Good noise canceling headphones?

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Hello.

Do you have any recommendations? About a month ago there was a post about Bose QC3 and how happy he was with it. Does anyone else know about noise canceling headphones?

Ideally I want to a pair that can cancel engine noise, human voice, music etc.

sorry but I can't comment on noise-cancelling headphones but I have used Shure sound isolating ear-buds for years and really like them

i wear mine for long periods while commuting on public transport.

they are very comfortable and they do a good job of blocking the outside world

I think you're talking about "white noise" headphones. Just Google that, you'll get a bunch of hits.

I can get very sensitive to noise and lose concentration at work, and I use Shure inner ear phones also. They can be a little pricey though.

Also whilst they come with various tips, and to be honest I didn't find one that was completely comfortable, but I did find a 3rd party that made memory foam ones, and they are just about perfect for me. FWIW - Comply Foam Ear Tips TX100 are the ones I use.

However, whilst I'm very happy with them, if you are looking for something to block out all sound using noise cancelling and sit in silence, then sound isolation phones won't do the job for you imho.

You'll find plenty of vids on YouTube about both Noise Cancelling head phones and Sound Isolation ear phones. I'm sure you'll find the right match for you after a bit of research

I'd also see if you have a local hi-fi specialist that stock them, and see if you can get along and have a demo and see if they will do the job you want of them.

I have really sensitive ears and when I put the Bose headphones on in the shop I could hear a high pitch hum, which made me feel ill. Recently I got given Beats by Dre as a gift and they're quite, I can't hear outside noise and they're comfortable. But pricey.

All depends upon your application. I wear Bose when I'm flying long-distance, either with music or just using the noise cancellation, and I'm happy with them. Noise-cancellation tends to be better at shutting out engine noises than human voices or music, which can be a positive or a negative, depending on what you want. If you want to shut out all noise and don't mind bulk, the best hearing protection earmuffs will do better than noise cancellation. There's even the combination of big earmuffs that then use electronics to let human voices through selectively--very useful for the shooting range, if that's your thing, because you don't want your ears blown out when you fire but you do want to hear other people. Good earmuffs can be had for maybe $40 or so, for electronic stuff you can spend as much as you want.

These are $200 ear phones. Have you tried listening to music with them, is it noticeably better than cheap $20 ear buds.

Thanks guys for responding and for the information!

Looks like I probably need to look into "noise canceling headphones", "sound isolating ear-buds" and "hearing protection earmuffs". I have a fairly good idea of noise canceling headphones because I have looked at some websites about them. I actually don't know the difference between "noise canceling" and "sound isolating".

I was almost deciding to get the Bose QC15, but I was hoping I could find something else that can block/cancel noises of all frequencies very effectively to the point of creating a complete silence. Bose QC15 seems to cancel low frequencies (engine etc) very well, but not human voice etc. According to the shop assistant, there used to be noise canceling headphones that could cancel any noise, but because of safety reasons they don't stock them any more.

Someone in an old thread was suggesting that you attach a microphone to the noise canceling circuitry and get more kinds of noises (such as unwanted music) canceled by it, but I have no idea how to do such a thing.

FYI the one thing you do not want to do is wear something like this in public



Beyond ridiculous, you will only bring unwanted attention to yourself.

What's that one called? Would that look that bad? I don't really know. The guy who posted about a month ago about his Bose QC3 was also saying that he didn't want to look like an idiot. I never really thought about that. I really want absolute silence.

I can't remember what brand they were, but my father in law is a drummer and he buys these amazingly good noise canceling headphones for near $200. My husband's were $160. I don't mind wearing something big in public because I've had too many people come up to me trying to talk to me otherwise, and then they get mad when I don't respond.

I love my Audio Technicas

Audio Technica Specs

I'll do that at times.

I've never had a negative response from anyone. I'll walk down the street. I'll sit in coffee shops. I've never had a negative reaction.

I don't care if I look "ridiculous". Ear plugs aren't enough. Noise cancelling headphones aren't enough. Noise isolating ear buds aren't enough. (I have all three of those also and use all three also. If I'm wearing my ear muffs I might be wearing my earplugs underneath) I use what I need for the situation.

But I've never had a negative reaction. Only had people on these forums looking down on people for doing things that are more stereotypical of people with autism because of us wearing things like that because we have to. Never from the public.

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For the OP,

1. What noises do you need to reduce volume of?

2. How extreme do you need to reduce the volume of them?

3. Do you want to be having music at the same time?

4. How much do you care about looking weird?

5. Does white noise sound bother you (http://simplynoise.com/ is what I use for an online white noise generator if you need to test)?


If you answer those questions then we can match you to what type of thing is the best use for helping with your hearing sensitivity.

Isolating means there's some physical barrier to keep the sound outside. Think plastic foam.

Noise canceling means there are microphones that capture outside noise and an electronic circuit will generate an opposing noise that, if the physics works out as planned, exactly cancels the original noise (like 1 + (-1) = 0). A consequence of that is that noise-canceling headphones need a power supply, typically a rechargeable battery, to work.

1. If possible I want all noises canceled, but I realize that's not easy. So, I'd say my primary problem is running cars/motorbikes/buses (engine etc). If possible I want music, people's voices etc also canceled as well at work, cafe etc, but those are my secondary concern.

2. I don't know what's realistically achievable, but with engine noises, I want them to be almost inaudible. I'm near a busy street all the time. So it's right there. If the noise can be reduced to the level of sounding as if coming from a distance, maybe I might be able to tolerate it.

3. No, I seldom listen to music. I just want silence.

4. I can't complain about looking weird if I can get relief from the noise, but I don't want it to be physically uncomfortable (being heavy, restricting my body movement, too much pressure on the head etc).

5. I found it rather uncomfortable. It kind of filled my head and made me feel claustrophobic. I don't know if I can get used to it. It was like TV/radio channel with no reception, just with static noise.

Am I being too fussy? Because I've been enduring noise every day, I have kind of developed strong (maybe psychological) aversion to noises, particularly car/motorbike engine noise and radio music. It seems to be affecting my tongue for some reason - I'm having weird taste when I'm stressed by noise. I'm also tense all the time and have lost all motivations to do anything. Sorry it's rather irrelevant.

Thanks for the info. So does that mean "sound isolating" mechanism is purely blocking with foam or something, not requiring any electronic mechanism? And hence, cheaper compared with "noise canceling", which requires more sophisticated electronic devices?