Advice please - noise cancelling headphones

stockhausen

stockhausen

stockhausen

Capodecina
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I am looking for a pair of noise cancelling headphones as a Christmas gift for someone who travels on the London Underground every day to and from work.

Years ago I "inherited" a pair of Sennheiser HD 414s and a pair of Beyerdynamic DT100s from someone who worked in a studio but I know nothing about noise cancelling headphones.

I would appreciate ANY advice on and/or practical experience with up-to-date noise cancelling headphones for use with a mobile' phone and .MP3s. I am somewhat dubious about BlueTooth devices (because of limited battery life and the need for recharging) but would be interested in hearing about them as well.
 
I have the Bose QC II and they're really good, you can also have them connected by the wire but as I use them exclusively BT so cannot comment on that.

Battery life is actually quite good as well.
 
Maundie said:
I have the Bose QC II and they're really good, you can also have them connected by the wire but as I use them exclusively BT so cannot comment on that.

Battery life is actually quite good as well.
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Yes, I am looking at those (LINK). I like the fact that they can either use BlueTooth -or- be cabled. The battery life is one of my concerns - it seems that if cabled, the battery lasts MUCH longer.

How long does it take to recharge the (inbuilt) battery?
 
stockhausen said:
How long does it take to recharge the (inbuilt) battery?
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Not 100% sure as I've never timed them, I tend to plug them in and leave them a few hours before revisiting to take off charge, when you switch them on it tells you how much charge (I always use it as an approx) is left.
 
Any headphones with Active Noise Cancelling, will have a battery regardless of whether they are Bluetooth or just wired. The choice of ANC headphones that are wired and not wireless, is pretty slim.

I think either you'd be best go for the Bose or similar, or maybe get some standard wired headphones that isolate really well.

Sennheiser HD25 are such headphones and cost half of what good ANC headphones cost.

No doubt ANC headphones are more convenient though.
 
I travel a lot for work and I as well as almost all of my colleagues (> 100 people) use Bose QC. They're perfect for use on long haul flights so I'm guessing they'll work well on the underground too!
 
Sony wh-1000xm3. Cracking set of phones. Had xm2 before which are also great. Most current phones will also support LDAC for higher res which will benefit you if you load your own ripped stuff or use tidal etc.
 
Forum consensus, from what I’ve read, that the Sonys now have the best noise cancelling and sound but IMO the Bose are so much comfier and cooler and noise cancelling levels are fine (they are designed so you can only hear the music you are listening to, not block out the demolition of buildings). Do not regret my Bose QCs one bit. Battery is also great IMO lasts ages (many hours) and charges very fast.

I suggest going to a shop and trying them on.
 
Sub £100, I've been impressed with the other halfs christmas present. Lindy BNX-60's for ~£80

She tried the Sennheiser BT 4.50 BTNC, but found them uncomfortable, also close to double the price. The Sennheiser 4.40's were a possibility, but as they're the same shape as the 4.50 would have been uncomfortable too. Sony's and Bose were out as she's a bit hard on electronics and over £300 of headphones for her is a no-no.

Sound wise, they're better with the noise cancelling switched on, but that's not a problem. Just need to remember to turn it off as it doesn't turn on or off with the bluetooth as you can run them cabled too. Battery life, 15 hours on bluetooth, 30 hours wired with noise cancelling on. So, close to 15 hours with both BT and NC shouldn't be unreasonable. aptX bluetooth is a nice addition although not everything supports it.
 
I recently bought a pair of manufacturer refurbished Sony WI-1000X for using mainly when out and about travelling on business. I think walking around streets with over-ear headphones makes you look a bit* of an idiot, so decided to go for earbud ones - which made listening to them before buying pretty impossible and a bit of a gamble. But I've been really pleased with them - sound quality is fab, noise cancelling is very effective (as long as you get a good seal with the buds), the neckband is comfy and I've not had any problems with bluetooth or battery life.
* OK, maybe more than a bit.
 
