Ask Engadget: Best noise-canceling headphones?
By Darren Murph 
posted Nov 27th 2008 9:30PM
posted Nov 27th 2008 9:30PM
Over at the Engadget household today, we staffers have gathered around a cornucopia of good eats, good gadgets, and most importantly, good times. When it came time to list all the things we were thankful for, our readers were undoubtedly the top choice. And with Ask Engadget questions like this one, can you really blame us? "I've been listening to your podcast since the day you reintroduced it and I really like it, but I have a hard time understanding what you're saying when I'm in the subway. So I'd like to know what are the best noise-suppressing headphones I could get for around $150. Either that, or you could just ask Nilay to speak louder... thanks a lot!"
We'll be sure to pass the word to Nilay (he's a bit busy with the pumpkin pie at the moment), but for all of you overstuffed individuals out there, how's about giving Gabriel an answer he'll appreciate? Afterwards, send in a question of your own to ask at engadget dawt com.
From my experience the best ones are the Bose headphones, they are a bit more then $150 but you can get them for that much on ebay or other similar sites.
Turtle Beach X4
I personally like the Jawbone. It has been incredible. You can really hear the other person clear when your around lots of noise.
the shure se210 headphones are great and can be custom fitted to your ears allowing for one the best sounding headsets you can get at any price. the in-canal type also allow you to listen to your music at much lower volume levels thereby protecting your ears. you'll hear things in your music that you could never hear before.
+1 for the e210s, served me well for quite a while now.
Shure se210 were already on my Christmas list before reading this post.
Re: Shure SE210
Actually, those are the worst in the lineup, they have a tinny resonance to them that's just terrible. The SE110 is bulkier, but sounds better than the SE210. The SE310 is better still, but costs a lot more, never mind the higher models. (I worked at a store that sold these, so I spent ample time test driving them myself.)
The $120 Ultimate Ears Super.fi 4 is, IMHO, a top value, they sound as good as the SE310 at under half the price. Buy on Amazon for cheap.
bose quiet comfort 2's and 3's
Buy Other Sound Equipment
You're joking right?
You'd be surprised how many people get sucked in by Bose's marketing each year.
Let me help you out Gabriel.
The best noise canceling headphones are.....ear phones, or more specifically, canal phones (ear plug style headphones that go in your ear). Silicone or Foam tipped ear phones are going to drown out noise a million times better than any "Noise-Canceling" headphone could ever hope to. The fact of the matter is that with headphones, unless the fit is extremely tight (as is the case with industrial ear protection headphones, or gun range headphones etc) sound is going to come in from all sides. If you want to truly drown out the noise, you need a pair of ear phones such as those sold by Shure, Etymotics, etc (I have a pair of Ety's and I love them, but I know people that swear by Shure's for their ease of use) because actually jamming noise blocking material in your ear is the only true way to drown out noise in any meaningful way.
If you can't stand having things in your ears, I've read articles saying that there is no difference in the sound blocking properties of the most expensive noise canceling headphones (Bose's I guess) and the cheapest (The cheap Sony noise canceling headphones). Any model should do.
If it blose it must be bose.....
Thanks BananaBoat, what was very insightful!
So would you say that Shure e210 would be a good choice?
I don't care if it's low ranked. The QC2's are awesome, can be worn on overseas flights comfortably, and sound excellent. I know they cost a lot, but for a person who travels as often as I do and has tried the cheaper models it is worth it.
You're a fool if you think those headphones are bad. Have you even tried them? They actually do a good job of canceling noise. I prefer the Brookstone versions though, which I own (SoundShield 250).
@BananaBoat
Canal phones are "noise-isolating", which means they partially block out everyday chitterchatter you hear on the street. Active noise-cancelling headphones serve a different purpose, as they block out industrial low-frequency noise you hear on trains, planes, etc. I spring for active noise-cancelling because I spend 2 days a week on the plane, but use my noise-isolating earphones for everyday use. Different purposes, no conflict between the two. Don't go hatin' what you don't understand.
