Noise Cancelling Headphones vs In Ear Earphones

[Robert K]

just got a pair of QC15. I have the same 'pressured' feeling in the ear too. It was uncomfortable for the first week (while i used them at work for 6 hours a day)
But after the 2nd week, my ears got used to it. The seal is so good, that it gets a bit sweaty in the cups after a while.

was on some B400 flights the other week, it's incredible how it just cancels out the engine.

 

[lovetravellingoz]

I prefer the in ear NC buds to NC headphones as I find my ears just get too hot an uncomfortable when wearing headphones for too long.


Plus I sleep on my side and so can use my buds when sleeping, whereas I could not do that with headphones.

 

[Princess Fiona]

I'm currently on my first trip to LHR using my new QC 15's. They are excellent, sound quality is great, noise cancelling very effective at almost negating the aircraft sound.
So good I actually fell asleep wearing them. Prior to this I had Sony NC earbuds ( forget which ones but paid around $100-150). I thought they were good but I am now a Bose convert

 

[Canny man]

Interesting discussion.
I've been using qc3's for a couple of years but recently bought the Bose ie2's for when I'm exercising. I now find that I use the ie2's even when traveling as they come with both isolating buds and sports fittings (no isolation as it's better to hear traffic than be hit by it). The isolating fitting is fine for the plane, the sound isn't quite as good as the 3's, but is better than most phones I've tried

 

[random111]

I prefer the in ear NC buds to NC headphones as I find my ears just get too hot an uncomfortable when wearing headphones for too long.


Plus I sleep on my side and so can use my buds when sleeping, whereas I could not do that with headphones.

Which NC buds do you use?

 

[stigsfilocousin]

I bought a Senheisser MM30i in-ear headset few months ago for use in my iPhone. I was going to buy a 'proper' NC set but I decided to try them on to see if they would do the trick; well they did, they blocked the engine noise pretty well (I could still hear some noise but it wasn't a nuisance at all).

Only thing I had to buy extra was the aircraft headphone adapter and I have a decent set-up for flying. For a $59 headset, they did better than I expected and have the added advantage of well, being used everyday on my phone.

 

[markis10]

I have had a good experience with purchasing tips and headphones from MyMemory especially Sennheiser

Earphone Tips - MyMemory

In-Ear Headphones, Sony In-Ear Headphones, Sennheiser Headphones, Wireless In-Ear Headphones - MyMemory

 

[Jasecoop]

I use the Panasonic RP-HC55. I purchased after I broke my sennheiser on ear NC headphones

Find the panasonic a great headphone, great blocking and NC plus allow you to lie on your side. I dont know how many time the hostie has had to tap me on the shoulder to get my attention.

Only downside is the short cord between the headphone and NC/battery parts

 

[NM]

Awesome thanks for your help

So then Sennheiser would be stronger in that 100 - 3000Hz range because of the combo of the isolation and cancellation but above the 3000 something like the Etymotics will be better.

That is not how I unterpret their marketing information. I read it as saying the active noise cancelling is focused at the <3KHz range (with 3 different settings optimised for different areas of the <3HKz range), and their isolation functions best above 3KHz. So the combonation gives reduction across the spctrum, but not as much as some of the good quality in-ear devices provide by isolation alone. But I am just going by the details publised on their website as I have not used those earphone at all.

I have a seperate question, can you purchase different kinds of tips for any in ear earphones e.g. will the shure foam tips fit on the sennheiser earphones?

You can purchase different types of tips for Shure earphone. For exaple you can purchase the yellow compressible foam tips for Shure in packs of 5 sets or bulk packs of much larger quantities, which are handy when sharing earphone for musicians' in-ear monitors at concerts and each musician gets their own foam tips. They also sell the triple flange sleeves separately. But I have no idea if these tips will fit the Sennheisers. The shure, Etymotics and high-end Ultimate Ears earphones dimentions are well known in the industry and many audiologist will make custom molds into which the earphones can be slipped. UE provide this as a "service" where you have a local audiologist take a wax mold of your ear and send it to them in the USA and they send you the finished mold complete with your selected model of UE earphones.

If you generate large amounts of ear wax (like me) you will need to remove and clean the tips regularly. I did manage to get wax into one of the tubes that blocked the sound until I removed it. I thought one ear was broken until I removed the sleeve and cound see the tube was blocked with wax. Shure provide a small tool for removing wax from the tube making it a very quick and simple process.

