[giordun]

Since Bose is way too overpriced, what headphones are good for travelling on a plane?

 

[feh1325]

would iems scare you?

 

[nickdawg]

x2 on the IEMs.

How do you feel about sticking something in you ear(like an earplug)?

 

[Torula Yeast]

X3. No having to worry about batteries, and so ridiculously easy to tote. Qualities range from "this'll get ya by for 3 - 7 hours" to, "wow, this is friggin' nice," which is a range I'm not aware that the active noise-cancelling 'phones provide.

 

[AT0]

Whats your budget by the way? Depending on what sort of plane your on a good pair of closed headphones can do the job. Headphones for planes makes me think immediately of sennheisier since that's where they started.

 

[moonboy403]

UM1 for extreme iem comfort.
RE1/RE2 for indefatigable listening session.

 

[krmathis]

IEM's is the way to go for airplane travels.
With the right pair you can even wear them for intercontinental flights (10+ hours) without much discomfort.

 

[nor_spoon]

How about that Sennheiser speaker system you rest on your shoulder. Would make a nice neck and head support as well for long trips

 

[Anarchy965]

Of course, for anyone who has a problem with IEMs a lot of people around here agree that the HD-25's are the next best option.

 

[Nocturnal310]

I got my dad a Pair of IEMs for his flights...he liked it as its easy to carry & can just be put in the suit pocket..

make sure to buy a pair of 3.5 mm Airline adapter separately.

 

[HeadphoneAddict]

If you don't want earphones that fit inside the ear-canal and block sound (IEM), consider the Audio Technica AT-ANC7.

I replaced my Bose QC-2 with these, and after about 100-150 hours of burn-in they are sounding pretty good - and the batteries seem to last forever. I have a small portable air conditioner in my bedroom, and when I lay down in bed with music playing these will completely make the AC disappear. And, I can still hear the alarm go off in the morning, which I can't hear when I have a small earphone crammed in my ear canal. On a plane with the AT-ANC7 you could tell when your neighbor or the steward(ess) is trying to ask you something, but not have the roar of the engines get in and ruin the music.

If you do go with an IEM, good sounding small ones that block sound very well include the q-JAYS, IM716, ER-6i, ER-4P, and Shure SE310 through SE530. My top recommendations for "bang for the buck" would be the Shure SE310 or q-JAYS. The Shure are more likely to not need an amplifier and still give you good bass, while the ER-6i do best with an amp that has bass boost, and the q-JAYS, IM716 and ER-4P will probably need an amplifier on the plane. I used the IM716 on a plane last December, and my iPod touch volume had to be cranked up very high because they do best with an amp. The ER-6i did not have that problem on a plane, but I heard almost no bass while listening on the plane through the iPod.

 

[REB]

I do not like to wear IEM's, especially not for long plane rides. My ears start to hurt and infect quite easily. So for me the best option is noice-cancelling headphones. The Sennheiser PXC 450 is the best pair of NC cans I have heard. Great SQ, wearing comfort is supreme and they are supposed to have the HD650 drivers. They cost a bit, but are more than worth it IMO, especially if you don't like to wear IEM's. Plus they look really snazzy.

 

[Meloncoly]

For airplanes, I've had good experiences with the Audio Technica ATH-ANC7. Blocks out the engine noise, can still hear the stewardesses murmuring, and I can still hear the murmuring of my mom nagging at me on how the act of wearing headphones will ruin my hearing one day, but at least there is no engine noise!

 

[Uncle Erik]

I use IEMs when I travel. Though I've been thinking about picking up a pair of Beyerdynamic DT150s for it. They're closed and the Beyer sound has been growing on me. I would take the DT48, but I only like them with acoustic music.

 

[giordun]

So not a lot of choices for full size headphones that are noise cancelling.