No doubt Bose are great, and they do release the best TOP END headset which is used by the U.S army aviators. though they are not as good in the lower range in terms of pricing imo.
I use a Sennheiser HD 212 and I just want to say THEY OWN!. Maybe not the best but in the price range they sit or even in the interval of $1 - $150 they are unbeatable.
... how come nobody been recommending Sennheiser's?, you all know there good right?
People bash Bose all the time, but my dad owns some QC2's and I have to say they're extremely comfortable, probably more so than my Beyerdynamic DT770 Pro's, which have fairly good passive noise reduction for the record. The noise canceling is good, Vocals get through but low end rumbles are cut out nicely with no hiss like I got with a pair of Creative noise canceling headphones I used to have.
Sound quality wise, the highs on the Bose are a bit harsh for my liking but have a lot of low end punch which, combined with the noise canceling, makes them ideal for movie watching on say a plane, which just happens to be the exact reason my dad got them.
And for the record I also own some Sennheiser in ear earphones for walking about with (my iPhone doesn't have the power to drive my DT770's so some £30 ear buds actually sound better with that as a source) and while the noise reduction is good, I find they're simply not comfortable enough for long stints wearing them. Some big headphones with cups large enough so that they go round your ear rather than rest on it will always be better in my books.
My 12 dollar Skullcandy Smokin' Buds work well, even on the noisy bus when I'm going to school. My iPod isn't even maxed and I can barely hear the noise around me.
I agree. They're cheap but work great and sound better.
I will second that. That is the exact reason why I bought them: to drown out the loud people on the bus.
HEADphones. Not earbuds.
I'd buy skullcandies, except for the fact they are skulls. Low ranked or not, I'd rather not wear some tackyass skulls on my earbuds. I'd take JVC marshmallows any day.
Speaking of which, are good sub $50 noise-cancelling headphones existent?
the sams club in my area (maybe everywhere) has some sony noise cancelling headphones for 29.99 tomorrow. I checked and they have about a 4/5 star rating on amazon. probably not GREAT, but it sounds like they get the job done... i think they're usually only like 40 dollars though
Audio-Technica ATH-ANC7 QuietPoint Active Noise-Cancelling Headphones
Totally agree... I have had these for over a year and a half and have had no problems. They have great noise cancellation, and are much cheaper than the Bose (but don't feel it). Great company too--i misplaced the detachable cord and so I emailed them to get a replacement... They sent one to me in no time free of charge (try that with Bose)
+1
I tried Bose and the AT's just rock the socks off 'em.
"(try that with Bose)"
I actually did, and I got my cable replaced twice without a question!
And 2 weeks ago, my headphones stopped working (because I did something I wasn't supposed to :x) so I went to a Bose shop.
I wanted to get them fixed, and I left with a new pair! The guy didn't even ask me how it happened, he didn't even check if they really don't work, AND he didn't even ask for my bill (so they could've been stolen)..
I was really amazed and never seen any company do that before..
But yeah, sometimes the sound quality isn't the greatest, but I prefer smaller headphones since I have them around my neck the whole day..
The Shure ones are great, but they have a major problem. I've had to get my e2c replaced 4 times in the 2 year warranty!! The wire split at exactly the same place every time - where the wire is wrapped behind the ear. I even got a free upgrade to SE210 the third time I got then replaced. If they could sort that out, I would be extatic. Now I'm just hoping the ones I have not dont split as my warranty has ran out.
Yeah, the Audio Technica ATH-ANC7 Quiet Points are the best I have tried. I have had a pair for over a year, now. I have tried Bose headphones and I think these are just as good, if not better. They cost half as much, too. Also, if the Bose's battery goes out, you get NO SOUND AT ALL... The ATH-ANC7 will at least give you basic audio if your battery craps out.
Ones that go in your ears, like earplugs.
I suggest getting one of the Shure in-ear headphones -- whichever model is in your price range.
They're known as in-ear monitors or canalphones. Not noise cancelling, but they will certainly block out darned near everything. Much more appropriate than clunky full-sized headphones for use on the subway. I have an older pair of Shure EC2s, and used them quite often while riding on Boston's very noisy orange line.
