Bose noise cancelling headphones

[Heath Bennett]

Has anyone tried these - or own them?

I tried them a year ago in store and thought they were fantastic, but very expensive. They play aircraft noises through the big speakers and switch on the headphones and they eliminate 90% of the constant noise, while still enabling you to hear non-constant noises like 'the aircraft is going down - save us'

The noise reduction can be used while listening to music (they have great quality sound to my ear) or without for purely noise cancelling.

They required 2 AAA's from memory, to use for the noise reduction. Without batteries they are normal headphones.

They are military spec - you can see special military tank helmets with the same headphones installed inside from the Bose website.

It would be interesting to mow the lawn with them - see how much cancelling and look like a wierdo. On the more normal side, they are supposed to help with jet-lag, perhaps by making it easier to sleep. One well known Sydney paper journalist wrote an article claiming that it had fixed the jet-lag problem for him. Big claim, but quite cool.

At the moment they are probaly selling at around 600-700 AUD per set (Does anyone know how to get good deals on Bose?). They are currently giving away a free old-school portable CD player with each set of headphones, which is ok, but it would be better to cut the price IMO.

Fun toy, are there any other suggestions? One friend says he prefers the $150 bud earphones that swell up inside your ear to mask outside noise...

[Glen]

My neighbour has them and raves about them. They were one of the first to market this technology to consumers, but I believe there are cheaper alternatives, Bose has never been known for breaking new price points. Everyone I have met with these raves about them. Make sure you get the adaptor kit which allows them to plug into the airplanes soundsystem, not much point without that.

[losfp]

I own a pair of Sony noice-cancelling headphones, around $300 if memory serves.

They are good at cancelling out CONSTANT low-freq noises, but they get confused with higher pitched sounds, or if they are variable noises. Sometimes on the train, the combination of engine noise, ventilation fan and air conditioning made it WORSE to have the NC circuit switched on.

They also caused a weird in-head sensation for me, kind of like a strange pressure thing in my ears, like they were constantly wanting to pop.

I much prefer my $200 Etymotic ER-6i canalphones. They seal in tight, and cut out most of the external noise (when the plane is landing or taking off, I just sit there with them plugged into my ears, not connected to a music player at all!)

YMMV of course. I have not used these Bose ones, so they might be better than the Sonys I have.

[big pix]

I have an elcheapo pair from Streetwise that I use when I travel........ I do not leave home without them....... and plug into the airline system or my ipod or Powerbook...... a must have

[Nnnnsic]

I\'d try some Etymotic or Shure canalphones (in-ear buds) before I spend such a ridiculous amount on non-studio cans.

Canalphones are essentially noise cancelling whereby the buds are inserted directly into your ear canal to block noise from the outside.

Posted from a Sony Ericsson mobile phone

[antman]

I have a pair and mainly use them during air travel. Its great to be able to listen to the movie without having to turn the volume up to deafening levels. I haven't tried them mowing the lawn or anything but they are good general purpose headphones otherwise.

Just to correct one point, the headphones only work with the batteries turned on i.e. no batteries or turned off = no sound. You can however unplug the lead from the headphones and just use them to block out the sound with the noise cancelling active, for example when trying to get some sleep.

Also from memory you only need one AAA but I'll have to double check.

In the end it depends on what you want to use the headphones for and how much your willing to pay. I wouldn't fly without them now.

I don't think Bose will discount them much (at all). I bought 2 and didn't get a single cent off.

[ajo43]

I have the Sure EC2 canal phones. Bought them for about A$120 after extensive research and comparison with the noise cancelling phones.

My conclusion:

- they work better than the Bose at cancelling noise the old fashioned way (ie an ear plug rather than expensive technology)
- the sound is comparible maybe even better
- canal phones take a little bit of getting used to wearing
- you don't look like a goose wearing them on the train
- you can sleep with them in on the plane
- they are a hell of a lot lighter and more convenient to carry if you are a traveller

Sennheusier (sp?) make some pretty good noise cancelling phones which are smaller and probably better quality than bose. So if you want to go that way check them out first.

