On ear or over ear headphones with noise cancelling? (1 Viewer)

Hi Guys,

I am looking for some decent on/over ear noise cancelling headphones preferably under $150. I love my Apple ear buds, but for the most part do not like "jamming" something in my ear, especially for watching a film on a flight. Bose is outstanding but not in my cost/benefit range.

I have a Sony set that was about $35 from Costco and when noise cancelling is off they sound muffled, with it on they sound way too bright. The
Audio-Technica ATH-ANC7B QuietPoint Active Noise-Cancelling Closed-Back Headphones seem to be reasonably priced and generally well reviewed - but the review score is widely variable.

Anyway, I know these headphones will not be perfect, but I would like something better than my Apple buds for use on the plane!

Thank you!

You probably arent going to be happy with any noise cancelling cans at that price point. If NC is really important to you save up the cash for a set of Bose QC15 or QC25s. If you can live wihtout NC you will have a lot more choices. It seems that really good quality cans start at $250 and up tho!

Damn I was afraid of that - maybe I should just use my buds and get some decent noise protection ear phones over the top!

A really good pair of closed cans, doesn't need NC, unless you are like...mowing your lawn.AKG K550

Can you suggest any with good noise isolation?

schan1269 said:

A really good pair of closed cans, doesn't need NC, unless you are like...mowing your lawn.AKG K550

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I've never bought a pair of NC headphones.But, the Audio-Technica ANC7B gets good reviews...on Amazon.About the only place, it seems, that the ANC7B(make sure it is B, as there is the ANC7) gets a bad review is at Bose-brained CNet.

DrSteve said:

Hi Guys,

I am looking for some decent on/over ear noise cancelling headphones preferably under $150. I love my Apple ear buds, but for the most part do not like "jamming" something in my ear, especially for watching a film on a flight. Bose is outstanding but not in my cost/benefit range.

I have a Sony set that was about $35 from Costco and when noise cancelling is off they sound muffled, with it on they sound way too bright. The

Audio-Technica ATH-ANC7B QuietPoint Active Noise-Cancelling Closed-Back Headphones seem to be reasonably priced and generally well reviewed - but the review score is widely variable.

Anyway, I know these headphones will not be perfect, but I would like something better than my Apple buds for use on the plane!

Thank you!

Click to expand...

http://thewirecutter.com/reviews/best-noise-cancelling-headphones/
For your budget and travel use, $125 Audio-Technica ATH-ANC7b look like a good choice.

schan1269 said:

I've never bought a pair of NC headphones.But, the Audio-Technica ANC7B gets good reviews...on Amazon.About the only place, it seems, that the ANC7B(make sure it is B, as there is the ANC7) gets a bad review is at Bose-brained CNet.

Click to expand...

That explains one thing as it was Radio Shack which had these and they were very poorly reviewed ANC7

Yeah, I should have thought to include the Wirecutter link, great job DaveF. I knew the QC25s were their choice but I forgot they also had some lower cost ones that they liked. I don't personally own any NC headsets, my Beyerdynamic DT990s are the best headphones I can afford, but even they are above the budget of the OP.

I don't see why you would need NC headphones. Just buy a good pair of closed headphones. There are dozens of choices under $150. HEAD-FI.ORG is a great website to check out.

Heh, well I will add a bit of caution to both of Jim's suggestions.

First, I never had open backed before my 990s and they are a game changer for me. I HATE the echoing that happens every time the wire or the headset move on closed backs, having open backs has made all the difference for me in enjoying over the ear cans. Having velour covers instead of starchy cloth is also huge for me.

Also, there is no doubt that Head-Fi is the best resource for headphone enthusiasts, and I debated sending OP there as well. While HTF is my home community and the one I love most, you cannot be blind to the fact that can enthusiasts are constantly pushing all the envelopes at Head-Fi.

But.

It simply is not a good resource for someone trying to buy their first set of phones. There is waaaaay too much signal there, and even more noise. Even if you could cut all the noise out there the competing good advice is overwhelming for most new readers.

My advice is check out Head-Fi sure, but don't get lost there and don't take everything that's even consensus as gospel. Most of their posters have 20+ years of comparison experience there and have developed tastes and brand biases that don't translate well to new buyers.

Jim517 said:

I don't see why you would need NC headphones. Just buy a good pair of closed headphones. There are dozens of choices under $150. HEAD-FI.ORG is a great website to check out.

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I find the NC headphones are essential for airplane travel, not so much for anything else. In addition to watching videos or listening to music, I use NC headphones while napping on a flight. They significantly reduce the aircraft noise.

In the end I picked up some Sennhauser HD280 Pros from Amazon. They claim to have excellent passive noise reduction and several reviewers have used them on planes. So I have those and the el-cheapo Sonys with NR and the original iPhone buds. I'll review all 3 on my trip next week and post back!

Thank you for all the thoughts and input!

Sam, I don't like closed headphones either. Opens sound so much better. But on a plane, I would think closed are a necessity.

Yeah on a plane I would go for cheapo in ear buds or serious NC like the bose myself if I had them, I've personally gone the route of open and those are getting use 6+ hours a day at work so it's been worth it to buy a nice set. For the 3-4 times a year MAX I'm on a plane the QCs don't make sense for me so I'll use my buds for that. If you are traveling 6 or more times a year tho I bet it's a no brainer.

But if you are traveling a lot, you should consider the QC 20i, as they are much smaller, lighter, packable for carry on. But they semi in-ear, which Steve said he doesn't like.
http://www.bose.com/controller?url=/shop_online/headphones/noise_cancelling_headphones/quietcomfort_20/index.jsp&Variant=qc20i

I have a Sennheiser HD201 that I only use once in while for close monitoring of film soundtrack to evaluated anything I might have overlooked or missed on re-Eq the speakers.


For NC noise calculation of neihbours I use EARPLUGS and can have an easy nights sleep even if they like being noisy at 3am I can't hear a damn thing. Also find earplugs easy when walking sometimes thou there is drawback as you'll hear your own footsteps THUMB! THUMB! THUMB! And that sounds just as annoying as traffic at +90db levels.

So I received the Sennhauser HD-280 and in the house they are amazing - really good sound quality. They were also a touch under $100 from Amazon with a 2 year warranty). A bit tight but that has reduced.


On the plane...first flight I was next to the engine - could see it out of my window - I had to up the volume to 11 or 12 (on Samsung Galaxy tab). Next flight with under wing engines no problem. I had to run with a volume of 10 to watch a film (Clerks - so lots of dialogue). I could still hear the engine hum but it was a minor annoyance. I tried the Apple ear buds and they sucked requiring a volume of 13-14 under the same conditions.


Would I have preferred the Bose NC for $300? Hell yes! But these work more than well enough for someone like myself who takes 2-3 flights per year max and at under $100 they are worth it.

Brett_B said:

Question for those that have already responded, what is your opinion of the Sony MDR7506 headphones?

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These are amazing headphones for the price (around $80 usually.) But I would buy some replacement ear pads (search for the Beyerdynamic EDT250V Headphone Ear Pads on Amazon, for instance) as the stock ones start flaking off after a year or so and are generally hot and cheap feeling. The sound quality absolutely can't be beat at the price, but in regards to the original thread question, they are mediocre at noise isolation (as noted above many times, Bose is unquestionably the best at noise cancellation, but these $80 headphones blow their $300 ones away in sound quality).


If you're willing to spend a little more, the Audio-Technica ATH-M50x (usually priced around $150) are nicer all around, at a still reasonable price. Much more comfortable, better isolation and build quality, and sound a bit nicer. But that's about a $50 premium over the Sony's and ear pad combo.