Bose QC2 or Sony MDR-NC50 for noise-cancelling?

[Silver5]

I am interested in both of these headphones and looking online I see that neither are getting great reviews. However, everyone who reviews makes a direct comparison of their sound with the sound of whatever their favorite headphone happens to be, which isn't fair really since these are noise-canelling while those to which they are usually compared are not.

I want to keep it simple and just ask this: Which of these two headphones, the Bose QC2 or the Sony MDR-NC50, do a better job at noise-cancelling? Is the difference between them sufficient justification for the $150-180 difference in price?

I know that some of you want to recommend in-ear headphones but I don't always like having things stuffed into my ears...we all have preferences.

[feh1325]

a closed can will beat both those cans both in sound quality and isolation. their sq is far better than a the average iem.

what is your price range?
beyerdynamic dt770 - $189
audio technica ath-a500 - $99
ath a700 - 129
ath a900 - 189

[Silver5]

I was under the impression that both of these units are "closed" type headphones. I have a set of Sennheiser HD215 and HD 280 headphones, both of which are really nice sounding, and I don't need studio quality audio out of the noise cancelling headphones I buy. The only thing I really want is noise-cancelling itself.

I have trouble trusting reviews of music reproduction quality because we all like things to sound somewhat different. Some like way to much bass while others don't want any at all it seems. Still others like the very bright highs, heavy bass, and limited midrange...I just like the way my Sennheisers sound. I would like the headphones to sound good when plugged into my iPod or PPC phone to listen to music, but if they are excellent at noise-cancellation and only ok/good for music then I will make that sacrifice. I have other headphones for when the I am off of the plane...

[feh1325]

i'm confused

so you want a headphone that can be driven without an amp, noise cancelation which is trumped by a simpler, more energy efficient method.

i don't get it, you want to pay more for an inferior product?

[Silver5]

I really just want to get on the plane, put on a pair of full headphones, and have them signigicantly reduce or even eliminate (though I doubt that's quite possible) the noise of the aircraft environment around me. I usually won't even plug them into my mp3 player at all. I just want the noise-cancellation.

[feh1325]

after doing some research at headfi.
i'd hate to say it, but the bose qc2 are the best cancelation you'll get for the jet engine. but they are useless in the screaming people, other aircraft noises, and music department.

the closed can that isolates the best would be the sennheiser 280. they were designed for isolation in studios and whatnot.

save yourself a wad o' cash and just use your sennheisers

[Silver5]

Alright...thank you for the advice. I also did a bit of looking on Headfi and did not find out much about the Sony noise-cancelling headphones in comparison to the Bose. Neither seems to be held in high regard according to people there.

I went to the Apple Store and tried on both the Bose QC2 and the Sony MDR-NC50 without music playing on either set. In the store, the Sony headphones seemed to cancel the noise just as well as the Bose headphones. Neither set could create complete silence, which is something no one should expect but the steady sound that you get from having many people in the same place was SIGNIFICANTLY reduced with both headphones. Individual voices could still be heard, especially if they were close to me, but most of the sound was greatly reduced.

The Bose headphones have a weird pressure feeling on my eardrums when I first put them on my ears. However, they become a little bit more comfortable after a few seconds, though that feeling is still there. There is a slight hiss added with the noise-cancelling turned on but this is more than offset by the amount of sound reduced.

The Sony headphones were more comforable to wear than the Bose. There was no pressure feeling in my ears. With the noise-cancelling on there was a slight hiss introduced, just like with the Bose set, but this was offset by the reduction in background noise.

I managed to get them to lower the price on the Sony set so I decided to buy them and give them a shot. I simply could not justify, based on the noise-cancelling, spending an extra $185 to buy the QC2 headphones.

I will definitely admit that in-ear sets can be more effective at reducing background noise. I have some that I bought earlier this year but I hate putting them in and pulling them out. If I bore of the Sony phones any time soon I'll pay the big money for the Ulitimate Ear (or the Shure) that require a mold of my ears to be taken. At least I can be pretty certain that they will be comfortable to wear and I don't think they have to be pushed deep into my ear canal (correct me if I am wrong).

[Macromedia]

Shure doesn't make custom IEMs. Look at Utimate Ears, Westone, and Future Sonic. I'm sure there are more. If you really need to block out the noise, an IEM would have been more useful then Bose or Sony.

[feh1325]

custom molds aren't that great because the seal is gone if you move your jaw.

you're not going to find a lot about sony headphones at headfi because other companies make superior products. the only sony's you'll see will be very expensive...triple and quad digits make of wood and other materials.
don't even get me started about bose...

macromedia, you're right, any iem would be better than sony and bose.

[Silver5]

You guys are absolutely right. In-ears would be better at reducing sound than either of them. Heck, for what I need them for, a simple set of ear-plugs would do the trick. That isn't what I want though. I don't want to have to go through the routine I have to go through to get a proper seal repeatedly throughout a flight after the person next to me wants to talk or the air hostess offers me a drink. Nor do I want to have to wipe them off in public when there is a little ear wax on them (and no matter how well you take care of yourself it still happens)...it just seems a little "icky" according to my girl, and I agree. For me there is a time for in-ears, like when I go running, but otherwise I actually prefer the full headphones for a number of reasons, only a few of which I have mentioned.

