[FrenchGuy]

Hello all
I'm looking for the "best"option to listen to music or watch movies from my tablet when I'm flying
For now, I have an old Senheisser PX100....sound is good, but it doesn't block any sound, so I need something else
I was thinking about noise cancelling (Bose QC25, Audio Technica ATH-ANC7B or ANC9), or noise isolation such as Audio Technica ATH M50x
BUT:
-) Bose QC25 is expensive.....Don't want to put $300 in a headphone only for travelling
-) Audio Technica: both ANC models seem to have good reviews....
-) Audio Technica: the ATH-M50x is praised by a lot of people......no ANC (better natural sounding). I'm thinking it might be a good option, but then I thought about the size: it's bulky !
After some time reading on the forum, I saw recommendations for the SHURE se215, which is an IEM.......Well, why not after all? 
 
What do you think? Any other recommendations?

 

[HaNs SuPeR]

what's ur budget ?
 
http://www.head-fi.org/a/headphone-buying-guide

 

[FrenchGuy]

Would like to stay under $150

 

[HaNs SuPeR]

check that buying guide if you haven't. Good place to start. There are a number of quality built headphones for under $150. What kind of sound do you prefer ? What kind of music do you listen to mostly ?
 
Note Guide:
(N) Indicates that the headphone is overall balanced or neutral in sound.
(T) Indicates that the headphone is considered bright.
(B) Indicates that the headphone is considered bass heavy.
(V) Indicates that the headphones has a V shaped sound.
(m) Indicates that the headphone has an inline microphone.
(W) Indicates that the headphone is considered warm.
(M) Indicates that the headphone is focuses on the mids.
 
Please note that these notes are not meant to be and end-all guide to the sound. These are to give starting points for those looking for these qualities in headphones.

 

[FrenchGuy]

Music: I like female voices like Lisa Gerard, Cocteau Twins, Dead can dance, etc
Other styles like Moby, Florence and the machines, jazz, classical, etc
I would be tempted to say kind of everything BUT hip hop, rap, techno and the like..........
 
I would not mind having 2 sets: one for travel, and one when I'm home. But the first one I need would be for travel....I was thinking about the Shure se215, but was wondering if I could find better for not much more, style compact

 

[WardrumMastodon]

Problem with the buying guide is there are few headphones that are not available anymore and it is not clear as to what would be a good replacement.

 

[peter123]

I've spent hundreds of hours in airplanes over the last 15 years or so and have tried a lot of different headphones and IEM's on them and in my opinion the QC25 is unbeatable for this purpose. My only regret is not getting them (or the QC15) earlier.

If you travel a lot I'd suggest digging deep in your pockets right away and be a happy traveller

 

[Transmaniacon]

I've spent hundreds of hours in airplanes over the last 15 years or so and have tried a lot of different headphones and IEM's on them and in my opinion the QC25 is unbeatable for this purpose. My only regret is not getting them (or the QC15) earlier.

If you travel a lot I'd suggest digging deep in your pockets right away and be a happy traveller

 
He can probably find a used pair of QC25 for pretty close to his budget.

 

[peter123]

He can probably find a used pair of QC25 for pretty close to his budget.

Good point

 

[FrenchGuy]

I was traveling yesterday, departing from the Detroit airport. There is a Soundbalance store where I tested the Shure se215 and also the RHA MA750i
But it was a quick test, so hard to tell which one I liked the most…..I would say the RHA sounded slightly better
I also had with me 2 over the ear headphones to test: the Sony MDRZX 770DC (active noise canceling, from Costco) and the Audio Technica ATH M50x (that I got at Micro Center for $119.99)
The Sony was decent at reducing noise, but it was painful after a couple of hours (on the top of the head)
I haven’t tested the ATH-M50x that much during the flight (it’s kind of bulky)…..but once at the hotel, I used it and I really liked the sound
 
So now I’m thinking I do need an IEM for air travel, because I really found the 2 over the ears cans were bulky and not convenient to handle
 
Is there any other good recommendation for a good IEM other than the RHA MA750i, for approximately the same price ($130) or even cheaper?
If I buy one at the Soundbalance store, I have to be careful if I want to return it, since they are located in the airport……might not be easy

 

[peter123]

I'd suggest you try flying with some cheap IEM's first to try it out. I find it really hard to enjoy IEM's while airborne due to the cabin pressure but this is most likely individual since I've seen several others using it....

 

[buke9]

I'm heading to Chicago Friday morning so I will test this out with my Echobox Finder X1's. I have never used them in flight so this will be a good test for me. I think the Comply tips help out a lot for isolation so I will find out.

 

[FrenchGuy]

By the way, my tablet is the Galaxy Tab Pro 8.4 (SM-T320)
Should I get a DAC, and expect a noticeable sound improvement (with a headphone such as the RHA-MA750i or Audio Technica ATH-M50x)?
If yes, which DAC would you recommend offering the best compromise price/performance?
And to connect my tablet to that dac, I will need an OTG usb cable, right?
 
Thanks

 

[peter123]

By the way, my tablet is the Galaxy Tab Pro 8.4 (SM-T320)
Should I get a DAC, and expect a noticeable sound improvement (with a headphone such as the RHA-MA750i or Audio Technica ATH-M50x)?
If yes, which DAC would you recommend offering the best compromise price/performance?
And to connect my tablet to that dac, I will need an OTG usb cable, right?

Thanks

If it's primarily to use on flights I wouldn't bother. No matter what you do it will not be a great environment for hifi....

 

[FrenchGuy]

But assuming I will also use it at home?