[Eric_C]

Hi y'all, I've got a friend looking to get noise-cancelling headphones, for use on planes/commute and when she's studying, because she likes absolute silence when hitting the books. She's currently eyeing the Bose QuietComforts. Any advice?

For reference, she's only ever tried earbuds (Sony MDR-E828) and some basic on-ear headphones before. As a musician, I think she'd be able to appreciate good gear though.

Alternatively, does anyone know stores where she could audition headphones for herself? She's studying in the Washtenaw Ave area of Ann Arbor.

Much obliged!

 

[ben4345]

I would not recommend bose for silence. Too expensive, mediocre sound, fragile, and active noise canceling will only help for lower frequencies (i.e. plane engine).
I would and so will a lot of people here will recommend IEM's. Cost a lot less, isolate a lot more, and IME, much more durable.

 

[tvrboy]

Good question, I have been to every store in Ann Arbor looking for headphones. Forget about Best Buy; they only let you listen to Beats, Bose, and Skullcandy. There are only two stores where you can audition serious headphones: EyeMedia on Stadium Blvd and Overture Audio on Main Street. Overture Audio only sells Grados, so probably not what your friend is looking for. EyeMedia (www.eyemediasv.com) has many Audio-Technica, AKG, and Sennheiser headphones to demo. I recommend going there. Another choice may be Guitar Center (there is one on Ford Road in Canton). They sell a lot of headphones, but I don't know if they will let you try them out. They had no demo pairs when I was there. Let me know if you have more questions, I lived in Ann Arbor for 23 years.

 

[Eric_C]

Ta for the responses guys, I've linked my friend to this page via email but she hasn't replied in a while, so I can only assume she's busy. Will let you know what she says.

 

[TheBigCW]

Tell her to instead invest her money in noise isolating in-ear-monitors like those made by Etymotic. I have a pair of Etymotic ER4P and they cancel more noise than Bose and sound much better.

 

[paulypaul]

klipsch X5s & X10s also have very good isolation

 

[bcpk]

If she absolutely has to have headphones, suggest Sennheiser HD 25-1 IIs. Otherwise IEMs, like Etymotic as suggested.

 

[Eric_C]

Hi everyone, sorry this reply has been a long time coming but I finally have an update:
my friend got herself a pair of JVC HA-NC250. 
 
bcpk: I would have absolutely gone with your suggestion myself, the HD 25 is one pair of isolating, good sounding and tough headphones. But oh well, it's the listener's ears that are the judge. 
 
Thanks again to all who chimed in to help!