Noise cancelling headphones?

[AstralTraveller (David)]

Hi,

I'm thinking of getting a set of noise-cancelling headphones. The room I work in has a constant drone of pumps, not at dangerous levels but hours of it does grind you down. Normally I wouldn't play music at work but I'll help the masking by playing something quiet at low levels.

Looking around, I've seen sets from $50 to $400. Now of course you get what you pay for but I'm wondering how much more? And how much do you pay for a brand name (eg Bose, Harmon Kardon)? These days it seems once someone has a technology very soon everyone has it. It's been years since I used headphones and I think the ergonomics has improved so I'm not sure which style to chose: in ear, on ear or over ear. In-ear are the most convenient but I think they look uncomfortable. The bigger ones, especially the over-ear, should assist in blocking the outside noise but they look cumbersome. I know in the end it's my personal choice but I'd still value any comments.

cheers,
David

[bobbyf (Bob)]

Hi David
This is always a difficult one as it's very personal to your ears and your tolerance for in-the-ear (canal phones) types. It also depends on the audio quality you're wanting.
Over the ear phones could get too hot as well, if you're wearing them for long periods and if they're heavy, or put too much pressure on the side of the head to get a good seal, they can get annoying too.

Have a look at headphones.com.au for some advice. There are always threads about this on the forums, like this one:
http://headphones.com.au/forums/view...php?f=2&t=7865

They recommend the Audio Technica ANC-9 if you cant tolerate canal phones.
http://headphones.com.au/psingle?productID=666


BOSE (Buy Other Sound Equipment) are overpriced IMO, and don't get me started on Beats .
Hope this helps

Bob

[DJVege]

Hey David,

You are correct. It all comes down to personal preference and $$$ mostly, but here's my 2c. I prefer over hear because it's more comfortable for me and inner ear phones don't stay in my ears (I must have weird ears). Looks don't mean squat to me. I only care about quality of the sound and the build. I have a set of Audio Technica M50x and V-Moda Crossfader M100s. Neither are noise cancelling, but are very comfy and awesome quality.

Noise cancelling phones I've had experience with are only Plantronics back beat pro. Mates have these and they are quite good. In a plane, the whirring is reduced to white noise fairly well. Definitely doesn't TOTALLY reduce all outside noise (depending on how loud it is), but they are quite good.

Besides online reviews, the best thing you can do is get to a store and try them on. Everyone's ears are different.

[DJVege]

Best advice from Bob... Bose and Beats... why would you?

Yes they are good... but not worth the $$$$$$$$$.

[Renato1 (Renato)]

Hard to say for your situation. I use them all the time when travelling overseas on planes, as they make watching movies a delight during the trip. Though they work best if one isn't near the windows.

I've got Sony ones that I push into my ears, and they are the best - though sometimes I get sick of having them in my ears. I also have the ear enclosing Philips ones, which surprisingly let in more noise than the Sony ones. That said, they were just as useful for watching movies and cutting out the annoying plane hum.
Regards,
Renato

[SteveInNZ]

What noises are noise-cancelling head/earphones best at cancelling ?
I imagine they'd be good at relatively steady noise like airplane and traffic but will they help at the gym where everything is doof-doof, loud and not to my taste ?
I find compliant foam earbuds comfortable and effective, but always keen to be able to turn mine down a bit more.

Steve.

[Starless (Brian)]

Dave,
I have just bought a pair of Harmon Kardon CL on ear headphones.
They are not the noise cancelling type as I don't really require
this facility.
They are very comfortable and have very good reproduction.
They are not the bass heavy things that are being pushed by
a lot of brands these days.

I don't know if HK do a noise cancelling version.

I can't stand those ear plug style things!!

Every set I have ever tried are very uncomfortable, fall out all
the time and generally don't sound very good.

I can recomend the HKs that I have so you should see if
they do noise cancelling ones.

This is where I got mine.

https://www.i-tech.com.au/products/1...on_On_Ear.aspx

[tlgerdes (Trevor)]

I use these for my airplane travel (actually the earlier UE200 model, but same thing)

http://www.dicksmith.com.au/earphone...nes-dsau-a5078

In-ear noise isolating. When you don't have sound playing through them, they are just really good ear plugs. Comfortable enough to sleep on. Light enough to walk around with oblivious to all around you.

They come with 4 different size ear pieces to suit all ear canals.

[AstralTraveller (David)]

Thanks for all the helpful comments. I think I'll avoid the in-ear types. The AudioTechnica look like a good option. I don't need them for a few weeks so I'll think about it.

[OzEclipse (Joe Cali)]

David,

Suggest you
1. get your WHS unit to measure the noise level to see if it presents a hearing damage hazard. It's not just the overall level but the frequency distribution. Some frequencies are more damaging than others. If it is damaging, then the problem should be dealt with for everyone in the lab.

2. You can put screens lined with sound absorbing tiles around pumps the dull the sound.

3. Look at the ceilings and walls. You might be able to look at lining with sound proof tiles. I don't remember if I showed you our MAT253 lab when you collected the Prism? We installed a suspended false ceiling with compressed fiber tiles. Has killed a lot of reverberation which has cut down the noise level in that lab compared o the old days when it had a concrete ceiling.

Joe

[pjphilli (Peter)]

Hi David
I bought cheapest cancelling earphones for air travel. They work great. You can actually watch movies without having the sound turned right up to hear the dialogue. Great also for reducing the jet noise when its time for a sleep. I think that they would be worth a try in your work situation. Cheers Peter

[Shano592 (Shane)]

I bought my wife a set of Bose in-ear noise cancelling headphones. They cost about $400 last June.

I couldn't believe it when I put them on, and turned on the enhanced blocking. If it wasn't 100%, then it was awfully close.

We both travel overseas a few times per year for work, and these things make long-haul plane trips bearable. I have a set of TDKs that block around 85%. They aren't even in the same league as the Bose.

[Rob P]

Hi David,

I travel by plane regularly, up to 12 hours at a time, and find the noise cancelling headphones enhances the trip.

As indicated in the other posts, they don't cancel out irregular or sudden noises but the constant background hum.

I use Bose 'over the ear' headphones (I do have in-ear 'phones as well for when I'm working in the garden or at the gym) and find them more comfortable when wearing headphones over an extended period of time.

[lowsfer]

Bose seems to be more popular. I got a ATH ANC9 and compared with my friend's QC3. I do feel ANC9 is better. I can't tell which one is more effective at noise cancelling - I would say no much difference. But I do prefer the sound produced by ANC9.