[skyline889]

I spend a considerable amount of time on flights so I was wondering what would be a good set to accompany my Zen on long flights. I'm not looking to spend more than $100 and I'd like something fairly portable (But don't care for IEMs) so I was looking at the Audio Technica ES7s (Refurb for $55 at buydig). Any other suggestions?

 

[rayk]

The thing is.... IEMs are much better for airplane as they block the most noise.

While ES7s do block out some noise, it's no where near enough for a plane in my opinion (unless you like to listen loud). They do sound nice, very portable and are built like a tank.

I know you don't want IEMs, but RE0s are a fantastic canalphone, especially for plane use.

 

[West726]

IEMs are the only thing worth buying under $100 for airplanes.

 

[mlau]

I usually don't like IEMs, but I've fallen in love with my Nuforce 7s.
Ear blockage aside, it made the earshattering Mandarin and crying babies that I was one much, much more tolerable on a Chinese tour in Canada.

If you insist on NC cans, my personal favorite is the AT ANC7's. Unamped (from a Meizu m6 and also a 3g flash Zune), they sound a lot better than the Denon or Bose offerings (I've bought the AT's for my sis, and the Denon's for myself). The SC on the ANC7's is astoundingly silent. The Denons have an annoying hiss.

If you can handle them, an IEM would probably be your best bet.
Otherwise, the AT ANC7's get my vote.

 

[skyline889]

I'd assume the ES7s would block out more noise than the Creative earbuds I've been using though right?

I like the ANC7s but I think I tried searching for them last year and it seems pretty hard to find them used.

 

[EugeneK]

Buy IEMs to block high freqs + play music. Note: IEMs must be flush with outer ear - something like the Shure 530 or JH13.

Wear ATH NC7s over IEM to filter out engine rumble.

This works wonders - I could listen to classical music on my last trip.

 

[fatcat28037]

At the risk of being burned at the stake let me suggest Bose QC2. They are light-weight, comfortable, have excellent noise cancelling and have reasonable sound quality. New they're expensive, but used I've seen them for $150/$200. I realize that's over your budget but these are great phones to have on a plane. Excuse me now, I have to get my flame suit on.

 

[GuyDebord]

ANC7's or IEM's, although I prefer IEM's, I sold my anc7's since they were to bulky to travel with them, you want to go light...

 

[K_19]

This is one of the few situation where an active NC can be more effective than an IEM (as well as being better for long-term comfort). Active NC do better at cancelling out low frequency noises such as the ones from jet engines where as IEM's do much better in other areas. IEM's are still better solution all around, but if you think that you may find those uncomfortable, try some NC cans such as ANC7, QC2/3 or my personal recommendation, NC732 from Denon. They do very well at cancelling noise and also sound very good, as good as their lower range cans like D1001's from my own experience.

 

[david1978jp]

Buy.com has Able Planet for $50 (half price at this time, maybe one more week?). It's quite comparable to Bose on noise cancellation/reducing. It actually sounds quite good. This particular model bump up vocal range, so it is nice for movies and old people who always turn tv too loud. Oh, burn-in, burn-in, you need 100 hours for it to sound good.

Able Planet TRUE FIDELITY Noise Cancelling Headphone - NC500TF - Buy.com

 

[.coco]

The Audio Technica ES7 is probably a pretty good choice, maybe you should look for a used HFI-780 also?. However, I would recommend a decent IEM over either of those for the plane.

 

[12thgear]

Quote:

Originally Posted by mlau /img/forum/go_quote.gif If you insist on NC cans, my personal favorite is the AT ANC7's. Unamped (from a Meizu m6 and also a 3g flash Zune), they sound a lot better than the Denon or Bose offerings (I've bought the AT's for my sis, and the Denon's for myself). The SC on the ANC7's is astoundingly silent. The Denons have an annoying hiss. If you can handle them, an IEM would probably be your best bet. Otherwise, the AT ANC7's get my vote.

I have the ATH-ANC7 and agree that they're decent NC headphones. Their sound is fairly balanced, though the highs are a bit rough. Not shrill, but they lack refinement and seem a tad distorted. There's low level hiss but you'll never noticed it if you use these headphones for their intended purpose. They block noise well, cancel out a decent amount of the remaining noise, and offer good battery life. I also appreciate the included case and adapters.

There's a new ATH-ANC7b out now that's supposed to be a bit comfier for the bigger-eared. The hiss has supposedly been tamed too. Either one is supposed to be good, but perhaps there are deals to be found on the original ATH-ANC7 now.

I've often wanted to know of direct head-to-head differences vs the ATH-ANC7 and the equivalent Denon, so thanks for the info.

All that said, now that I've spent some time and experimented with different tips, I prefer IEMs to NC headphones. Dollar for dollar, they offer much better sound quality and block sound just as well. They're also tiny and much more portable and a little more discreet. Downsides are that it does take time to experiment and find the right fit. I didn't do that at first which is why I wrote them off before. You also need to maintain them to keep them clean.

 

[ourfpshero]

Quote:

Originally Posted by david1978jp /img/forum/go_quote.gif Buy.com has Able Planet for $50 (half price at this time, maybe one more week?). It's quite comparable to Bose on noise cancellation/reducing. It actually sounds quite good. This particular model bump up vocal range, so it is nice for movies and old people who always turn tv too loud. Oh, burn-in, burn-in, you need 100 hours for it to sound good. Able Planet TRUE FIDELITY Noise Cancelling Headphone - NC500TF - Buy.com

also look for able planets 'lost cauze' gaming headphones. these are the same thing but marketed towards gamers. now goes for 40$. i used one on a trip last week and was very happy with the noise cancellation

 

[skyline889]

I'd look into IEMs but my ears are very sensitive to pressure changes so IEMs are rather uncomfortable, plus I'm not a fan of the "hearing yourself" you get with a lot of IEMs.

 

[RallyMaster]

Having come off a plane less than 20 hours ago (15 hour flight from Shanghai to Newark, and then from Newark to Indy), I will say to you right now that IEMs are the only things you should consider. Without my Westone UM1 with the Comply tips, my ears would still be ringing.