Sound Cancelling/Blocking headphones

[natalie]

I'm buying them for a birthday present. My boyfriend borrowed a pair of his friend's Bose Quiet Comfort headphones on the plane ride to Afghanistan and fell in love with them. Considering their attached price tag and some of the reviews I have read on here, I don't think I'll be buying those. From what I've read IEM's are the way to go. Problem is...he absolutely can't stand having stuff in his ears. So...I need a pair of headphones (external) that are effective at blocking or cancelling noise like the Bose but at a more reasonable price. Quality sound product would be nice too. I am looking to spend no more than $150 (I am a poor college student). So...suggestions please!!!

 

[GreatDane]

You might want a closed non-noise cancelling headphone.

Sennheiser makes some active noise canceling models that reduce noise about 10 dB or so but I don't recommend them...I don't think they'd sound or work better than the HD280.

http://www.headphone.com/products/he...hd-280-pro.php

 

[nsjong]

Sony NC50?

 

[natalie]

Thanks guys!! I'll look into those. Any other suggestions!?

 

[fondy44]

I assume he's military?
Maybe a pair of pseudo-IEM's like the Sony EX-51 or Sennheiser CX-300? They don't sit as deeply in the ear as a normal IEM but they're still effective at blocking outside noise. Another plus is they're not a huge investment, so you won't have a lot of money tied up in something that may get lost/damaged/stolen (that's assuming he's going to be packing them around Afghanistan?).
If you've ever seen what a duffel bag goes through during a military operation, it's probably the last place you'd want to store a high-end pair of cans, or anything fragile for that matter.

 

[natalie]

Fondy...He is military, but he's not in Afghanistan anymore. He had an unplanned trip back to the states when his helicopter crashed and claimed his right hand. So I'm not sure I'd have to worry about it getting tossed around in a duffle bag.

 

[fondy44]

Sorry to hear that. Since he's already home, maybe you could get him a $150 gift card from a place where he can try out different headphones or has a laid back return policy? I know that gift cards may seem thoughtless to some people, but if he were able to do a side-by-side comparison of other brands, it might make up for the initial letdown of opening a box and NOT seeing the Bose QC's that he "fell in love with".