[losfp]

Just to correct one point, the headphones only work with the batteries turned on i.e. no batteries or turned off = no sound.

So if you run out of batteries you can't use them at all? My Sonys still work if you turn them off, they just revert to being standard, non-noise cancelling, headphones

[spartikus]

Another vote for canalphones for me. The Etymotic ER6i are my next purchase - my mate recently bought a pair for his iPod, and they're fantastic! Incredible detail, it's exactly like sticking your fingers in your ears!

Even at low volume, you can't hear anything from the outside world, and the phones themselves aren't as uncomfortable as you think. I'd definately try and find a pair to listen to.

[losfp]

Yep, I can't recommend the Etys enough - the high end detail is amazing. For quiet recordings, you can hear every breath and movement that the singer makes. I can't listen to my old headphones now, they just don't seem as clear.

A word of warning though, they give a very flat response, so if you are used to earth-shattering bass from your MegaDOOF^tm branded headphones, you might be disappointed. I consider it a small price to pay for the high end detail.

[Heath Bennett]

Canalphones seem to be pretty popular. My friend said through eBay is a good option...?

EDIT - This forum is ideal for getting good opinions on pretty much anything. Thanks all for the replys/opinions.

[timbo]

I have a pair of Sennheiser PXC250 'NoiseGard' headphones which work very well. They run on 2 AAAs but the batteries seem to last a long time. My only complaints are that they seem a bit tight around the head after a few hours... and after a while seem to give a feeling of increased pressure in the head due to the noise-cancelling phase inversion. Nevertheless they are invaluable on plane trips and add a whole new dimension to the normally disappointing experience of in-flight movies or music. Highly recommended.

http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,1895,1828802,00.asp

[thaddeus]

I've been using normal passive headphones in the helicopter for a few years and then tried a mate's Bose X headset with active noise reduction and found it amazing. I purchased a set the next day! If I used headphones at home, I'd certainly go for active noise reduction.

http://bose.com.au/site/index.aspx?path ... 10&pgid=34

A friend of mine bought two pair of aircraft headphones for a commercial aircraft trip to the US and found them amazing.

As for getting good deals on Bose stuff, I couldn't find the aviation ones discounted in Australia, but you make have more luck with the retail ones.

As for mowing the lawn looking stupid, my neighbour engaged in a hour's worth of drilling a common wall which was driving me batty. I just put on my aviation headset, turned it on and the noise disappeared like magic. I don't even know when he stopped drilling! Interestingly, when you take them back off, even silence sounds noisy!

[Heath Bennett]

Wow $1500. I wonder if the cheaper set works anywhere near as well.

[kenny12]

hi, i'm a new member but i am a head-phile addict,

the best advise i can offer is to not buy bose, their headphones are generally overpriced and perform very poorly for the price.

if you need noise cancelling / isolating headphones, my first choice would be canel phones, and my second a good pair of closed headphones such as the beyer dt770

a few suggestions

canel phones-

etymonics er-6 / er6i or shure e2c for budget

etymonics er-4P / er4S or Westone UM2 for high end

closed phones
Beyer dymatic dt770
Audio Technica A900

there are a lot of other choices

[DionM]

I fly a lot and love my Sony Noise Cancelling Headphones. Mine were about $300. They are the full ear cover ones.

Run off a single AAA and seem to go forever.

They also make the piped music on the plane listenable.

Only drawbacks - a little bulky, and you can't sleep on your side with them on.

[gstark]

I have two pairs of noise cancelling headphones; I'd need to chak on the brands.

For me they work very well, canceling out the low frequency drone of the aircraft while flying, and as most of the flying I do is on longer sections (10 hours plus) it makes a very big difference to the listenability of the media.

While I've not tried the canal phones mentioned, I generally have issues with earbud style products and their constant refusal to remain in place, comfortably, within my ears.