audrey

Anyone have any experience with noise canceling headphones? I fly a lot and listening to music or watching a move on the plane is tortuous with all the background noise. I tried a pair of the Brookstone phones---they worked well and sounded decent but were too uncomfortable for extended listening. Next I tried a pair of Sennheiser 571’s. They barely attenuate the engine hum and are among the worst sounding phone’s I’ve ever used (odd because I’ve liked most Sennheiser models).

I have a pair of Koss QZ2000’s and Etymotic's on order. Hopefully one of these will satisfy. But I thought I’d see if anyone here can recommend other’s to try. BTW: I have considered the Bose—they are just too bulky for my travel habits. I need something on the small side that will fit in my laptop case.

palebluedot

Stay away from the Sony models. While they provide excellent noise canceling they are the worst sounding I have ever heard.

stevevt

audrey

Sorry not to add any more info, but I'd humbly request that you post back to this thread with any impressions/reviews you have once you receive the Koss and Etymotics.

I've been using a pair of Sennheiser 545 (non-noise-cancelling, circumaural, open) headphones. They're ok, but on noisier planes they just don't cut it.

Master J

The Bose QuietComfort noise canceling head phones are very nice from what I have heard. They run about 300 dollars though, which is a bit pricey.

These are one of the few Bose products I would purchase for myself if I had a needfor them.

J

Tsar Chasm

I have the Aiwa noise cancelling, while they work pretty good and sound okay, they are kinda uncomfortable.

I have a big head though and your mileage may vary

Is sonic quality really that important? My primary reason for buying them was to cancel noise on flights. For that, they work pretty good.

side note: The last cross country flight I took, the flight attendant wanted to charge me $5 for the movie even though I wasn't using their headphones

audrey

Will do. I'm really looking forward to trying the etymotics (hope to have them by the end of the week). I also a ordered a portable headphone amp so I'll comment on that as well.

I'm picky about sound. I get headaches if the sound is too harsh or edgy. What I'd like to find is something that cancels noise, sounds good, and is comfortable enough to wear for 3 or 4 hours.

DB

Sorry to disagree, but I have the in the ear sony NC phones (MDR-NC10) and I think they both work and sound great. Highly recommended.

audrey

For anyone who is interested, here’s my thoughts on the noise canceling headphones I’ve tried to date...

Model: NCT Noisebuster
Price: $40
Type: semi-open, active noise canceling
Sound Quality: Good. A bit lacking in highs but overall decent sound. Ok, bass, slightly muddy. Highs restrained, never aggressive or harsh, but lacking air.
Noise Canceling: Good. Not in the same league as the Etymotics, but superior to the Koss, Sennheiser, etc.
Comfort: Good. Reasonably comfortable. Since they are a semi-open design that sit tight against the ears they generate some heat. I find I have to reposition them from time to time. On the up side, they are light and easy to wear.
Form Factor: Reasonable small. The electronics are small and include a clip. The cords are somewhat bulky and stiff. The line in/out cord is very long and is straight on both ends. I would replace this with a shorter, more pliable cord w/ at least one L type connector. The phones fold (the ear pieces turn sideways) to minimize storage space.
Comments: as a semi-open phone they allow one to hear conversation and other non-repetitive sounds. Good for office environments, less effective on planes and noisy locations such as bars. Excellent for the price.

Model: Koss QZ2000
Price: $200
Type: open, active noise canceling
Sound Quality: Very Good. Below the Etymotics, but above all of the others I tried. Good, solid bass, extended and smooth highs. Never fatiguing.
Noise Canceling: Fair. As a true open air design these allow a lot of outside noise to pass while killing most of low frequency background noise. Unfortunately these allow too much of the white noise on a plane to pass to be effective in that environment.
Comfort: Excellent. These are very comfortable, lightweight, and easy to wear.
Form Factor: The phones are small and fold into a small size. However, the electronics are housed in a rather large, heavy box that does not include a belt clip. The cords are pliable and include L connectors. The headband has a tendency to grab my hair. But otherwise, the size and form are great.
Comments: Too expensive given the lack of effective noise canceling on planes. The NCT’s work better and even though they don’t sound as good as the Koss, I would choose these over the Koss.

