Noise Cancelling headphones

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rosesplus

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My 9yr old son jumped on my much loved and used 2yr old QCII's (500k miles) this week and busted them badly. I took them out to Bose today to see if they could fix them as I'm flying to the US next week.

The service manager Bob gave me a brand new pair of the new QCIIS's (A$599?)!!!!
For anybody thinking about investing in NC headhones not only are the Bose the best/most popular amongst the FF's you certainly can't beat their after sales service!!
 
Woohoo! Now that's aftersales service!

Still for what you pay for a pair of Bose, you should get something after purchasing them :)

BTW, I'm not too sure they're new. They're probably reconditioned... but either way, it's all great!

(Next time I'm in the US will be in the search for a good pair of NC headphones. The various threads here definately does help with making up my mind).
 
Mal said:
Woohoo! Now that's aftersales service!

Still for what you pay for a pair of Bose, you should get something after purchasing them :)

BTW, I'm not too sure they're new. They're probably reconditioned... but either way, it's all great!

(Next time I'm in the US will be in the search for a good pair of NC headphones. The various threads here definately does help with making up my mind).

I couldn't believe how good the service is.
I paid US$299 for my original pair and my new ones are brand spanking new (new S model).........
Bose must have 90% of the flying N/C market, they're certainly not cheap but you know the saying "you get what you pay for". A lot of people confuse the function of N/C, if your just looking to block out sound a good set of ear plugs are cheap and efficient but make it hard to listen to a movie!!
 
That is good service! Bose have a very high margin on their products so I guess they can afford to look after their customers. They also have a healthy advertising budget to convince consumers they are a high quality product; they are not really recognised in the professional audio market & mostly aim at consumers. Because of the quantities they sell they can produce cheap; for example many of the drivers in their speakers are made in Mexico etc at around $2 each. Just some boring trivia....
 
Soundguy said:
That is good service! Bose have a very high margin on their products so I guess they can afford to look after their customers. They also have a healthy advertising budget to convince consumers they are a high quality product; they are not really recognised in the professional audio market & mostly aim at consumers. Because of the quantities they sell they can produce cheap; for example many of the drivers in their speakers are made in Mexico etc at around $2 each. Just some boring trivia....

You too miss the function of noise cancelling. I have no doubt for the money you can buy better sounding headphones but that is not the main reason FF's buy them.
 
rosesplus said:
You too miss the function of noise cancelling. I have no doubt for the money you can buy better sounding headphones but that is not the main reason FF's buy them.
Personally I prefer the audio reproduction of a good set of in-ear earphones which also have superior ability to eliminate more background noise than any active noise cancelling over-the-ear headphones can ever hope to accomplish.

I also find carrying my Shure in-ears in my pocket to be very convenient when travelling. And I can sleep with them in my ears even when I roll onto my side (try doing that with any headphones).

I had the chance to pick up a set of the new Shure E500PTH for around A$250 a few weeks back. Its a shame the finances were a little stretched over Christmas and the back-to-school period or I would have jumped at it.

I've been a great fan of Shure for many years. In fact the last gig at which I was monitors engineer, we used Shure mics exclusively (28 mics I think from memory) and 6 musicians with Shure in-ear monitors. Perhaps we should asked for a Shure sponsorship deal :p .
 
NM said:
Personally I prefer the audio reproduction of a good set of in-ear earphones which also have superior ability to eliminate more background noise than any active noise cancelling over-the-ear headphones can ever hope to accomplish.].

Mmm we seem to be be back to debating the merits of in ear plugs to true N/C headphones. I suppose it gets down to personal preference, I'd prefer not to have something stuck inside my head for 13 hrs which I had to pull out when somebody wanted to speak with me. My guess is that's why the Bose sets are so popular. I do however appreciate that people prefer other brand/style preferences for audio quality, sleeping comfort etc and don't value true noise cancelling functionality as much as I do.
 
rosesplus said:
Mmm we seem to be be back to debating the merits of in ear plugs to true N/C headphones. I suppose it gets down to personal preference, I'd prefer not to have something stuck inside my head for 13 hrs which I had to pull out when somebody wanted to speak with me. My guess is that's why the Bose sets are so popular. I do however appreciate that people prefer other brand/style preferences for audio quality, sleeping comfort etc and don't value true noise cancelling functionality as much as I do.
Yes, certainly some people find in-ear phones uncomfortable. Personally I find them more comfortable than headphones (and I have used the Bose several times). Its all a matter of personal preference. If your preference is over-the-ears headphones, then the Bose are as good as it gets for noise cancelling.