If you're on the El, I wouldn't suggest wearing a pair of $150.00 noise cancelers. My 20 dollar skull candys do the trick on the light rail. And they're so ugly they ward off evildoers.
Etymotic Research Er-6i
I'll second those @$150ish, but I managed to lose one of the rubber earpieces and rather than pay $15 for replacements (six or so I think) my folks got me those high-end Bose in-ear plugs, bout $99 or so. Not even advertised as noise cancelling, but they do pretty good. Also the sound reproduction is real nice to begin with, so you can hear both the headphones and any outside noise, such as people talking to you, if you concentrate on one or the other. I use them in my Chemistry class and can still answer the teacher's questions while blasting various metal artists through them.
ER-6i's are only around $85 now
I have two pairs and they sound great
If you want thumping bass, though, you might want some over-the-ear headphones
http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/368904-REG/Etymotic_Research_ER6IC_ER_6IC_Sound_Isolating_Earphones.html
ER6i's (in black) can be had for $48+shipping at the Palm store. Great deal
The Er4Ps can be occasionally found for under $150, especially now on ebay after the 25% off if you use Microsoft Live Search. But, it's probably overkill...
I had a pair of ER6i earphones. They definitely sound great, blocking out a lot of noise, but there's one problem - as I walk, I can hear a whistling noise as the the wind blows on the earphones that stick out slightly from my ears. Not sure if anyone else has had that problem. The Shure E2Cs (which I preferred) that I had before didn't do that.
The latest (highest number) Sennheiser PXC series.
Creative Labs Aurvana X-Fi.
Shure 110's will block out noise better than any noise-cancelling headphones and you dont look like a dork wearing them
I would recommend Shure 210, since the sound quality is a lot better.
I've been really happy with my Shure headphones, and always recommend!
@tiago:
How good is the bass on those? Good, bad, ugly or otherwise?
@Kizul: very good.
Noise Cancelling is OK, but you can save yourself a lot of money by getting Sound Isolating ear buds like the Shure ES110's
Much more "bang for your buck" and much more convenient if your planning on using them on the subway....
Agreed! Have the same one and loving them, not only do they sound great but they block out an immense amount of sound!
Thanks for your advice!
The Shure SE210 are on sale at 130$, I think I'll get those.
If YOU'RE planning on using them...
AudioTechnica ANC-A7. So awesome. Only bad thing about them is a bit of noise leakage. They are incredibly well priced (can be had around $100 or so), well fitting and have awesome sound quality.
Well if I can't hear them complain who cares about sound leakage
Excellent point. I also use them if I need to concentrate on something. Background noise is removed, and it's just very peaceful, even with no music playing. It's also nice that you can use them even noise-canceling on.
Thanks a lot everybody! And thanks engadget!
Shure SE110. They are extremely comfortable, have great sound, and when I'm on the bus I cant hear anything but my music. The foam covers are like earplugs; just scrunch them up and put them in your ears! they conform to the shape of your ears, and they are washable. The best earphones I have ever used! well except for the SE530's, but those are $400, and the SE100's are $99. seriously, they are the most comfortable and best sounding earphones i have ever owned!! I highly recommend these.
Audio-Technica ATH-ANC7 QuietPoint Active Noise-Cancelling Headphones
I tried the PXC 450/350 and the AT's came out tops....
Great Value
If anyone says the Apple ones will get a punch in the face from me!
Get Shure 110! Awesome earphones!
Not headphones but I would recommend sound isolating earphones such as the ones shure and etymotic make (though I haven't personally tried shure). You do tend to hear the clacking of your feet and your own mastication though.
None, noise cancelling suck because they require batteries.
I second the er-6i. they rock
Modified industrial earmuffs.
Cheap. Yellow. Silent.
Exactly!
Took the drivers out of a pair of sennheiser px100s, stuffed them beneath the foam of some PELTCORE white industrial earmuffs, love it!
Just like Jerry Yang
Sennheiser PXC450. They might be expensive, but you won't ever need another pair.
It is worth the investment period.
