Noise cancelling headphones

[CGAR]

I have used the bose version and like them but dont want to spent $300.00. Looking for a cheaper pair that still sounds decent.

I saw a couple of posts on a pair that phillips makes for $50.00 that look pretty good to me.

I will use mainly for mowing the lawn.

Any thoughts or recommendations are appreciated.

[kauffee]

I would recommend getting canalphones. They're going to isolate a lot more than active noise cancelling headphones, especially with the lawn mower. Go for the Shure E2s.

[Joshdude]

Those are expensive and kind of uncomfortable. he Philips are pretty good, especially for the price. Canalphones isolate sound, but they don't cancel it. It's like having earplugs in. So you may get the lawnmower sound, only quieter. I'd go with the Philips.

[beauport]

Originally posted by Joshdude
Those are expensive and kind of uncomfortable. he Philips are pretty good, especially for the price. Canalphones isolate sound, but they don't cancel it. It's like having earplugs in. So you may get the lawnmower sound, only quieter. I'd go with the Philips. You're right about canalphones not cancelling out the sounds, they only make them quieter - good ones make it MUCH quieter. If you've listened to what Bose calls noise cancelling headphones well they don't cancel it either, they only reduce it and not as much as good canalphones do.

[Joshdude]

That's not true. I've used the Bose sound cancleling headphones on a plane. I was right next to the engine. With the sound caceling on, I couldn't hear it at all. They really are quite good.

[beauport]

Originally posted by Joshdude
That's not true. I've used the Bose sound cancleling headphones on a plane. I was right next to the engine. With the sound caceling on, I couldn't hear it at all. They really are quite good.
That said, if you turned the music off that you were probably listening to the engine sounds would be there but greatly reduced. I use the Ety's ER-4P when I fly and I don't hear the engines or just about anything else for that matter (much to the annoyance of the flight attendants) but if there's no music playing you can still hear sounds but very much more quietly.

[Joshdude]

I meant while there was no music playing. There is a small microphone on the exterior of sound-canceling headphones. It collects the surrounding noise, then produces the exact opposite wavelength to cancel it out. So you really don't hear it. I can;t vouch for the Philips' on an airplane, but the Boses are great.

[kauffee]

Sorry Josh, but you're wrong on this one. Canalphones with foamies or triple flanges will isolate better than noise cancelling headphones. Yes, theoretically noise cancelling headphones "cancel" external noise by producing destructive interference, but that's just not the reality. Remember, you're dealing with a $300 pair of headphones not a supercomputer.

Active noise cancelling headphones do a good job on planes or buses where there's a constant low frequency sound. However, in terms of actual noise reduction, they don't do as good a job as the simple earplugs of canalphones can.

[CGAR]

Anyone have a preference on the phillips hn0100 or the hn0050?

Both are very cheap on ebay.

Thanks

[maisany]

I've tried both noise-cancellation (the old NoiseBusters as well as the Bose) and the Shures and the Shures are far better at reducing the amount of noise interfering with your music. I've even done a side-by-side on a flight where they gave out the Boses for free in Business Class. You are able to hear less noise and listen to your music at a far lower volume with the Shures than you are with the active noise cancellation phones.

Plus, you have the added benefit of less clutter with the Shures and no need for additional batteries. Having tried both, I think active noise cancellation is a gigantic waste of time and money.

[stevesurf]

I've used the Bose QC2, sitting right next to the engine on a plane, next to a window on a train and they do a tremendous job at noise reduction. They do have a problem with high strength GSM cell phones near them. If you are wearing an ATT phone, you'll hear periodic faint clicking sounds.

I'm curious if the Shure are REALLY that different from the QC2...

[hotch]

Originally posted by Joshdude
That's not true. I've used the Bose sound cancleling headphones on a plane. I was right next to the engine. With the sound caceling on, I couldn't hear it at all. They really are quite good.

i own both. canalphones are superior for sound isolation