The sennheisers do look lile a good product. Most of their products are considered high quality. I own several Sennheiser microphones and use 8 Sennheiser radio microphones on a very regular basis and have no hessitation in buying Sennheiser products. I also own a number of Shure microphones as well. I would like to test out the CX700 as they do look to be a quality product and a reasonable option for travel, especially being considerably less expensive than the top-end Shure/Etymotic/UE earphones. I bought my Shure SE530s for dual purposes (personal travel and in-ear monitors for stage performers). If only looking for something for personal travel, I would certainly consider the Sennheiser CX700.

 

[rocketaus]

Reposted from previous thread:

MY NOISE CANCELLING HEADPHONES OF CHOICE now are the Audio Technica ATH-ANC7b ! I carry these as well as a set of Shure in-ear noise isolation headphones. For most of the time I use the Audio Technica to listen to movies and music, but the in ear models are great for a change and especially if trying to sleep on my side.

I have owned and tried a number of different headphones over the years. I use to work in the audio visual industry and therefore was given many different ones to test and review. Sound (like TV picture) are all relative i.e. you can only compare to what you are use to and how well your ears/eyes have been trained. Many people think the free headphones provided sound good. A friend of mine recently purchased a really cheap and nasty flat screen TV and pronounced to me that the picture and sound was "AMAZING" and it was compared to his 20 year old CRT mono TV ;-)

• The sound of the Sennheiser's are great, but I found the large over ear models uncomfortable on long haul flights.
• I've never tried a set of Shure's that I didn't think were comfortable and all sounded amazing.
• The Dr. Dre's I tried sounded good, but were a bit bulky and heavy (also might be a bit loud for some)
• The Bose over ear have good sound and noise cancelling, but a bit overpriced for my liking. The QC15 were the last ones I tested and was very impressed.
• The Audio Technica ATH-ANC7b are great bang for your buck! They sound good, the noise cancelling works very well and are comfortable on long flights. The only negative is that they leak a little sound when turned up high, but no one sitting next to me has complained

What I can say is that noise cancelling headphones make a flight significantly more comfortable and I would even go as far as saying that I arrive less fatigued when using them.

 

[Ansettaddict123]

I use the Vsonic R02-Pro with the comply foam tips and find them amazing.
Isolation is great with the foamies and the sound quality of the R02-Pro is brilliant for the price level

the best part of having the smaller in ear earphones is you can lie on your side without impediment, unlike over/on ear phones.

 

[diningdecadence]

picked up the Bose QC15's from amazon for USD$300 a couple of months ago.

used them on some 15+ hour trips. i've never had noise cancelling of any sort before but these were fantastic. i had my glasses on when watching movies and as it doesn't completely seal off the loop around the ear i picked up some noise, however felt they were well worth the money.

i haven't bothered reading the other pages but my 2c

1. i worked it out at $10/hour for comfort. was it worth it? heck yes. and i now have headphones for future (infrequent) travel
2. difficult to sleep in (i'm an economy traveller) but hard to use when also trying to play with the headrest
3. after extended use you do find your ears become a bit sweaty/ wet
4. the noise cancelling mechanism i.e. weird pressure takes a few hours to get used to.
5. i gave them to my buddy to use for a while and had to wrench them off him an hour later!

 

[p9c]

I've tried Bose QC15 noise cancelling; Bose QC3 noise cancelling, Sennheiser PXC 300 noise cancelling, Dr Dre Monster Studio Beats noise cancelling, Audio Technica ATH-CKS90NC noise cancelling , Sony in-ear MDR NC22 noise cancelling and a JVC on-ear (cannot recall the model but noise cancelling or noise isolating) headphones/earphones. All help a lot, and are very much better than standard issue hard on-ear airline issue headphones, although the difference is less when compared with the cushion style headphones issued in some Business Classes.

All have their pluses and minuses. Some are very bulky (eg Bose QC3 surround ear headphones and Dre Dre Monster Beats); some will not work if the battery is flat (again Bose3 headphones; those that fit in-ear need to be just the right size for ones ear or they let in too much sound/fall out easily or put uncomfortable pressure on the ear canals.