I really hope I'm not crazy, but why hasn't anyone mentioned Westone UM1's? They sound incredible, cancel noise very well, and are the most comfortable set of IEM's you can find. Not to mention they're made in the U.S.!!! If you're shooting for a $150 budget, go for the $109 UM1.
Westone UM2
Bit expensive, but great sound. Will beat the pants off anything less then a triple driver earphone like the E530's and no evil memory wire like the shures which conduct way too much noise on the move.
I have used them on everything from the plane to subway - blocks out noise fine and is rated as most comfortable in ear monitors available for extended use.
At 250 the price is abit steep though
No HI's No Low's it must be BOSE!
I've tried many different noise-canceling headphones. The best, which I own, are Brookstone's SoundShield 250. I've tried the Bose, but none of them cancel noise as well as these.
I recommend stopping by the Brookstone or Bose stores and try them out for yourself. They're in a lot of airports.
UE super.fI EBo. Im always blown away by the sound quality of them. I just wish they were less delicate.
Ultimate Ears UE-11 Pros. Love 'em!! Nothing else comes close.
I guess no one has ever heard of Dave Clarks. Most popular brand amount pilots... but what do they know.
You can bash Bose all you want...but Bose truly is the best.
Sony's not only sound hideous but do little if any noise canceling. Bose was the first and the best and actually has true audiophile quality. There are many elements in your favorite music that you'll never hear unless you put on a pair of Bose QC-1's.
You could probably pick up a QC-2 on eBay for $150 or less. There is nothing like them.
It's okay to just come out and say you're tone-deaf.
It's not, however, fair to even imply that you're an audiophile and tout Bose at the same time.
I have $15 headphones that sound better than anything Bose can dump out to the gullible public.
People dis Bose because it's cool. But their noise-canceling headphones actually work and sound good. Try them out yourself before you shoot off a line about how terrible Bose is.
I have tried them, and quite frankly, my five dollar JVC Marshmallows (kramer modded) offer better isolation and sound.
My dad owns a pair, so I know the QC2s quite well. If you haven't tried anything that's actually worth $50, the QCs are good, but put them next to, say, a pair of SR-80s (I know, they are supra-aurals, but they are 3x cheaper) and they will get raped. The QCs are average in every single way. There is nothing good about the sound or isolation. They are a waste of $300.
I really do feel bad about having them in my house, a few rooms over from where I sleep.
Buy Other Sound Equipment.
Seriously, to the uninformed masses, Bose is a good brand, but go to Head-Fi and mention Bose and you will be laughed at. There was a poll today about "Bose QC1's or Bose Triport IE's?" and only two people voted. There were 4 pages of replies, but only two people would vote on the poll because no one would vote for a set of Bose headphones. If there was a third option that read "I hate Bose", it would have had over 20 votes, but there were only two things you could chose from.
http://www.head-fi.org/forums/f4/bose-qc1s-bose-triport-ies-385019/
"Try them out yourself before you shoot off a line about how terrible Bose is."
Only problem is, that the only good Bose headphones are the ones that cost almost $400.. while other companies have ones for less and sound as good.. you know, Bose is more about style.. that's why when you go to the online Apple store, there usually is a panel about headphones on the right and the only ones I ever saw there are Bose ones..
etymotic. I have the ER-6i and also have the hf2 for use with my iPhone. They can't be beat. I ride subways and walk behind city buses all the time, and the only thing I hear is sweet music.
i was wondering i had a pair of ER-6is but the wires are very thin and delicate. They broke a few days ago. how did you take care of your ER-6i's?
I've got the shure 210's and they are great. great quality, amazing sound. they are just very annoying because you head every little vibration. so if your planning on walking more than a few minuites forget about any in ear phones.
Hmm, nobody got it right.
Best is a pair of noise canceling headphones over top of ear canal phones.
ya thats what i sort of did.
i got the shure 530's they're supposed to be the best, but don't believe too much of the hype, it's not a complete noise isolation. since you can still plenty of stuff around even if u insert them properly, just not as much as normal ear buds that come with the ipod. but what i did was take my dad's construction ear protectors and put them over my shure ear buds and THEN u get some pretty nice sound isolation, i barely i have to put on the volume when i'm on the bus.
and then again, maybe u could just take your current ear buds and just do what i did and go down to home depot and get the construction grade ear protectors.
