Ohio Chatter
Ohio Chatter

Forums

All Threads Serious Business Sports Politics Archive Pick 'ems
Log In Create Account

Anyone have a good pair of (non-Bose) noise-canceling headphones?

Home ▸ Archive ▸ Serious Business ▸ Anyone have a good pair of (non-Bose) noise-canceling headphones?
justincredible's avatar

justincredible

Nick Mangold

32,056 posts
Oct 11, 2010 11:14 PM
I'm looking for recommendations. I'd get a pair of the Bose QC15s (listened to them in the store today and they sounded great) but I'm not paying $300 for headphones. I found a pair of Philips HN110 at Target for $25 so I looked them up online and the one major complaint was that they are uncomfortable but sound good.
Oct 11, 2010 11:14pm
S

slingshot4ever

Senior Member

4,085 posts
Oct 11, 2010 11:41 PM
depends on how much noise you want cancelled, clearly you don't care that much if you are looking at 25 dollar headphones.
Oct 11, 2010 11:41pm
justincredible's avatar

justincredible

Nick Mangold

32,056 posts
Oct 11, 2010 11:44 PM
slingshot4ever;516986 wrote:depends on how much noise you want cancelled, clearly you don't care that much if you are looking at 25 dollar headphones.

I looked at them because they were on the shelf the only pair on the shelf. That isn't my limit. I don't know how much I am willing to spend, but I'm certainly not spending $300.
Oct 11, 2010 11:44pm
chicago510's avatar

chicago510

Original Chatterer

5,728 posts
Oct 12, 2010 12:02 AM
Oct 12, 2010 12:02am
justincredible's avatar

justincredible

Nick Mangold

32,056 posts
Oct 12, 2010 12:04 AM
chicago510;517007 wrote:

Indeed. I guess I could just implement the new membership fee early so I can get the Bose before my trip to Mexico.
Oct 12, 2010 12:04am
I

I Wear Pants

Senior Member

16,223 posts
Oct 12, 2010 1:06 AM
Do not get Bose.

Also, do you want headphones or earbuds or in-ear phones or what?
Oct 12, 2010 1:06am
justincredible's avatar

justincredible

Nick Mangold

32,056 posts
Oct 12, 2010 1:10 AM
I want something that is going to completely cover my ears.

How well do noise canceling earbuds even work?
Oct 12, 2010 1:10am
I

I Wear Pants

Senior Member

16,223 posts
Oct 12, 2010 1:19 AM
It depends on the quality. Headphones (the kind that completely cover the ear) are usually more effective so you have that going for you.

Check out some audio forums and see what they've been suggesting. I just know that I've never seen an audio forum suggest Bose products very often just like video forums don't suggest Monster cable products because they are overpriced and often not that good, for the price at least.

I know that Shure products are highly regarded as are Grado.
Oct 12, 2010 1:19am
wes_mantooth's avatar

wes_mantooth

Tomfoolery & shenanigans

17,977 posts
Oct 12, 2010 6:01 AM
I have the Bose....and they are awesome(and I am a Bose hater), they are great for flights....but you are correct, way too much money.
Oct 12, 2010 6:01am
-Society-'s avatar

-Society-

Senior Member

1,348 posts
Oct 12, 2010 7:33 AM
These are not "noise-cancelling", but instead "sound isolating". Purchased them about a month ago and have absolutely loved them.

http://www.bestbuy.com/site/olspage.jsp;jsessionid=430C91C1504FD4D2AA8CDEA9EFCF8B83.bbolsp-app01-05?_dyncharset=ISO-8859-1&_dynSessConf=3892903932086468570&id=pcat17071&type=page&st=sony+mdr-xb500&sc=Global&cp=1&nrp=15&sp=&qp=&list=n&iht=y&usc=All+Categories&ks=960
Oct 12, 2010 7:33am
justincredible's avatar

justincredible

Nick Mangold

32,056 posts
Oct 12, 2010 9:45 AM
Never heard of sound isolating before. I'll have to check that out a little more. The price on those looks good.
Oct 12, 2010 9:45am
M

MontyBrunswick

Oct 12, 2010 9:57 AM
Those cheap Skullcandy buds do a decent job at canceling noise.

Problem is, I've gone through (seriously) 6 pairs the past two or three years.

They have a lifetime warranty so I kept taking them up on that until a good pair of buds appeared on Woot.com one day.
Oct 12, 2010 9:57am
GoChiefs's avatar

GoChiefs

Resident Maniac

16,754 posts
Oct 12, 2010 9:27 PM
At work, the machine I run is VERY loud. I have went through several pair of headphones and none worked that well. I went to RadioShack and bought a pair of theirs for about $60.00. I am very impressed. I absolutely love them. I can still hear the music clear and crisp, unlike with the other ones. And those included a set of Bose that were given to me. Not only do they sound clear and rid of a lot of noise, they have very good range too. I can walk all over the shop and not get any static or interference. The RadioShack link isn't working on my phone, but here's a picture of them.

