Technobabble

Noise Canceling Headphones

Posted by on Jul 19, 2006 | 5 Comments

I’m a big fan of productivity-enhancing technology … especially when it has the potential to make life more enjoyable. Lately, I’ve been lusting after an affordable set of noise canceling headphones. My road-warrior friends depend on noise canceling headphones to make air travel tolerable. But I’m not on the road that often. Rather, it’s my home office that needs to be more peaceful. A pair of noise canceling headphones would be just the ticket …

When the house is full, it’s full of noise … whether it’s the noisy old washing machine and dryer, the incessantly barking dogs, or the kids (on the phone, watching TV, and playing video games) … all that noise invariably drives me batty. If I want to hit those deadlines, peace and quiet isn’t a luxury … it’s a necessity.

While Bose is one of the best known manufacturers of noise canceling headphones, their popular QuietComfort headphones are far from the only game in town. When the rubber meets the road (or the foam hits the earlobe), it’s about more than just marketing. It’s about the price/performance ratio.

I’ve tried the Bose QuietComfort headphones on a number of occasions. The sound is quite nice, but I’m not a fan of large sized cans (or earbuds, for that matter).

From the reviews I’ve read, it seems that a pair of Sennheisers (either the PXC 250s or PXC 300s) would fit the bill … both units are a good bit smaller and lighter than the Bose (as well as lighter on the wallet). Alas, I’ve never had the pleasure of experiencing Sennheisers’ fidelity, first hand (or is that first ear?).

Reviews and personal recommendations go far, but I can only do so much browsing online … I need to compare the headphones back to back …

  • Blackwolf

    Dan:

    I own a pair of cheapo Panasonic noise canceling over-the-ear headphones. They work fairly well, are small and light weight, and look like something anyone would wear listening to an iPod. I have used them on airplane flights and they do a decent job – probably not as good as say the Bose or Sennheisers, but they work for my needs.

    Take care and God Bless!

    Blackwolf

  • http://www.revs.org Matt Williams

    Maybe you should use Peter Griffin’s thinking grenades…

  • Alex Wieder

    I have 2 words for you: Ultimate Ears.

    They’re simply fantastic.

    Their isolation abilities are incredible. You will NOT hear anything that goes on in the world while wearing their earphones.

    They also make CUSTOM earphones, which are molded to the shape of your ear canal (like a hearing aid), so they fit perfectly, provide excellent isolation, and the sound quality is just amazing.

    Alex Wieder
    2007-05-29

  • Steve Bepko

    I do a lot of airline travel, have plsyed with some cheap noise-cancelling headsets (

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