I'm totally with you on that. When I go on a plane journey, I either have my ear plug (foam type) then my sennheiser PXC on top. It's truly amazing. It's so quiet, I managed to sleep 8 out of 13 hrs flight despite the uncomfortable seat.
When I do want to listen to music or the on demand movie channel, I use my ear canal ear-phones for sound with the Sennheiser PXC over the top. It's like I'm in my own world quiet.
If you have both try it next time you are on a flight. Never mind looking a bit silly with 2 wires going down each ear.
EarPeace LiveWires.
They take impressions from your ears that you get made any any audiologist's office for cheap and turn them into musical monitors that fit your ear canal. I love mine, there's nothing like them.
Might be a little bit out of your price range (at the high end), but any DJ headphones are great. They're designed for extreme noise isolation (not active cancellation) and can run you anywhere from about $100 for a decent entry-level pair to over $400 for the extreme high-end.
I'm personally in love with my Pioneer HDJ-1000s, but their high-end is a little, well, dull. The HDJ-1000s can be had for around $150 (http://www.djdeals.com/pioneerHDJ1000.htm). Also, the Sennheiser HD-25 IIs (http://www.djdeals.com/sennheiserHD25.htm) sound much nicer with the mid- and high-range frequencies, but run about $40 more. Given the choice again, I'd go with the HD-25 IIs.
But be warned! DJ headphones are NEVER comfortable for extended listening as they will pretty much always clamp onto your head to squeeze out noise.
Hope that helps :)
I have Shure E3c's and they are amazing. They are like the 200 series of today.
ETYMOTIC RESEARCH ER-6I....best earbuds ever! you will not be disappointed with these, i promise :-).
As some one who makes a living doing professional sound (Broadway, concerts, etc.) I completely agree with the recommendations for the in-ear type over noise canceling. The best reason is because with in-ears they are sound-isolating rather than noice canceling. Noise canceling is actually using a microphone and injecting the opposite sound into the headphones to cancel it out. These not only require batteries and are typically bulky, but because they are adding noise into the headphone, it can actually alter the sound of what you're trying to listen to. On the other side, I find a good pair of in-ears to be really comfortable when fitted with the correct sleeves, but also isolate so well and are directly in your ear, that you can leave the volume at a much lower level. This is not only appreciated by any one around you (because how many times have we wanted to yell at the guy with his headphones blasting, forcing us to listen to his music) but is also safer for you and ears.
I personally use the Shure E5 (the precursor to the SCL5(Pro) and the SE530 (Consumer) series Shures) for both in-ear monitor mixing and also my daily iPod on the subway in-ears. However, since the price of those is prohibitive to most, I would highly recommend the Atrio branded in-ears from Future Sonics. They offer all of the noise isolation and comfort fit that the higher end ear buds do and probably 95% of the audio of the E5s. A friend of mine bought a pair of Atrios and he let me try them out and I wished I had known about them before I bought my E5s. Half the price and almost as good. Hard to beat that!
Future Sonic Atrio: http://www.futuresonics.com/atrio/index.html
Shure SCL5: http://www.shure.com/ProAudio/Products/PersonalMonitorSystems/us_pro_SCL5_content
Shure SE520: http://store.shure.com/store/shure/en_US/DisplayProductDetailsPage/productID.105460100
hey Adam, I agree with the principle of what you've set out, but I've done side-by-side comparisons of noise isolating earphones and the active noise cancelling headphones, and the amount of noise cut out by the headphones is a discernible few notches greater than the noise-isolating ones, and in terms of coloration in the audio reproduction, while Bose adds a bit of a mid-bass bump....the Audio-Technica phones are dead-on accurate and beautifully detailed....do give them a listen at least....see if you like it....