Model: Etymotics ER-6
Price: $130
Type: in-ear, passive noise canceling
Sound Quality: Very Good. Good bass, excellent mids, slightly harsh highs. Can be fatiguing w/ a harsh source (read MP3’s).
Noise Canceling: Very Good. These provide in the range of 15 to 20db of noise reduction. In loud environments, some outside noise passes, but is significantly quieted. Good on planes, bars, and other noisy environments. Of the models I tried these eliminate noise better than all the other models except for the Etymotic ER-4P.
Comfort: Excellent. These are very comfortable, lightweight, and easy to wear if you like in ear phones. I wear ear plugs a lot (I play drums in a band) so I’m quite used to ear plugs. But some may not like the feeling of something in the ear.
Form Factor: The phones are tiny and easy to carry. They slip into a very small carrying case. The supplied cable is light and pliable. No complaints.
Comments: As in ear phones they transmit some microphonics (sound carried through the cable) and produce some occlusion (hearing one’s heart, breathing, etc.). The microphonics are noticeable but not obtrusive—I can work out at the gym in these phones. It is often difficult to achieve a good seal. W/o a seal the phones sound tinny and bright and allow too much outside noise to pass. They come w/ both foam and silicon plugs—I found the foam plugs to work better on these phones. But neither seal as well as the Ety ER-4. For the price, a very good, highly portable solution. Not as easy to drive as the Er-4, but works well from a portable MP3. I tried these alone and with a “total airhead” headphone amp. The improvement in sound quality w/ the amp was noticeable, but minimal. Can be fitted to custom “musician” ear plugs.

Model: Etymotics ER-4P
Price: $270
Type: in-ear, passive noise canceling
Sound Quality: Excellent. Astounding bass (w/ a good seal), excellent mids, smooth, extended highs. Never fatiguing. Great phones. Not just great noise canceling phones, excellent phones for any purpose.
Noise Canceling: Excellent. These provide in the range of 20 –30db of noise reduction. In loud environments, minimal outside noise passes, but is significantly quieted. The best noise reduction of all models tested. Perfect for planes.
Comfort: Excellent. These are very comfortable, lightweight, and easy to wear if you like in ear phones.
Form Factor: The phones are tiny and easy to carry. They slip into a very small carrying case. The supplied cable is moderately light and pliable. The supplied cord is stiffer and heaver than the Er-6 cord. Aftermarket cords are available.
Comments: Etymotic makes several models in the “4” series. The “P” is optimized for portable players used w/o an amplifier (the bass is boosted somewhat). The “S” is neutral intended for use w/ an amplifier. The “P” works great w/ my MP3 player and laptop. A cable ($50) is available to convert the P model to an S model. The supplied cord is heavier and stiffer than the Er-6 cord and transmits far more microphonics than the ER-6—these aren’t good for moving around. On a plane or train the microphonics aren’t a problem, but I can’t exercise w/ these. I find it easier to achieve a good seal w/ the Er-4 than w/ the ER-6—the plugs (both silicon and foam are quite different). Expensive, but excellent nonetheless.

Conclusion
I’ve decided to keep the Er-6’s to use at the gym, the Er-4’s for plane travel. And since the NCT’S are so cheap, I’m keeping those for the office. BTW: I intended to try the Bose (and I still might). I listened to them at a Bose store, but the form factor is quite large—they don’t fit my travels needs. They also produce quite a bit of hiss. It’s hard to tell from just an in store demo, but for $300 the Etymotics just blow them away. For anyone who travels, I can recommend either of the Etymotics or the NCT. I don’t know how I flew w/o these before---the Ety’s make flying a pleasure---no crying babies, no white noise, just beautiful music.

Happy travels.

Edited to add: I forgot to mention that the Ety's are not a good choice for outdoor activities---running, walking, etc. They block so much noise that it can be dangerous--you can't hear cars, horns, etc. Plus the ER-4's transmit quite a bit of wind noise--annoying.

stevevt

Thanks for posting this.

Of course now I have to put aside $270. I'm really wondering how I'll feel about wearing in-ear phones for more than an hour. Any comments on Etymotics vs. standard (Sony, etc.) ear buds?