However, it is in large part a matter of taste - in-ear styles are more comfortable than on-ear or surround-ear headphones when sleeping on one's side, but I find them annoying on very long flights. I found a small but very welcome difference in noise cancellation, comfort and bulk between the Bose QC3 headphones and the Bose QC15 headphones. I personally prefer disposable batteries (as in the QC15 headphiones) to the proprietary rechargeable ones in the Bose QC3 headphones.

Of them all, I recommend the Bose QC15 headphones for long flights, but I also take my Sony in-ear earphones with me as they take up almost no space and can be used when my BOse QC15 have issues like flat batteries. But you should read reviews and ask fellow travellors.

 

[VirginiaF]

I have gone for best of both worlds. I have an old pair of Bose QC2 which go over the ear. Very comfortable and very effective (when I have been seated near the engines (well away from the silver/gold/plat tails in F and J class)), they are very effective in lowering the noise to acceptable levels. Granted, for sleeping, you can't sleep on your side. Another benefit is that you can remove the cord if you want to just use the noise cancelling effect, and they still work perfectly well. One "problem" is that FAs tend to tell you to switch them off well before landing (I may be incorrect, but jet noise is greatest on landing) - just when you probably need them most. They do rely on battery power, but i carry extras (rechargeable) anyway, and a fully charged battery can last most long haul flights (I haven't tested them on a 19 hour SYD-DFW trip yet). They come with a nice case too.

I also carry a pair of old Shure E4c in ear buds that I bought a number of years ago off Amazon. They had just been superseded by a new model so were quite cheap (especially when compared to the same thing in Australia). These overcome the FAs asking you to take them off on take off and landing. They are also very effective and comfortable. I use them on shorter flights when carrying the Bose is not justified. One problem I do have with them is that you tend to hear each and every chew as you devour yet another delectable Red Cross food parcel inspired airline delight. That's the time to swap to the Bose when carrying both (OK - putting hand up for being a little fuss pot).

Best in having both is that moment of joy when, having been allocated the bulkhead seat, have a family with young children or babies arrive as your close neighbours for the next 10 hours of your life. Not that there's anything wrong with young children or babies. Or close neighnours. That's when I use the earbuds AND the Bose (foregoing any problems with FAs asking you to take them off during take off and landings) together at the same time! I can assure you, this combination is unbeatable. OK- it's not a good look, but sometimes this has to be sacrificed for sheer comfort, and on night flights, looks are not necessarily a consideration.

The greatest problem of any of these choices is that, for some reason, the in flight announcements when listening to the IFE channels are not matched to the sound levels of the IFE - they come in VERY LOUD. So if you are quietly listening to all those greatest Australian hits from the 1950s (if you're flying QF and all the other channels have no appeal), the captain's welcome aboard greeting can certainly rearrange your senses. Fast. I get over this by also carrying a separate volume control (also made by Shure, but probably available in other brands). So, in flight announcements can be lowered quickly, manually. This solution is not perfect, but very preferable to having the whole of the destination weather forecast blasted at you at noise levels higher than what you would hear when not wearing any sort of earphones.

Lastly, there is another downside to having all of this technology available to you. You can be so immersed in your audio book or the incredible soundtrack to that movie you are watching on your iPad, that sometimes, it is easy to miss in flight announcements altogether. So those bits of critical advice about how to transit from the international terminal to the domestic terminal at Santiago, or details about what sort of immigration cards you require for entry into North Korea can be missed, and lead to a lot of extra work at the landing end.

I hope you find this useful. Enjoy, both your shopping and your travelling!

 

[Major]

I usually find Cognac works a treat. The best brands are Martell XO and Hennessy XO.

If I'm doing BNE - LAX I rarely hear any noise between Fiji and Hawaii.

 

[p9c]

Like VirginiaF I too find in flight announcements when plugged into the sockets next to my seat can be VERY LOUD! My solution is to use a FiiO E11 headphone amplifier. It adds to the bulk you have to carry, but it allows much better and easier to access control over volume than patching straight through from aircraft socket to headphones. I also agree with VirginiaF that it can be easy to miss important airline announcemnents when listening to an iPod or watching a film on my iPad - but then again, 90% of the in flight announcements irritate rather than inform!

A good drink can also help, but I'm tired enough after a long flight through different time zones not to need the extra issue to deal with of being drunk on arrival!

