Noise cancelling headphones?

Let's face it: sleeping on a plane and hearing the sound-track on an airline video or movie channel are two separate requirements. For the latter function I find the headphones supplied on most longhaul flights perfectly adequate. It's when you are trying to sleep that you need to reduce ambient noise. If you sleep with your head on the side then no headphones are comfortable, except SleepPhones, which can also conveniently double as an eye-mask.

When settling for sleep I search for a suitable audio channel to play through my SleepPhones: gentle music without strong contrasts in pace or volume - not a meditation tape as that usually comes with voiced instructions that wake me up. I select all the tracks and set it to repeat, then turn the volume down so that I can only just hear it. Even without music playing, ambient noise is well muffled. I have had better sleep on planes than ever before since using my SleepPhones. An additional benefit is that they are very lightweight and small to pack.

I have a nice pair of Bose headphones I bought at Costco for $159.00. They're not noise canceling but they we great on the plane (RT to Japan).

I bought a pair of Pyle noise canceling for like $30 a few years ago. They work. They work great in coach but likely not welcome in the premium seats. They live their life in our travel stuff. Sometimes good enough is good enough.

It has been said that you only go around once; hence, spend the $700 but ask the salesperson for a money back guarantee

Good "noise cancelling" headphones are expensive. Also note that they take extra power (separate battery or charging) to work. Once your battery dies, the active noise cancellation stops working. The way they work is that they contain a microphone and pick up the outside noise and than creates an inverse wave sound to actively cancel the outside noise. They work well with droning sounds like engine noise, but not so well with higher pitch sounds like a crying baby. Good ones tend to be over the ear and are bulky. Really good ones will block out or reduce unwanted noise, like gunshots at a shooting range, but allow you to hear voices.

Consider getting a "noise isolating" headphones. They are cheaper and simpler. They do not need any extra power. They work by fitting snugly in your ear and passively blocking out sound. They are small earbuds, usually made osf silicone. They are similar to simple ear plugs. They will block out all noises including voices. Can be a danger if you are walking or riding a bike in traffic and you cannot hear the cars around you.

I have an older set of the Bose headphones. I really like them for watching movies, listening to music while flying. I’ll even leave them on just to cut down the noise in the cabin. They do a pretty good job of cutting out the drone of the engines and ventilation system. They are bulky and I don’t think they’d work very well for sleeping, unless you sleep lying only on your back. For sleeping I’d probably just use a set of foam earplugs.

FYI I think Bose has a 30 day return policy.

I have a set of SONY noise-cancelling headphones, very much like BOSE but much cheaper. I got mine on sale at Kohls a while ago, deeply discounted. Work fine.

Yes, I also have $30 SONY headphones with enough noise cancellation to work for me on a SFO-CDG flight. Bought at Target last spring. I put on the classical channel and go to sleep.

"Good "noise cancelling" headphones are expensive. Also note that they take extra power to work, so your audio device will not work as long. Once your battery dies, they stop working."

I am not sure what this is suppose to mean.

I have had several pairs of Bose headphones. They don't draw any power from my audio device. They are either charged from a power source before you use them or have batteries (depends on your style. I now use the inear model and you do have to charge them in advance)

That said fully charged they made it to Asia with no problems. 18 hours of wear!

I am like Rick, I won't fly without them. It makes ALL the difference to me.

I used noise canceling headphones to sleep on planes until I forgot them on one flight and used ear plugs. They are wonderful for blocking noise and don’t get in the way of comfort when you sleep.
They can be used as an alternative to ear buds. That being said I also have a set of Sony noise canceling ear buds I have used for watching movies.

My wife and I have the Bose QC 35's and love them. I use them for every flight, and my wife uses them daily at work to really focus. I flew about a dozen round trips this year, and used them on each one. (one was to Paris and back, so it was worth it).

They have their own power, so just make sure they are charged (the charge lasts at least 12 hours of continuous use). I always have a charger with me though, in case the plan does not have a usb port.

I love music, so even not just for sleeping these were worth it.

I have the Bose noise canceling headphones- the QC25's . They are so amazing I got my husband a pair too. Its the one thing I would not fly without. You will be amazed at the difference when you have them turned on and you can hear whatever you are watching or listening to just fine with the noise canceling on. My battery lasts a looooonnnnngggg time. Ive had them only about 2 years and I think have changed the battery out once. Ive tried others as well because I too did not want to spend the $300+ on them- but they really are worth it.

I, too, use Sony noise canceling over ear headphones. The noise cancelling works fine, on the plane, in the gym, etc. They were not on sale and cost about $60.00. I like them as well as my husband's Bose. Before that I'd been known to go super cheap and bought construction workers' ear protection at Home Depot ($20.00) and they kept sound out the best, used flight earbuds in the ear underneath when listening. They were the best for keeping sound out, no one actually laughed (it's my frugal gene)...not too sophisticated though. LOL

I just got these from Amazon. Fairly good reviews and an okay price. They were $18 when I ordered them. I haven't tried them out yet.
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B007G95FJE/ref=cm_sw_r_other_apap_7Gh2dzfvH28PD

I have the Bose QC20 ear buds.

Normally, I don't like earbuds but these are very comfortable. And they work great. I won't travel without them.

You might find a good solution on this website - https://www.headphone.com/

They have a good selection of products and the prices seem to be slightly lower than other websites.

I bought a less expensive brand than Bose several years ago at Costco and used them for lots of vacation and work travel. For our trip to Spain this year I really wanted to pack extra light, so I just brought regular in-the-ear headphones and didn't notice that I slept less than previous trips. I bring my own music to have some soothing sleep music.

Another vote for BOSE headphones - they are the best and will make a big difference with your flight experience.

I don't like headphones so I invested in the Bose noise-cancelling earbuds. Best travel gadget purchase I ever made. I have a terrible time sleeping on planes but using the Bose earbuds with the noise canceling switched on, either with or without soothing music, helps me get at least a little sleep.

"Monoprice Noise Cancelling Headphones with Active Noise Reduction" is a great headphone for the price. I've had mine for 4 years and I always travel with it, it reduces a lot of ambient noise very well. If you just want to sleep, you can just turn on the noise cancelling mode, just don't plug it in your MP3 player, it blocks a lot of airplane noise. It requires only 1 AAA battery, which can last quite a long time. It also comes with the 2 prong airplane adaptor. The price is $75 from their website. I even use it when I go to coffee shops and want to get some work done, as I get easily distracted with ambient noise.

https://www.monoprice.com

Why do I need a two pronged airline adapter? Don’t the airlines now use the portable digital movie players that have stereo 3.5 mm jacks?

They do. No adapter required.

Target has the Bose QC25 on sale for $180.

https://www.target.com/p/bose-174-quietcomfort-174-25-acoustic-noise-cancelling-174-wired-headphones-ios-black/-/A-16386071#lnk=sametab

Link is to the iOS model but there’s and android/windows model on sale too. This model uses a cable and a replaceable aaa battery. You may be able to get another store to price match.

After reading this, we were at Staples this weekend and they had the Sony noise cancelling on sale for $50 (about 40 US$), so Santa is getting them for me. (style ZX110NC). Won't have a chance to try them out until May, but I'm glad to see people have had success with the Sony ones. I went and read some reviews and most seemed positive.