Totally agree regarding of in ears v cancellation
It terms of bang for buck, not having to carry round extra battery packs and sound reproduction they win hands down. Just need to adjust the sleeves used for your environment. I use comply long foam tips for everyday use but switch to triple flange rubbers for flights and they block out noise fine.
Out side of home, would never switch out my inears for the few db reduction that headphones might offer
Oh forgot,
The Atrios are one of the best single driver in ears you can get because they use dynamic driver - but also one of the most expensive single drivers out there
Sound great - just a pity they are ugly as hell
The Audio-Technica Quietpoint ATH-ANC7 are the best. They are much cheaper than the Bose, have comparable noise cancellation and far superior audio quality.....genuinely audiophile grade sound reproduction and excellent noise cancellation for under USD 150....what more can you ask for?
Panasonic RP-HC500s
LOVE mine, just have to wiggle them a bit to get em on your ears. Then again, I have big ears.
http://www.aegisound.com/
This website was created by my college roommate who is a fourth year engineering student at Virginia Tech. He works for the company to produce sound canceling headphones like the ones asked for. Aegisound was just recently hired to make a large order of these headphones for the NAVY for their sailors on board aircraft carriers.
I recommend eShure. I'm a MIG welder by trade and the noise levels are around 80-90 decibels. I don't here a thing only my music.
Seconding BananaBoat's view, I have to say my Ultimate Ears silicon-tipped in-ear phones are the best I've ever had at blocking out noise. They're so good that I'm often startled when I'm wearing them at work and a coworker comes up to me suddenly. They were about $150 when I got them, probably cheaper now. The sound quality is amazing, better than my Sony MDR-V6s, although maybe slightly too much at the low end.
Shure se210, w/ triple flange sleeves
I still don't understand the hatred people have toward Bose headphones. Given, of all the Bose products I've owned and tried, their headphones are the ONLY item I will ever purchase from them. (Their speakers are royal overpriced garbage). I've tried almost all pairs of noise isolating/noise suppressing/noise cancelling headphones, from $10 to $500. The pairs that have managed to not only block the most noise but are also the most COMFORTABLE to wear are the Bose QC2's. I've owned the 2's and returned them for the qc3 because of the size reduction; however, the 3's noise cancelling abilities are a tad less than the qc2's.
My ears are highly sensitive to inner ear pressure and thus I'm not able to wear any inner-ear headphones for long periods of time without major ear aches. That being said, any other over-the-ear headphones don't even come close to the "cushiony" comfort of both the Bose QC2's and QC3's. Yes, they may be a bit overpriced, but considering there is not a single set of headphones out there that even touches the comfort, they're well worth the money IMO.
As a side note, I would be willing to bet 90% of the people here who knock Bose are bandwagon riding epinion nutswingers who've never actually even tried their products.
hey Kevin, I've actually done a side by side comparison (my dell laptop has two headphone sockets) of the Bose and the Audio-Technica headphones, and while the Bose gives a slight mid-bass bump to the sound, so rock and pop sound a bit nicer.....in terms of clarity and detail the ATs blew them away....and I am not exaggerating here.....do try out a comparison and see for yourself.....in complex material such as Deep Purple's "Sometimes I Feel Like Screaming" with ATs you could tell every layer of instrumentation apart, whereas it was all a muddy sort of mess with the Bose headphones.....and listening to a Sheffield Labs test CD, it was very clear that across the frequency spectrum the Bose could not come close to the ATs in terms of the quality of reproduction and the clarity...
Forgot to mention - who are the idiots that came up with the idea of "No highs, no lows, must be Bose"?? I would agree that the upper frequency clarity doesn't match up to even lower end phones, but their bass output is spectacular and incomparable to ANY inner-ear phones. I've tried dozens of top-notch in-ear phones and not one of them had a quarter of the bass output of the Boses.
On the flipside, I would agree that the "No highs, no lows, must be Bose" DOES apply to their regular home theater speaker products. They truly do not have any lows and the overall clarity lacks greatly (even their subwoofers put out less bass than my center speaker).
Go listen to a pair of Grado SR-80s and learn what real headphones sound like. They are under $100 as well.
(I didn't say 60s because of how much he mentioned bass in his post)