Feh, I didn't know that about custom molds. I thought they would be the best option if I want to go that route. A friend wears them when she performs and loves them. I don't know what brand hers are (and I doubt she does either) but I'll ask about the sealing issue.

[Macromedia]

The Beyerdynamic DT770 isolates 18db I think. That would work on a plane or just about any where. I still think an IEM would work the best fir you. Try the Westone UM1 or UM2. I find they're the easiest to get a seal with and are the most comfortable. Here's the Westone site www.westone.com and look around at head-fi for more info on pretty much every headphone made. www.head-fi.org

[Silver5]

One last question...since I realize (believe me...I really do understand this) that IEMs are excellent at reducing outside sound. However, I was just wondering why, if IEMs are so much better, do airline pilots and even ground crew wear regular style ANR headsets? I realize that the headsets they wear are much more expensive than any that I have been interested in, and they probably aren't great for music, but they certainly seem to make a great many people quite happy.

[isanity]

I don't think pilots want to be isolated from the outside world- they need to talk to one another and to the cabin crew, and to listen out for exploding engines...

[thedodgyguy]

ANR headsets cut out the specifics of air-travel sound, i.e. the engine. The Bose QC2 is furthermore a slightly isolating headset and therefore provides further noise reduction of frequencies outside the engine noise band. It is the most effective headphone out there for it. It's also pretty comfy.


Beyer DT770, A900, every other feh's suggestion - completely ineffective on aircraft in comparison to the likes of the QC2. The HD280 for example does on paper provide more isolation than the QC2 - but in real life, the HD280 acts like a mini-acoustic-chamber for the engine noise, effectively amplifying it's presence.


The QC2 is very good at what it does - although certain in-ear phones are as good. I personally don't like wearing a headphone for hours, especially on older planes where the temps change during the flight. (Noticed it suddenly gets hot on certain planes at times during a flight?) So I use a pair of in-earphones. But if the phones thing doesn't bother you the QC2 is very viable, and a far better option than the closed headphones.

[Macromedia]

The problem with the QC2 is that it doesn't block out people. So if some close to you is talking, you willl hear them. Thats why I like IEMs. Most noise is greatly reduced.

[Silver5]

Thanks guys...I really appreciate all of the information. It is nice to have a place to ask questions and have people who know a little more actually answer.


I have been using the MDR-NC50s for a little while now and can give a little of my impression. I have not yet taken them on a flight but I have used them in my apartment in the city as well as sitting on on the deck at home in the 'burbs. In my apartment, the AC units in the bedroom and in the living room are in the wall types. They make a reasonable amount of noise (I do have to turn the tv up a slight amount to overcome them). Wearing the Sony headphones seriously reduces this noise. In fact, since I only have one of the air conditioners on most of the time, the smaller of the two, the headphones can completely eliminate the sound I would otherwise hear from it unless I am sitting right in from of the blowing air.

If it is cool enough outside to have the windows open I can put the headphones on and block out almost all of the noise of the city. Of course, I can still hear sirens, but they are greatly muted. Very little of the sound of cars driving by, wind blowing, or the other sounds that just converge into an ever-present drone are able to make it through. Some still does but so much is blocked out that I definitely enjoy wearing the headphones just for the quiet.

Out at the house I rarely wear them. However, I did put them on while I was out on the deck typing and to my surprise they made a place that I thought was already quite much quieter. Until wearing these I hadn't really considered how much of the highway I could hear from 2-3 miles away or the sound from other traffic in the area. These made being out back even more pleasant than it already is.

I also had some ear plugs with me and made a comparison. The ear plugs just shut almost all sound out. Not much came through. This is why I believe that in-ears are going to be more effective for isolation. There was a problem with this though. Every time someone wanted to talk to me I had to pull them out. This was annoying to do because it meant I had to go through the routine of reinserting them when I was done with the conversation. In addition, if I was undisturbed for a while and had the plugs in, I found that I got irritated and wanted them out again. I just don't like the feeling of having things in my ears for a long time. To be fair though, I don't like headphones on my head for that long either, but they are MUCH easier to take off and put back on than ear plugs and IEMs. Another point against the in-ears is that I don't necessarilty want complete isolation (though it is nice sometimes and that is why I have them). Sometimes I want the drone of everything together to be knocked out but still have the ability to hear my phone ring or alert me to email/text-messages...or even the neighbor walking by sayinig hello.

I am glad I didn't pay the extra money for the Bose headphones. The MDR-NC50 works very well and certainly is more comfortable than the Bose headphones were (they had a weird pressurizing feeling in my ears). The noise-cancelling does a great job and is very relaxing. I would not recommending these as the best headphones for music. They are good and if it was not for the noise-cancelling I would say they should be sold in the $50-70 range based on their sound. The ANR definitely justifies the $150 the Apple Store usually charges and certainly worthwhile if you get them to give you a break on them.

[akula]

Soon IPODs (and other elecrtronics) may be taboo on planes.

[feh1325]

amp are gonna be smashed to bits by johnny whatsername because he thinks they look like bombs