Noise
Cancelling Headphones Buyers Guide
A comprehensive
buyers guide and reviews about active noise cancelling headphone
technology
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Noise reducing
headphones come in all shapes and sizes, and at many
different price points, from as low as $20 to as high as
$400.
This guide and related
reviews tells you what you need to know so you can choose
the make and model of headphone that is best suited for your
needs and your pocketbook. |
Surprise - the most expensive
noise reducing headphones are not necessarily the best, with a
product less than one quarter the price meeting or beating the
specifications of the highest priced product.
Use this guide to make a better
informed decision about whether you should get noise cancelling
headphones or not; and if you feel them to be right for you, use
the reviews to choose the model that best meets your needs.
Many readers will choose to
read from the top down on this page, but if you want to skip
straight to the review summaries and links,
click here.
An Introduction to Active
Noise Cancelling technology
Active noise reducing
technology uses 'opposite noise' to cancel out the undesirable
sounds around you.
Sound is made by a series of
pressure waves traveling through the air. A sound is made
up by equal numbers of high and low pressure waves that travel
from where the sound is made to your ear where it is heard.
With very low frequency sounds, you can even feel these
pressure waves in your stomach.
Normally, the only way to
quieten the sound of something is to put something that would
block the passage of these waves to your ear. Ear plugs
are the simplest form of achieving this; big heavy bulky ear
muffs are another method.
Active noise cancelling
headphones use a different approach. They have tiny
microphones alongside each earphone, and a very fast reacting
amplifier.
The amplifier takes each
sound's high pressure wave and creates an equal but opposite low
pressure wave (what they call 'anti-noise', and vice versa for
the low pressure waves. The two pressure waves simply
cancel each other out. The net result is a reduction in
background noise.
The technology works best at
mid/low frequencies, and does not fully cancel out all noise.
Its main advantage is that instead of requiring bulky heavy
layers of sound insulation, a set of headphones can use this
noise cancelling technology to end up with similar levels of
quietening.
When to choose (and not choose)
Noise Cancelling Headphones
Noise cancelling headphones
will provide moderate amounts of noise reduction among mid and
low frequency sounds.
These sounds are typically
prominent in airplanes, and so active noise reduction works very
well in airplanes. Although our minds work so as to
automatically tune out some background noise, our ears are still
hearing it and our minds are having to work harder with their
automatic noise filtering. For these reasons, background
noise can be surprisingly tiring; you'll definitely feel more
refreshed at the end of a long flight if you've been wearing
noise cancelling headphones during the journey.
But if you're seeking to cut
back on the noise of your co-workers in a moderately quiet
office, you'll find that the frequencies of human speech
generally lie outside the range of best noise cancellation,
meaning that the headphones don't work so well in such cases;
indeed because they selectively cut back on other noises, they
can make the sound of voices more noticeable than before.
If you're wishing to use
your headphones outdoors, you may meet with mixed results if the
headphones' noise sensing circuitry picks up 'wind noise' and
tries to cancel this out. We generally prefer not to take
our somewhat delicate headphones outside and confine their use
to indoors.
If you need major reductions
in noise (for example, on a firing range) you'll probably need
to use some type of passive noise blocking device. Active
noise cancelling typically reduces sounds by about 15dB over a
narrow frequency range, whereas passive noise blocking can
reduce sounds by over 30 dB and over a wider range of high and
low frequencies.
Alternatives to Noise
Cancelling Headphones
Simple earplugs cost less
than $1 for a pair, and probably provide better noise
insulation. But they don't allow you to hear music or
movie soundtracks at the same time.
Traditional ear
muffs/hearing protectors cost perhaps $20-40 and also provide
greatly better noise insulation, but again they don't have
speakers inside. Plus they're usually big, bulky, and
heavy - not well suited for travelers wanting to carry them on
board a flight.
Some companies offer
products which place miniature speakers into a set of ear plugs.