Doug2507 said:
Sony WH-1000XM3. Cracking set of phones. . . .
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I will have a look at these as well as the Bose QCs. The Sonys appear to be more expensive and one review on the John Lewis site suggests that they do not work well on the London Underground - where the noise level and character changes constantly. I have (almost) always had very good experiences with Sony kit and have tended to see Bose as overpriced and overhyped - however, the BOSE QCs seem to get excellent reviews.

I will have a listen to both and also to the Sennheiser HD4.50s - I have very positive memories of my HD414s :)

Thanks again for the input.

ps - I am confident that the person for whom this is intended would NEVER walk down the street with ANY headphones on her head.
 
I'm after a new pair too because my QC20s are wearing out. The thing I like about Bose is the aftercare. A plethora of spares such as earpads and cables are available and when the headphones eventually fail you can get good trade in prices on any headphones of your choice when you go via Bose. I tried the XM3's in the shop and while they are superior what do you do when the earpads start to wear out? And two cables? Can't be bothered with all that, I'm just going to wait for the release of the QC20 successors.
 
They must be around three years old now. The battery is wearing out, the glue holding the earpieces together is losing its adhesion and the protective mesh inside the earpiece is starting to come out. I replaced the earplugs around a year ago with spares bought from my local Bose shop.
 
uvarvu said:
They must be around three years old now. The battery is wearing out, the glue holding the earpieces together is losing its adhesion and the protective mesh inside the earpiece is starting to come out. I replaced the earplugs around a year ago with spares bought from my local Bose shop.
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Three years use for over £250 sounds rather like planned obsolescence to me - which is rather what I associate with Bose.

Just checked the JL website:
Bose QC20 - for iPad, iPhone and iPod - £249.99
Bose QC20 - for Samsung and Android devices - £249.95​
Proving once again that Apple are rip-off merchants ;)

As it happens, I have never found any in-ear device comfortable or secure - DAMN YOU SPOCK!
 
I would DEFINITELY get a pair of NC headphones that:
  • Let you listen to music when they're out of battery (passive)
  • Let you turn off noise cancelling, but still have BT enabled (there are situations where NC is a pain to use, or not needed, but you still want wire free)
I think the pair that will do both of those would be the Sony MDR-1000X M2

Edit: NC generally doesn't work well on trains if they have windows open - the headphones try to cancel out pressure waves you get when entering tunnels etc, leading to a very loud thump in your ear.
 
uvarvu said:
They must be around three years old now. The battery is wearing out, the glue holding the earpieces together is losing its adhesion and the protective mesh inside the earpiece is starting to come out. I replaced the earplugs around a year ago with spares bought from my local Bose shop.
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The Bose Over ear cans are usually fitted with more softer memory foam, so they tend to be more comfy and easier to wear for long periods but they wear out faster. As said thoough, its why they are deigned that the ear cups can click in and out, and you also get over the speaker grill replacements with the ear cups.
 
uvarvu said:
I tried the XM3's in the shop and while they are superior what do you do when the earpads start to wear out? And two cables? Can't be bothered with all that, I'm just going to wait for the release of the QC20 successors.
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You can buy replacement pads. One cable for USB charging. There's also a 3.5mm cable if you don't want to use them with BT. Seems pretty logical to me....
 
My QC 35 Mk 2s do last around the advertised 20 hours. More comfortable than my old QC2s and the noise cancelling has 3 levels (off/low/high) allowing you to save battery power in quieter conditions.
 
MrRockliffe said:
I would DEFINITELY get a pair of NC headphones that:
  • Let you listen to music when they're out of battery (passive)
  • Let you turn off noise cancelling, but still have BT enabled (there are situations where NC is a pain to use, or not needed, but you still want wire free)
I think the pair that will do both of those would be the Sony MDR-1000X M2

Edit: NC generally doesn't work well on trains if they have windows open - the headphones try to cancel out pressure waves you get when entering tunnels etc, leading to a very loud thump in your ear.
Click to expand...
Interestingly, the Sony WH-1000XM2 seems to get better reviews than the later and more expensive Sony WH-1000XM3. They will be added to the ever growing list to be tested out. I will put together a check-list of questions and features to research - so thanks.

I get the distinct impression from here and elsewhere that Noise Cancelling doesn't really work reliably on the London Underground - which is a bit of a pain.
 
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