Noise Canceling Headphones

[therealbigd]

Originally Posted by John Willett

Noise-cancelling headphones were first developed by Sennheiser in the mid 1980s and I still remember seeing a prototype back in 1986 with about 3U of active electronics.

They make a range from inexpensive up to Bose beaters.

Yes, I do have noise-cancelling headphones and they can be very good in certain situations.

They are great for travel in aircraft, cars, busses, trains, etc. where they cancel out the low frequency rumble.

Active noise cancellation cuts out low frequencies - you need closed sealed headphones to cut out high frequencies.

Bose headphones are pretty OK, but Bose's marketing budget is huge and this obviously has to be paid for in the price of the goods, which is why many people think they are overpriced.

But - although I use active noise reduction headphones for many things, I would not use them for any professional monitoring situation.

Like I said John, it's about choosing the right product for the right job.

I used HD-25s on a 7-hour flight from Heathrow to Dubai and by the end decided that I would not do it again. The ear fatigue was not workable and once my ears adjusted, their isolation properties 'went away' when not playing music.

With the Boses, I use them as much without music as with and they are great for relaxing with, and I preferred them for comfort and nice sound to anything Sennheiser make of the same price.

But I wouldn't use them in the studio - it's not what they're made for!

Yes they're £280 which people seem to think is 'expensive' - which it is, considering most headphones are under £100 and even most top-end headphones are less than £280. HOWEVER, when you're a frequent flyer, and you consider the price of Long-Haul Flights (Emirates Heathrow-Dubai in economy is about £700 return), you realise that £280 is not expensive for making an otherwise generally unpleasant experience into something more enjoyable. I spent £700 on an iPad 2 and a pair of QuietComfort 15s, the pair cost about the same as one return flight, and they'll last me for umpteen return flights to and from the country, and so far have proven to make it somewhat more enjoyable!

[John Willett]

Originally Posted by therealbigd

Like I said John, it's about choosing the right product for the right job.

I used HD-25s on a 7-hour flight from Heathrow to Dubai and by the end decided that I would not do it again. The ear fatigue was not workable and once my ears adjusted, their isolation properties 'went away' when not playing music.

With the Boses, I use them as much without music as with and they are great for relaxing with, and I preferred them for comfort and nice sound to anything Sennheiser make of the same price.

But I wouldn't use them in the studio - it's not what they're made for!

Yes they're £280 which people seem to think is 'expensive' - which it is, considering most headphones are under £100 and even most top-end headphones are less than £280. HOWEVER, when you're a frequent flyer, and you consider the price of Long-Haul Flights (Emirates Heathrow-Dubai in economy is about £700 return), you realise that £280 is not expensive for making an otherwise generally unpleasant experience into something more enjoyable. I spent £700 on an iPad 2 and a pair of QuietComfort 15s, the pair cost about the same as one return flight, and they'll last me for umpteen return flights to and from the country, and so far have proven to make it somewhat more enjoyable!

That's what I said.

Did you try the Sennheiser PXC 450 before you bought the Bose?

Although, I must admit, I swapped from my noise reduction headphones to my Sennheiser HD 25-1 mid-flight once as I found the HD 25 better (but I do use the velour earpads on mine as they are a lot more comfortable).

[therealbigd]

Originally Posted by John Willett

That's what I said.

Did you try the Sennheiser PXC 450 before you bought the Bose?

Although, I must admit, I swapped from my noise reduction headphones to my Sennheiser HD 25-1 mid-flight once as I found the HD 25 better (but I do use the velour earpads on mine as they are a lot more comfortable).

I tried the PXC350 but not the PXC450.

I thought the sound in the Bose was a bit more 'airy' which I liked, it made me feel a bit fresher.

I flew once wit the HD25 but I found they fatigued my ears and I kept turning it up, and when switched off my ears adjusted and the noise of the plane came back.

I found that whilst the actual music performance of the Sennheisers could easily be considered 'equal' to the Bose, the comfort of the Bose headphones, whether playing music or not, was better.

The fact they come with their own iPod remote also was a slight encouragement. Not much but slight. Also I bought them in a Bose outlet shop so they were about 15% off what they go for on Amazon etc.