays.

these Audio-Technica earbuds are relatively cheap($40) and have decent reviews too :
http://www.amazon.com/Audio-Technica.../dp/B004K09H32



do remember that active noise cancellation CAN affect the audio quality. best is to just use noise isolation to block most of the unwanted sound. also, active noise cancellation usually requires an external power source, need to remember to charge battery too. if you want, the sony Xperia Z2/Z3/Z3compact phone line has optional noise cancellation earbuds that draw power from the 3.5mm jack, dont need to charge a separate battery