Are all in-ear headphones noise cancelling?

[PoisonJam]

I've had my Sennheiser MX500 earbuds for years and I still enjoy the sound. Now I work in the city centre, however, I find they get drowned out by traffic and train noise. I've read that it's better to get in-ear headphones as you don't need to have the volume up as loud to block out external noise so it's better for your ears.

Is this true for all in-ear 'phones? Does anyone have recommendations for £50 max budget (though would prefer to spend less if possible).

 

[ID.]

Noise cancelling usually refers to them having electronics to create sound waves to cancel out the outside noise, so no, most in-ear 'phones aren't noise cancelling.

Some like these Sony ones are

http://www.sony.co.uk/product/hps-travel/mdr-nc13

I haven't tested a lot of regular in-ears, but the ones I've had are better at blocking out noise than traditional ear buds and I wouldn't switch back.

 

[CustomCable]

Most ear canal earphones are noise ISOLATING not noise cancelling, meaning they will isolate outside noise to a certain extent. If you already have MX500 then the logical step would probably be to go to a set of CX range headphones. Try and find some ligitimate CX300's and you will be spending just under your £50 budget.

Regards

 

[drichardb]

As CustomCable stated most Canal phones are noise isolating. The deeper in the canal they sit, the better the isolation provided.

My own recommendation would be the SoundMagic PL-50. You can get them for just under your £50 budget but they are an absolute bargain for the price.

 

[legoyoda]

I personally Like the Shure in ear phones as they come with a set of foam buds that, essentially, act like ear plugs and are rather effective at stopping the outside noise coming in. They are good enough that I actually got a shock when I took them out at Victoria train station nd the volume level of people suddenly came back.

 

[Anonymous]

I personally Like the Shure in ear phones as they come with a set of foam buds that, essentially, act like ear plugs and are rather effective at stopping the outside noise coming in. They are good enough that I actually got a shock when I took them out at Victoria train station nd the volume level of people suddenly came back.

Cannot agree more, the foam Shure buds combined with Shure in-ears are great! Noise isolation is superb. I know the SE115's (£50-ish from various retaillers online, even cheaper in pink...) come with the foam ones. Be careful with the Shure in-ears though, as they go further into your ear canal than most others. Sound quality wise, they are amazing for the price. Very very detailed.

 

[PoisonJam]

Thanks for the replies, folks.

I wear foam earplug when I go to bed so I don't think I'll feel the Shures sit too deep. Considering my main reason for getting them is to block out external noise as much as possible the Shures seems like the best bet.