Oct 12, 2010 9:27pm
B

balk14

Senior Member

129 posts
Oct 13, 2010 4:07 AM
dlazz;517218 wrote:Those cheap Skullcandy buds do a decent job at canceling noise.

Problem is, I've gone through (seriously) 6 pairs the past two or three years.

They have a lifetime warranty so I kept taking them up on that until a good pair of buds appeared on Woot.com one day.

ill 2nd that...got mine for flights and i can sit right next to the engine and still hear whatever i got them plugged into...and i think theyre like 25 bucks

havent had any problems w mine yet and ive had them a couple yrs
Oct 13, 2010 4:07am
F

Fred Flintstone

Senior Member

366 posts
Oct 13, 2010 8:12 AM
Check out the JVC Ha-nc250 Noise Canceling Headphones. I got them 2 years ago from Beach Audio and love them.
Oct 13, 2010 8:12am
I

I Wear Pants

Senior Member

16,223 posts
Oct 13, 2010 12:16 PM
balk14;518045 wrote:ill 2nd that...got mine for flights and i can sit right next to the engine and still hear whatever i got them plugged into...and i think theyre like 25 bucks

havent had any problems w mine yet and ive had them a couple yrs
They are decent buds but they aren't noise cancelling.
Oct 13, 2010 12:16pm
Automatik's avatar

Automatik

Senior Member

14,632 posts
Oct 13, 2010 12:23 PM
Check Beats by Dre....very nice products.
Oct 13, 2010 12:23pm
wes_mantooth's avatar

wes_mantooth

Tomfoolery & shenanigans

17,977 posts
Oct 13, 2010 1:01 PM
Automatik;518243 wrote:Check Beats by Dre....very nice products.

I thought they were pretty decent...step below the Bose, but just like Bose...completely overpriced.
Oct 13, 2010 1:01pm
justincredible's avatar

justincredible

Nick Mangold

32,056 posts
Oct 13, 2010 1:13 PM
Yeah, the were priced about the same as Bose. They might be better for the price point but it is still more than I am willing to pay.
Oct 13, 2010 1:13pm
Automatik's avatar

Automatik

Senior Member

14,632 posts
Oct 13, 2010 1:20 PM
wes_mantooth;518288 wrote:I thought they were pretty decent...step below the Bose, but just like Bose...completely overpriced.
I really don't have any experience with the over ear headphones. But I have the Tour earbuds and they are awesome.
Oct 13, 2010 1:20pm
wes_mantooth's avatar

wes_mantooth

Tomfoolery & shenanigans

17,977 posts
Oct 13, 2010 2:18 PM
Automatik;518319 wrote:I really don't have any experience with the over ear headphones. But I have the Tour earbuds and they are awesome.

Oh, gotcha, I was referring to the over the ear headphones.
Oct 13, 2010 2:18pm
I

I Wear Pants

Senior Member

16,223 posts
Oct 13, 2010 2:20 PM
For the love of Christ do not get the Beats by Dre stuff. Overpriced for what they are.
Oct 13, 2010 2:20pm
I

I Wear Pants

Senior Member

16,223 posts
Oct 13, 2010 11:01 PM
Justincredible: http://www.thetechlounge.com/article/194/Skullcandy+Skullcrushers+Headphones

Review of those that you should read.
Conclusion

Skullcandy isn't interested in wooing customers with over-engineered gadgetry or lengthy descriptions of active noise reduction. Skullcandy is all about active noise destruction!rubbing out background sounds with massive bass and ample volume. These are some pretty loud headphones. Indeed, they are also pretty fun headphones. The bass vibration settings add a little bit of eardrum punishing thump to your musical experience.

While I wasn't overly impressed with their broad spectrum performance, they do add significant kick to rap and electronica. These are headphones for bass lovers, not necessarily gaming or movie geeks. However, if you are a frequent airline traveler, the included adapter will come in handy for drowning out jet engine noise. Plus they are lightweight and portable and built for quick storage.

While not for the snobbiest of audio snobs, these are a good set of headphones and more fun than I can describe. Check them out if you are into heavy bass lines and ringing ear drums.


Pros

Basstastic!
Excellent bass vibration feature
Lightweight, comfortable and very portable
Handy adapter goodies

Cons

Muttled mid-range response
Not stellar for games and movies
Oct 13, 2010 11:01pm
M

MontyBrunswick

Oct 14, 2010 9:21 AM
^^I had a pair of those and they were considerably better than the current pair of over-the-ear Skullcandy headphones I have now.

The current ones I have don't have much in the way of padding.
Oct 14, 2010 9:21am