These can offer good passive noise blocking and also reasonably
good audio quality and are typically inexpensive and of course
very small in size.
But if you don't like
sticking things in your ears, or if you want something to
conveniently share with other people (without also sharing each
other's ear wax) then you're probably going to need regular
noise cancelling headphones.
Issues to Consider when Buying
Noise Cancelling Headphones
There are two different
design styles commonly in use - some headphones fit around your
ear, while others rest on your ear. Generally the on your
ear headphones are smaller, but don't offer quite as good a seal
against noise and may not be quite as comfortable when worn for
a long time.
Which brings up one of the
most important factors - comfort. Chances are you'll be
wearing your headphones for many hours while on a flight, so be
sure to get headphones that remain comfortable for extended use.
Obviously the underlying
ability of the headphones to actually cancel out the noises
you're seeking to block is vital. Manufacturers seem to
consistently provide totally unrealistic claims for how well
their headphones work - don't believe these claims at all.
Only trust your ears (or perhaps our ears, too).
Music reproduction quality
is a factor, but we generally rate this as an unimportant
factor. You're just not ever going to get a highest
quality music sound in a noisy environment, and with the extra
signal processing applied to the sound going through the noise
cancelling circuitry, there will invariably be some sound
compromises introduced. Of course you want as good a
quality as possible, but don't expect sound stage/studio realism
with noise cancelling headphones.
Price is obviously a
consideration, although we generally feel it to be the least
important of the factors to be considered.
The Reviews
These reviews have been
written over time, dating back to October 2001. Some of
the earlier reviews have been kept online for reference
purposes, or because the model reviewed can still be found
available for sale; other reviews have been deleted.
Here is a quick list of
reviews and comments on what they contain; this will hopefully
save you from needing to read through all of them to get to the
information you need.
Executive Summary
Currently the best
headphones are the
Bose QuietComfort
15 (about $300) followed by the
Sony MDR-NC500D (about $400)
which don't offer as good noise cancelling, while costing $100 more,
and/or the Solitude X headphones, which are comparable to the
Sony MDR-NC500D, but cost $130.
This makes the Solitude X
our clear preferred best value and best choice for most people.
If you're more budget
focused then the $70
Plane Quiet Platinum with Solitude
Technology headphones are probably your best bet (but because
sometimes the 'real' Solitude X headphones are only slightly
more, it usually makes sense to pay a little more money for a
lot more noise reduction).
Audio Technica ATH-ANC7b |
~ $170 |
reviewed October
2009 |
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An average to
good performing headset that is a lower priced
alternative to the Bose QC15. |
Bose Quiet
Comfort 15 |
$299 |
reviewed October
2009 |
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Markedly better
than the Quiet Comfort 2. Excellent noise
cancelling - the best of any headphones tested to
date. |
Bose Quiet
Comfort 3 |
$349 + |
reviewed August
2006 |
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Small and
compact, good performer but not as
good as the QC15 and with bothersome rechargeable
batteries. |
Bose Quiet Comfort 2 |
$299 |
reviewed
September 2003 |
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Excellent high
quality headphones, but the Solitude headphones are
better value and comparable quality.
Superseded by
the Quiet Comfort 15. |
Bose Quiet Comfort 1 |
n/a |
reviewed
December 2001 |
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Good in their
day, but now definitely obsoleted and superseded by
the much better Quiet Comfort 2 and Solitude
headphones. |
Solitude XCS |
$179 |
reviewed Aug 2012 |
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An excellent performer, almost as good as the Bose
QuietComfort 15, and available at little more than
half the price of the Bose product.
The earlier model X - while it remains available -
is the better value, while the XCS offers almost the
performance of the QC15 but at a much lower price. |
Solitude X |
$130 |
reviewed
Mar 2011 |
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Almost indistinguishably as good as the newer XCS
model, but now at a discounted remaindered price.
Accordingly, it easily qualifies as our current
choice for best value headphones. |
Solitude with Linx |
$199 |
reviewed
December 2006 |
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Now discontinued.