I really do want to try the E500PTH in flight to see how well the PTH technology works for holding a conversation without removing the earphones from my ears. Might have to borrow a pair for my next trip.
 
Soundguy said:
That is good service! Bose have a very high margin on their products so I guess they can afford to look after their customers. They also have a healthy advertising budget to convince consumers they are a high quality product; they are not really recognised in the professional audio market & mostly aim at consumers. Because of the quantities they sell they can produce cheap; for example many of the drivers in their speakers are made in Mexico etc at around $2 each. Just some boring trivia....

You are quite right. In terms of hi-fi headphones, you cant beat STAX. In terms of "real" hi-fi Bose is pretty much gimmicky well marketed rubbish, (don't get me started ;) ) I mean it's not exactly Linn or Naim is it but they make quite a good set of noise-cancelling headphones albeit at a very over-inflated price. My Sony in-ears are quite good and under $200. They are also teeny-weeny, which is handy.
 
Guy next to me SIN-HKG the other day had a pair from Hemelmecher Schlemelmecher (I know it's not right, but I know who I mean)...in US, and it's the first time I've really had a listen...they were fantastic.

I will be looking more seriously now!
 
NM said:
Yes, certainly some people find in-ear phones uncomfortable. Personally I find them more comfortable than headphones (and I have used the Bose several times). Its all a matter of personal preference. If your preference is over-the-ears headphones, then the Bose are as good as it gets for noise cancelling.

I really do want to try the E500PTH in flight to see how well the PTH technology works for holding a conversation without removing the earphones from my ears. Might have to borrow a pair for my next trip.

I am with NM on this - much prefer my in-ears (Etys) and sleep with them in. Their only downside is that they are a pain to take out and put back in every time the FA comes along with another course or drink - so I tend to use the N/C headphones provided during dinner, and once I know service is over I get the Etys in.
 
alect said:
I am with NM on this - much prefer my in-ears (Etys) and sleep with them in. Their only downside is that they are a pain to take out and put back in every time the FA comes along with another course or drink - so I tend to use the N/C headphones provided during dinner, and once I know service is over I get the Etys in.

Thats why we are so keen to see how the PTH technology works, you push a button to hear what is being said :)
And you need to train FA's to what you drink so you can just ring the bull and make the motion of point to your empty :D

E
 
Evan said:
Thats why we are so keen to see how the PTH technology works, you push a button to hear what is being said :)
And you need to train FA's to what you drink so you can just ring the bull and make the motion of point to your empty :D

E
Had a chat with my friend with the E500PTH this morning. He is a professional audio engineer and knows his stuff well. He says the PTH works well, but is a bit of a pain to set up for occasional use. Would be worth it for a 14 hour flight, but not for a 1 hour flight.

The E500's come with a very short tail (about 5 inches) and then lots of option from there to your audio source. To connect it up for PTH, you need to connect the PTH controller into the cable path and keep that handy (clip it to your belt, pocket etc) and then connect the microphone and clip that you your shirt. So getting up and moving around the cabin will involve either removing all the bits or leaving them attached and remaining "wired" which may be a strange look.

He is off to Singapore and the Maldives in a few weeks and will let me know how effective the PTH is in flight. Though it is for his honeymoon, so sound isolation from his seat partner may not be the main aim of the journey :shock: .
 
I find my relatively el-cheapo Sennheiser in-ear earphones (is that the right expression??) good enough for my purpose and it was only just under $80. Much better than the rubbish airline-supplied headphones in any case, and hardly takes up any space whatsoever. I have a proper active noise cancelling headset but they are too bulky to take with me everywhere.
 
