[destinyx]

Is it true that noise cancelling headphones often don't give as good quality sound as normal headphones >_>?

 

[a1joe507]

Sort of.....

If you were to purchase a particular pair of noise canceling headphones, and then could also purchase an identical pair of headphones but without the noise cancellation, there would not necessarily be any difference at all. It is not the noise cancellation per se that degrades the sound.

It's more (I think) the issue that you money is going toward the technology and engineering for the noise cancellation and not the audio reproduction, so that other cans in a similar price range w/o the NC will likely (but not necessarily) sound better because you are paying for the quality or reproduction.

If you are interested in noise cancellation, you should check out IEM's. The level of noise cancellation on full size headphones isn't impressive or often functional to begin with, and is far surpassed by IEM's.

Good luck!

Oh! And welcome to Head-fi. Sorry about your wallet.

 

[destinyx]

Thanks =D

 

[rjp]

On the other hand, if you find "stick it in yer ear" IEM's unbearable, a set of NC cans can be really nice to have. I'm currently listening to Pink Floyd's Pulse in Ogg Vorbis -q4 on a set of Sony MDR-NC60 cans hooked to my Rockboxed Sansa at this very moment, and it sounds superb.

I'd recommend auditioning before buying, if you can do so. Some people have trouble with their NC60's, but I have no complaints. They respond very well to EQ'ing (I give mine a bit of bass boost from Rockbox), the noise isolation with NC off is very good, and with NC on, background noise just vanishes. I find them to be very comfortable as well.

 

[No Smoking]

One problem with NC is that they're generally very good at blocking out constant noises like a car engine or a plane but they're rather terrible at blocking out less common or frequently changing noises like a person having a conversation in front of you. IMHO NC is a waste of money unless you plan on using them frequently on a plane, your better off buying some IEM (canal) or get a closed pair of headphones which offer decent isolation.

 

[Rednamalas1]

one thing that has bothered me with NC headphones is that I've never had a pair where the headphone itself doesn't generate noise from noise canceling mechanism. That alone has turned me off from NC headphones, and I may suggest IEMs instead

 

[krmathis]

Yeah, its mostly true.
1. The headphones used (housing, drivers, cable, ..) are not picked from the upper shelf to begin with. No 4070 quality around there...
2. The NC electronics tend to generate noise.

That said, they sure have their uses. For using in environment with lots of static noise (airplanes, trains, as two examples).

 

[roger_s]

I've given up on NC 'phones for my plane rides. Excellent IEM's are available for the same or less money than 'good' NC phones. To my ears at least they're much more comfortable and the sound quality is far superior. I've slept the greater part of overseas trips with IEM's. Something I've never been able to do with NC phones. Never mind the amount of space the take in the backpack I carry on with me.

 

[Drag0n]

First stage in defense of noise is closed phones or iems, next is noise cancelling on the closed phones or iems.

If you cant hear the music because of noise, then it doesnt matter how good the headphones would have been.

For portable i always loved my Igrados,...but because of noise, i found myself listening too loud and they didnt sound as good in the mall, or on a train etc..........and i didnt want anything too bulky really, so now i use Sony NC6. They sound decent.
Yes theres phones with more punch etc, but for the money theyre decent. I know theyre not really closed phones, but the noise cancelling works good enough for street and mall noise, but i wouldnt mow the lawn with them.
I like my M-Audio Q40 better, but theyre a bit bulky for everyday portable use. Id use them for transportable though for sure, like a hotel etc.

 

[REB]

You'll have to decide for yourself whether you like IEM's or not. I don't and certainly not for long flights, so NC headphones is my only shot at audio bliss in the sky

. IEM's have many advantages: no NC buzz, no need for batteries, they're small and they isolate well. So if your ears can stand them, they're a good choice. If your ears are like mine, you'll have to find good NC headphones. Since you also pay for the technology with these cans, as a rule of thumb you pay for a good NC can what you would pay for a high-end headphone (AKG K701, Sennheiser HD600/650 etc) and get the SQ of a very good portable can (unless you buy Bose, then you get less). It's a trade-off, but I like my Sennheiser PXC450 very much. To the extent that I can turn the music off, leave the NC on and sleep. They're that comfortable. And they're my most expensive cans. They're that expensive

. For me they're worth every penny, though, since I fly a lot. They make 12+ hours flighs almost bearable...

 

[destinyx]

Whoa... thanks for the detailed information everyone! I'll be using the headphones mainly for study in library use when people are talking so will probably pass on the NC headphones now... also don't want plugs in my ears so guess I'll go for closed headphones, if I could only find a reasonable one I like that doesn't have all those awful reviews <_<;

 

[TheDeliveryMan]

Our PXC 350 and PXC 450 use the HD 595 drivers in them.

 

[REB]

Quote:

Originally Posted by TheDeliveryMan /img/forum/go_quote.gif Our PXC 350 and PXC 450 use the HD 595 drivers in them.

That's good to know. I had heard somewhere that the PXC450 used the HD650 drivers, but so it's the HD595 drivers. They're great NC headphones anyway

.

 

[Killswitch]

I think it could be said that Noise-cancelling = less sound quality for the price your paying. I also don't like the idea that other noise is being added to my music, if I'm not mistaken active noise-cancelling headphones work by playing back a reversed version of the outside background noise.

 

[troymadison]

Quote:

Originally Posted by TheDeliveryMan /img/forum/go_quote.gif Our PXC 350 and PXC 450 use the HD 595 drivers in them.

Do they sound the same or very similar?