Similar to the
Solitude 2 below which they have now superseded, and
with extra audio processing and slightly improved
passive and active noise cancellation. |
Solitude 2 |
$199 |
updated review
May 2006 |
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Now superseded by the Solitude
Linx headphones above.
Excellent
high quality headphones at a good value price point.
Recommended. |
Phiaton
PS300 NC |
$200 |
reviewed October
2009 |
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Externally
similar in appearance to the Bose QC3, and with more
inclusions making them much better value. But
not as good noise cancelling or sound quality. |
Plane Quiet Platinum with Solitude technology |
$70 |
reviewed Sep
2010 |
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Improved
ergonomics compared to the Plane Quiet Platinum,
lovely quiet electronics, good noise canceling and
average sound quality. |
Plane Quiet
Platinum |
$60 |
reviewed Oct
2008, revisited Sep 2009 |
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Now discontinued.
A return to
Plane Quiet's earlier design with over the ear cups.
A good value midrange performing product.
Recommended as our 'best buy' product'. |
Plane Quiet NC7 |
$80 |
reviewed August
2006 |
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Now discontinued and replaced
by the Plane Quiet Platinum. Small, compact,
excellent performer at a great price point.
Recommended. |
Plane Quiet
NC6 |
~ $55 |
reviewed October
2004 |
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Discontinued in
Aug 06, this product was an interesting change in
product design philosophy and was widely imitated in
the marketplace, although many times the look-alike
competitors did not perform nearly as well. |
Plane Quiet earlier
models |
n/a |
variously
reviewed |
|
It is now
primarily of background interest only to read about
the five previous models of Plane Quiet noise
cancelling headphones earlier released and all no
longer sold.
Plane Quiet had
to withdraw these headphones after the threat of
legal action from Bose over alleged patent
infringements. But being as how that spurred
Plane Quiet to subsequently release the NC6 and NC7
and also Solitude headphones, it is definitely an
ill wind that blows no good. |
Noisebuster NB-FX |
$70 |
reviewed
November 2004 |
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The best of the
Plane Quiet NC-6 look alikes, and unlike the NC-6,
they have yet to be superseded and are still for
sale. The Plane Quiet NC-7 is probably a
better choice however. |
Noisebuster earlier model |
n/a |
reviewed
November 2001 |
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One of the
earlier models of noise cancelling headphones.
A good performer in their day, but now long since
obsoleted by better and newer models. |
Sony MDR-NC500D |
$400 |
reviewed
December 2008 |
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Very expensive,
with their claim to fame being the use of digital
rather than analogue noise cancelling technology.
Very good headphones closely comparable to the Bose
QC2, but they cost $100 more than the QC2 and so we
prefer the Bose. |
Sony MDR-NC60 |
$135 |
reviewed
December 2008 |
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Around the ear
style headphones with good (but not the best)
performance at a good (but not wonderful) price
point. |
Sony MDR-NC11A |
$100 |
reviewed January
2007 |
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Earbuds rather
than regular headphones. Good passive noise
blocking, very little active noise cancellation and
obtrusive hiss. Not recommended. |
Altec Lansing
AHP712i |
$150 |
reviewed March
2006 |
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Terribly over
priced with no special features to justify their
price. Not recommended. |
Koss QZ5 |
$35 |
reviewed March
2004 |
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Warning - these
are not noise cancelling headphones.
Don't buy. |
Coby CV190 |
$15 |
reviewed May
2004 |
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Apparently now
superseded by the CV192 which sell for under $30 on
Amazon. |
Brookstone |
n/a |
reviewed Feb
2002 |
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These very
disappointing headphones originally sold for $102,
but were judged inferior to units costing less than
half as much.
They've now been superseded by another model which
we've not yet tested. |
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Originally published
15 Sep 2006, last update
21 Jul 2020
You may freely reproduce or distribute this article for noncommercial purposes as long as you give credit to me as original writer.
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