Any B&M stores sell Etymotics, or any to try them before buying?

Where did you buy them?

Thanks again.

bfrank

NCT is what United use in Business and First class.

I know the engineer that designs them and he is very sharp. They have a patent fight going right now with others using their design.

But I have never used them so I am biased and have no real facts

audrey

I've had several pairs of earbuds including sony. The ety's are very different. A bud sort of hangs in your ear; the etymotics actually fit in your ear cannal like an ear plug. It takes some getting used to and some people never warm up to the feeling. In terms of sound, I've never heard an ear bud I enjoyed. Also, traditional buds don't cancel or reduce noise. A good, lite open phone is the Koss 35 (these are still available for around $25 or so)---great cans.

I got mine at headroom. They're very knowledgable and offer a no hassle 30 day return.
http://www.headphone.com/layout.php

There's also lots of good info about headphones on the forums at: headwize.
http://headwize.powerpill.org/ubb/fo...?fdays=&stime=

descartes

I have to agree with DB here. Sony NC's work very nicely although they look a little silly in your ear.

stevevt

audrey,

Thanks again for all this info. I just ordered a pair of ER-4Ps.

audrey

stevevt, I hope you like them. But if not, there's always the 30 return :-). Either way, if you get a chance I like to know what you thought of them.

BTW: I've decided to get the Fixup aftermarket cord for my 4P to minimize the microphonics. I'll post back after my phones are returned.

stevevt

My thoughts:

It's fairly easy for me to get a good seal.

I have no complaints about the sound quality; if anything, I'm hearing the limitations of my (new) Panasonic portable cd player.

When I first tried them, I maxed out the volume on my cd player to see how loud they'd play. They play louder than my Sennheiser 545s, but not by a huge margin. What struck me today -- I listened to a cd while giving blood -- was how much less loud I need to listen to music to be able to hear everything. These things really cut down on external noise. I know that this should be pretty obvious given their specs, but it really struck me today.

I'll have a chance to see both how well they cut down airplane noise and how comfortable they are over several hours fairly soon.

In the grand scheme of things, I'm sure I'll get a lot of use out of these. $270 still seems pretty steep given both the materials involved and that I bought a pair of Sennheiser 580s for $120. Of course, neither the 580s or 545s will help me on a plane, or when I'm trying to seal out the Red Cross' elevator music.

Well, I finally know what microphonics sound like. I think I can live with it, considering I won't be working out with these phones, but I'll certainly want to hear what kind of difference the Fixup makes for you.

audrey

stevevt, glad to hear you're enjoying the ER4's. I think you'll find that flying w/ them is a joy. Also, most people report the sound opens up after a few weeks of use. This could result from break-in or perhaps it's just people get a better seal over time. Either way, my did improve slightly.

I received my ER4's back from Fixup this morning. The cable works as advertised. If anything, the microphonics are now even lower than on the ER-6. Build quality is fine--though not quite as nice as the original cable. My only nit, the ear pieces are tiny so there's not much to grab onto when inserting and removing the phones; getting a good seal takes a tad more effort. Overall I'm quite impressed--I can walk and move around w/o the cable noise pounding in my ear.

Li

Hey, does anyone know anything about the Panasonic RP-HC50 (earbub) or Panasonic RP-HC70 Noise Canceling Headphones? Both are pretty inexpensive, but I'd like to know whether they work well or not.

Or how about the Circuit City Jensen Noise Canceling Headphones?

Thank for any help!

Jack Straw

Can I ask what might be a stupid question? Isn't it risky ordering phones over the net without A) Having heard what they sound like or B) Knowing how comfortable/uncomfortable they may feel? I know there's the 30-day guaratee, but isn't that a lot of hassle?

audrey

I suppose it depends on your hassle threshold. Most of the time I just put the stuff back in the box and take it to the company mail room. Takes about 10 min. But even when I have to mail something myself, it still takes less time than driving to a store to audition something. And IMO a 30 day evaluation is far more valuable than a brief in-store demo.

JeffTheAlpaca

So any improvements with the newer model headphones especially the Bose QC15 model?



The Sony Noise canceling headphones I got from Amazon are a waste of money though they only cost around $30.