[steinba]

...That are not too expensive and are not Bose.

Is that possible? Any recommendations?

Sennheiser PCX 350 or 450? Are those good? Probably cost an arm an a leg, though...

 

[dopeboyfresh]

The consensus here is that noise canceling headphones aren't that good because of the buzz. If you insist I think the Beats headphones beat out the Bose.

 

[Golden Monkey]

I'd avoid anything with active cancelling...passive (via isolation) sounds much better, and for that to really work, you need an IEM - the most detailed and natural I've heard, with the flattest frequency response, is the Ety ER-4S...not for everyone though...

 

[dookiex]

The Beats are your best bet but I would wait a bit to see if the price comes down because at $350, they are not a bargain. At that price they are palatable if you have an iPhone but if not they are overpriced. The prices should come down to around a more reasonable $300 when retailers other than Apple and Best Buy starts to carry them.

Just to add, how good do the Beats sound? As good as the more expensive high end Sennheiser active noise canceling phones.

 

[stuge(original)]

Well,I have heard PXC 350 all I can say is they are better than Bose .like everybody said NC headphone don't sound that good like open or simply closed (passive ).

 

[chinesekiwi]

Also if you are going to use them in a noisy environment, IEM's are actually a far better option for both isolation and value for money

 

[dookiex]

If noise cancellation is a big concern for you, save a few bucks and pick up a pair of HD25s. Only thing about those is the fact that the sound is a bit biased but they do sound phenomenal, they also clamp your head like a vice so no sound leak in or out. Relatively compact as well.

I like my Beats a lot though but I didn't pay retail for them. The active noise canceling hum literally is only audible when there is silence in the audio. The active noise canceling also does not affect the audio quality while you listen to your music, unlike most other active noise canceling headphones which actually affects the music.

 

[Rednamalas1]

I have yet to hear a NC headphone which doesn't generate its own noise.... So far, AT's ANC7 has been pretty impressive to my ears.

 

[kostalex]

PXC 250. I replaced the pads with genuine leather bought at sennheiserusa.com. I expected a better comfort. Surprisingly, this improved the sound also.

 

[Spektrograf]

x2 on the ANC7's. I use them for air travel for which they're a lifesaver! They otherwise sit in my closet waiting for the next time I fly.

 

[wavoman]

Here's another big x2 on the ANC7's.

Just flew Houston to Newark. I had i7 > Predator > AT ES7's. Seatmate (1st class) had never seen a portable amp before, so we talked and swapped. He had a 5G video iPod > AT ANC7's.

I could not believe how good the ANC7's were ... yea, the active cancellation got in the way slightly, but very little. Impressive!

Still I say forget the noise cancel stuff, and get good closed phones.

 

[dookiex]

ANC7 sounds better than Bose. Senneheiser sounds better than the AT. Beats sound as good as the Sennheisers and are actually cheaper than the high end Sennheiser active noise canceling phones, and they also have the lowest active noise canceling hum. Pick your poison.

 

[steinba]

I'm aware that sealed passive cans or IEMs will have better SQ, but I was under the impression that active sound cancelleation kept out more noise. Seems tha IEMs does that better too. I jut mowed the lawn with my CX400s on, and that worked surprisingly well.

maybe I don't need anything else after all.

 

[wareagle69]

Etymotic ER4S blocks jet noise and in-flight announcements extremely well, and they sound great.

 

[dookiex]

Active noise canceling actually does not block noise as well as let's say, the DJ style headphones that are like a vice on your head nor do they block noise anywhere like excellent in-ear types. However, with music on, a good pair of active noise canceling headphones are excellent as you will not notice outside sound and with the benefit of a more comfortable fit (usually).

Etymotics on the other hand are hands down the best for isolation, however, their sound is something that one must become accustomed to and sometimes folks will never get accustomed to them. They are also not the most comfortable since they do go pretty deep into your ears. Ok, REALLY deep. They also lack bass impact, yes they hit the bass notes well, but there's no impact thus you are going to lose a lot of body from your music (thus the reason many never become fond of the Etymotic sound).