 

[random111]

I've tried Bose QC15 noise cancelling; Bose QC3 noise cancelling, Sennheiser PXC 300 noise cancelling, Dr Dre Monster Studio Beats noise cancelling, Audio Technica ATH-CKS90NC noise cancelling , Sony in-ear MDR NC22 noise cancelling and a JVC on-ear (cannot recall the model but noise cancelling or noise isolating) headphones/earphones. All help a lot, and are very much better than standard issue hard on-ear airline issue headphones, although the difference is less when compared with the cushion style headphones issued in some Business Classes.

All have their pluses and minuses. Some are very bulky (eg Bose QC3 surround ear headphones and Dre Dre Monster Beats); some will not work if the battery is flat (again Bose3 headphones; those that fit in-ear need to be just the right size for ones ear or they let in too much sound/fall out easily or put uncomfortable pressure on the ear canals.

However, it is in large part a matter of taste - in-ear styles are more comfortable than on-ear or surround-ear headphones when sleeping on one's side, but I find them annoying on very long flights. I found a small but very welcome difference in noise cancellation, comfort and bulk between the Bose QC3 headphones and the Bose QC15 headphones. I personally prefer disposable batteries (as in the QC15 headphiones) to the proprietary rechargeable ones in the Bose QC3 headphones.

Of them all, I recommend the Bose QC15 headphones for long flights, but I also take my Sony in-ear earphones with me as they take up almost no space and can be used when my BOse QC15 have issues like flat batteries. But you should read reviews and ask fellow travellors.

Thanks for your help!

How did you find the audio technica ATH-CKS90NC and Sony MDR NC22? How effective are they in comparison to the Bose? Also how is the noise isolation on them?

 

[random111]

Thanks for your feedback guys, wealth of knowledge here!

I'm a little torn between getting a pair of etymotics, shure's, klipsch, ultimate ears or the like for $50-$100 or stick with the sennheiser cxc 700 for $230 or so. I dont like the fact that all the isolation earphones dont have extra bits and pieces like the NC's e.g. volume control.

I'm not a an audiophile so sound quality is not a huge factor in my decision, having said that I wouldn't want to purchase earphones that aren't effective.

Theres lots of NC earphones in the $50-$150 price range e.g. jvc, phillips, pioneer, panasonic, sony and audio technica, but i am doubting their effectiveness. Any other feedback on them, especially in comparison to decent noise isolation earphones and the bose/audio technica headphones.

Jasecoop, you own the panasonic ones, they sound like they are very effective, are they on the same level of effectiveness as your old Bose?

Thanks guys

 

[VirginiaF]

You may want to check out these reviews:

Best 5 headphones - CNET Reviews

I guess it comes down to what your needs are and what sort of budget you have. Personally, I think if you are going to use them a lot, then the investment will give you payback. Having said that, the Klipsch look like a good buy. I would recommend that you buy them online. Locally, they may not be available, and even if they are, I am sure a price comparison will make buying them offshore, even with shipping, the best choice. If money is no object, the Bose seem to be a good buy, but not earbud style, of course.

Then again, you can be like me, and get both styles - and use them on a horses for courses basis.

 

[p9c]

Thanks for your help!

How did you find the audio technica ATH-CKS90NC and Sony MDR NC22? How effective are they in comparison to the Bose? Also how is the noise isolation on them?

Audio Technica ATCK90NC work quite well, but don't block out or cancel quite as much outside noise as either the Bose NC3s or Bose NC15s. They also let more sound escape to annoy those sitting near you, and I find then marginally less comfortable to wear on long flights. However, they are significantly less bulky to carry.

The Sony MDR NC22 in-ear earphones do a good job of isolating the sound if they fit well with your ear - not too loose, or they tend to fall out and let in sound. If too tight, they are uncomfortable after an hour or so. Sony includes 3 sizes of soft foam earbuds. If you're lucky, one size will work well. However, there is a noticeable hiss from the noise cancelling function, which is much more evident than on most other noise cancelling headphones and earphones I've tried, including in particular the Bose NC3 and NC15. Overall, I don't find the MDR NC22s as effective as tthe Bose NC15s. All the same, they cost far less, and are very compact. So I keep them in my pocket to use when the bulk of my Bose NC15s is an issue, or when the Bose batteries are flat and I've forgotten to bring spares.

By the way, I saw that someone mentioned using a mike with headphones to take calls on an iPhone. There's a cord with a built-in mike for at least the Bose headphones; it might be third party - I forget where I got it. I expect a similar cord would be available for many models and brands noise cancelling headphones and earphones.