noise cancelling headphones

If you haven't used noise cancelling headphones before, be warned that they won't totally drown out engine noise, though they do attenuate it. They also don't cancel noises like baby's crying. Having said that, I won't travel without them on long haul flights. I use Sennheiser PXC 300, a very light weight set (about three ounces) that folds into a small case about 3 inches by 5 inches by one inch thick. They were a lot cheaper and smaller than the heavily advertised Bose ones. The noise cancelling feature requires a battery pack that you can clip onto a pants pocket or a jacket lapel. If the battery dies, the noise cancelling does, too. But you can still use them as ordinary headphones. The lightest solution is noise cancelling earbuds. I haven't tried them myself--I don't like the feel of them in my ears--but Consumer Reports recommends a set by Panasonic that are pretty reasonably priced.

Ear buds are not nearly as effective as over the ear cup.

Mine are Phillips ear buds. They are connected to a cord that goes around my neck, so that I can remove the ear buds temporarily and let them hang down without having to fish for them when I want them again. I never take long flights without them.

I've got some Bose headphones. The Bose are bigger. The battery goes in the headphone itself. If I have a long trip then I bring them with me. I particularly bring them when flying to Orlando as those flights are almost always packed with families. If you listen to music with them, they will drown out other noises better than earbuds. I did have some Shure earbuds for a while. They actually did a good job of blocking noise and were comfortable. But they were expensive and I seem to lose earbuds so I've not invested again after losing the second pair. ; ( At least I haven't lost the bigger headphones. ; ) Pam

Cynthia, My experience with Noise Cancelling Headphones is much the same as JER described. They tend to reduce aircraft noise considerably, but don't eliminate all engine noise (including crying babies, although increasing the volume seems to help in that regard). I'm currently using the Panasonic active N/C Earbuds recommended by Consumer Reports, and they seem to work reasonably well. The noise reduction is evident as soon as they're switched on. The larger "over-the-ear" full sized Headphones would probably cut more of the noise, but those are a bit too large to travel with (and they're less available as they won't fit in my shirt pocket). You might find it interesting to have a look at This Website to have a look at different models. Also, one of the BEST websites for Headphones of all types (including professional studio models) is THIS SITE. Good luck with your choice!

Marty, Active Noise Cancelling Headphones are not limited to just listening to music. I sometimes switch off the iPod during flights and just use the Earbuds to reduce the cabin noise so I can get a bit of sleep. As I mentioned previously, they don't eliminate all the noise, but do "take the edge off". I like to be able to hear the announcements, or have some idea when the food cart is in my vicinity. One point to note is that it's important to distinguish between active Noise Cancelling Headphones vs. passive Headphones (or Earbuds). The active models are powered, and are designed to sample the ambient noise and generate an matching sound that is 180-degrees out-of-phase, thereby "cancelling" a portion of the noise. In reality some noise always gets past the foam or other sound dampening material, so they can't eliminate all noise. Cheers!

Thank you everyone for your suggestions. As soon as I do some cyber window-shopping using your recommendations, these will be going on my Christmas list.

I have a (possibly dumb) question about the noise canceling earphones. Do you have to listen to music when you use them? I'd just like silence so I can make an attempt at sleep. I've been using foam earplugs when I fly, but they are only minimally effective. Marty S

I've used my Bose headphones on every overseas trip since I got them. They are a life saver for sure. I use them to watch movies, listen to music or just keep them on, but unplugged from the seat to make the noise around me more acceptable. They don't block all the noise, but it sure takes the edge off. One tip for women earrings....they aren't comfortable when wearing over the ear headphones, so plan ahead!

Thanks, Ellen and Ken. Many mysteries have been resolved.

Cynthia, I did considerable research on NC headphones this past summer/fall. Knowing that the highest price does not always mean the best quality (or the best value), and being a bit of a cheapskate, I wanted to avoid paying $300 for a pair of Bose headphones. What I found is that there are many online testers/reviewers who come to very different conclusions. The main constant is that they pretty much all use Bose as the standard against which to measure quality. Every review had Bose at or near the top, but different reviewers would put another brand ahead of them for one reason or another. But what one reviewer would put at the top, another would rank considerably lower. So I found the reviews of non-Bose brands to be pretty inconsistent. To the extent you can, try out a few brands, not only for sound quality but for comfort, features, etc. That's not easy to do, since most retailers will carry Bose and then one (and only one) other NC headphone. Still, it's worth the effort to try as many as you can. If you have friends who have NC phones, ask them for their advice. It's also useful to learn about how NC phones work, and what they do and don't do. As others have stated, they won't entirely drown out airplane noise or sudden noises. But they sure help. You can read about how they work on such sites as about.com, consumerreports.org, and many others. By the way, in the end I bought the Bose QC 15. I love 'em.

I've used a couple of different pairs. First pair was a $100 pair of Sony's. A month later I won a pair of Bose QC3 for which I used for 2 years. Listening to the Bose and Sony pair on the plane and in a quiet enivroment was silly. The Bose were SOOO much better. So much better, that even my wife could tell the difference! Tried a pair of noise blocking ear buds by Shure. I liked the sound and they blocked out noise adequately. However, I didn't find the ear buds comfortable at all. Went back to the Bose, this time with the QC15. Got them at Best Buy, 18 months no interest payments. Simply put: best headphones I've ever owned.

As a former Bose employee I can say with full support the qc headphones from bose are the best, except for the QC3, only because they do not fully surround the ear. BOSE realized their mistake and went back to the old design which works best. If you can find a pair of the QC2's they are some of the best headphones i ever used. Yes they do not block out all sound like 99% of all nrh, but even without anysound coming from the speakers they limit the noise drastically. They use one AAA battery and they last for about 16 hours and come with all types of adapters. I have had mine for 6 years now and use them on every trip

Bose noise cancelling! Don't leave home without them. I never, ever thought I'd fork out that kind of money, but it was so worth it during my four flights this year. And they're going with me next month when I fly to France.

I have both headphones and earbuds, both Sony products. Overall I am pleased with both, though I still haven't found a convenient place to clip the battery holder - it is relatively heavy. The earbuds are more portable, but they hurt my ears after 2-3 hours continuous use, so I take the headphones too. I haven't noticed any significant difference in the effectiveness of one over the other. One benefit, I was told, is that with an iPod, because you use a lower volume, the battery drain is less. Neither is comfy if you want to lean the side of your head against anything, so if I want to nap I use foam earplugs. Don't think only about jet engine noise. They are good on trains and buses too. They are also good for museums - a little classical music to mute the background noise of chatty tourists.