I'll chuck my extremely uninformed 2c in. I got the senheiser active cancelling head phones a couple of years ago and love them. Perhaps I have malformed ears but every set of in ear headphones I have ever tried have hurt after about 1/2 hour.
As I can't sleep on planes ( try dealing with me after a 2300 flight home from singapore when I haven't slept for 24 hours :D ) I don't find it a big deal to have them on. Probably the only real issue I have with active noise cancelling headphones is when batteries go flat and I can't get replacemets in flight !
I tried the Sony active noise cancelling 'phones and gave them away.
 
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Commuter said:
I find my relatively el-cheapo Sennheiser in-ear earphones (is that the right expression??) ...
There are 3 basic types of personal audio devices, being:
  • Headphones - over-the-ear speakers held in place with some form of band. The Bose Quiet Comfort noise cancelling headphones fall into this category.
  • Earbud Earphones - these are the type most devices like iPods come with. They sit in the outer ear. An example is the earphones supplied by Apple when you buy an iPod and the Bang & Olufsen earphones sold by Qantas in-flight duty free. These are also known as ear buds.
  • In-ear earphones are designed to sit inside the ear canal. The make an acoustic seal with the ear canal. The insert has to be shaped in such a manner as to get right inside the ear and not just sit on the outside of the ear. Examples are the Shure E series and the Etymotic earphones.
 
I have the Bose QC2, bought it about 2 years ago. I would without a doubt recommend them.

I love BOSE.

I even have the Bose Aviation X noise cancelling headset. I use it when piloting Cessnas. The noise cancelling is just amazing. Reduces the prop noise to a gentle murmur.

BOSE = quality, high end electronics, and comfort on the ears.

Chucksta
 
xa-coupe said:
I'll chuck my extremely uninformed 2c in. I got the senheiser active cancelling head phones a couple of years ago and love them. Perhaps I have malformed ears but every set of in ear headphones I have ever tried have hurt after about 1/2 hour.
As I can't sleep on planes ( try dealing with me after a 2300 flight home from singapore when I haven't slept for 24 hours :D ) I don't find it a big deal to have them on. Probably the only real issue I have with active noise cancelling headphones is when batteries go flat and I can't get replacemets in flight !
I tried the Sony active noise cancelling 'phones and gave them away.

I purchased some Shure E4's from Alan Chan (thanks NM), for my wife before a trip last year. I have used them quite a bit, but still prefer my Sennheiser's as they actually work better than the Shure noise isolating units, I find they cancel more backround noise than the in-ear Shure's. I also find them uncomfortable to use, and don't fit properly, all this unfortunately is probably due to my anatomy. So the Sennheiser's are a better unit for me, they are quite comfortable to wear for long periods and as mentioned above, work very well. Can't remeber the model, but the better ones at the time.
 
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jasonja3 said:
I purchased some Shure E4's from Alan Chan (thanks NM), for my wife before a trip last year. I have used them quite a bit, but still prefer my Sennheiser's as they actually work better than the Shure noise isolating units, I find they cancel more backround noise than the in-ear Shure's. I also find them uncomfortable to use, and don't fit properly, all this unfortunately is probably due to my anatomy. So the Sennheiser's are a better unit for me, they are quite comfortable to wear for long periods and as mentioned above, work very well. Can't remeber the model, but the better ones at the time.
If you are not getting good background noise isolation from the E4s then you have not got a good seal between the sleeve and your ear canal. They come with a "fit kit" that includes 3 different sizes each of two different material sleeves. If you cannot find one of those sleeves that fits well, then use the yellow foam type of sleeves (like the compressible ear plugs) which some people find more comfortable than the rubber sleeves.

But the most important thing is to find out what works best for you. And if that is the Sennheisers or Bose NC headphones then use them and enjoy them.
 
Where in Sydney (City or Northside) would anyone recommend to see, test, try and get a good deal on a range of noise cancelling headphones/
 
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