Noise cancelling headphones/earphones

[admin_exported]

I currently use a pair of Sennheiser px 200's for listening to music on my ipod. For those of you who don;t know the px 200 they're closed back headphones which offer a reasonable degree of noise cancelling, although they don't have any kind of active noise cancelling. I do most of my listening on trains/buses etc so they suit me well.

After 4 years of good service though they are starting to fall apart, so i think something new may be required.

I don't want to get a pair of active noise cancelling headphones because i don't want to worry about batteries etc etc. So can anyone recommend some good portable headphones/earphones which offer a degree of noise cancelling?

 

[professorhat]

Are you okay with in-ear phones? What you're looking for is isolating phones really, which will block out noise interference from outside and, from my experience, in-ear phones like those from Sennheiser and Shure which offer a range of bud sizes to fit are the best way to get this.

 

[Anonymous]

I used to use a pair of Sony in ear phones a few years ago. Whilst i liked the noise cancelling they provided i didn't really enjoy the sound, especially compared to a proper pair of headphones which give a sense space and "airyness". I also found that they got clogged up with ear wax every now and then!

I guess in ear technology has moved on quite a bit since then, and that the current range from Shure produce a much better sound than my old cheapo Sony's.

But how do they compare to an earphone type of sound? And are they likely to last 4 years?

I realised i didn't mention a budget first time round. I don't really have a budget at this stage so any suggestions will be useful. Within reason of course though, i don't want to sit on the Tube with a pair of Grado GS1000's!!!

 

[professorhat]

Rich O:I guess in ear technology has moved on quite a bit since then, and that the current range from Shure produce a much better sound than my old cheapo Sony's.

Much like on ear phones, you do get better quality as you move up the price ladder - my Sennheiser CX300s produce an excellent sound considering they're available for £17 on Amazon, whilst the Shure SE110s I have, whilst definitely better than the Sennheiser's, aren't worth the extra £40 - £50 in my opinion (though if you can get them for under £30 which you can sometimes they are a bargain). Finally, I also have a pair off Shure E4cs (now discontinued) but they were £100 (RRP of £200) and the difference is very audible, the E4cs just bring a much greater clarity and depth to the music. I've also heard (briefly) the Sennheiser IE8s at an audio show and they were fantastic, but then they are nigh on £200 as well.

Rich O:But how do they compare to an earphone type of sound? And are they likely to last 4 years?

Unfortunately, I'm the other way round in that I haven't heard any decent on-ear headphones for a number of years now, so can't really comment unfortunately. Also, if looked after properly, I can't see why a decent pair of in-ears wouldn't last that long. I've only had my Sennheisers a few months but I accidentally put them through the washing machine last month and they're still going strong! I've heard the wire on these tends to break though (it is very thin), but then the wiring on my Shures looks a lot more resilient.

EDIT - should point out I do all my in-ear listening with Apple Lossless files on an iPod Touch.