Noise cancelling headphones vs ear buds
Discussion
With a couple of long haul flights coming up I’ve been considering treating myself to some decent earphones/headphones.
I’ve been looking at the Sony and Bose headphones but I’ve been wondering if passive ear buds are a more sensible option.
I want to block out as much noise as possible or the majority of the flight so I anticipate wearing them for extended periods even if I’m not listening to anything.
Any thoughts or suggestions gratefully received!
I’ve been looking at the Sony and Bose headphones but I’ve been wondering if passive ear buds are a more sensible option.
I want to block out as much noise as possible or the majority of the flight so I anticipate wearing them for extended periods even if I’m not listening to anything.
Any thoughts or suggestions gratefully received!
I have the Sony XM3's and some Shure in ear monitors.
They both block out a similar amount of noise on a flight(Sonys have the edge but once you have some music playing you can't tell any difference), but the Shure's have vastly superior sound quality.
The downside is that they are wired and fiddly to put in compared to the Sonys so if you have kids or need to keep putting them in and out then the noise cancelling earphones may suit better.
They both block out a similar amount of noise on a flight(Sonys have the edge but once you have some music playing you can't tell any difference), but the Shure's have vastly superior sound quality.
The downside is that they are wired and fiddly to put in compared to the Sonys so if you have kids or need to keep putting them in and out then the noise cancelling earphones may suit better.
I had Bose QC35 IIs and QC20s which are ear bud ish with noise cancellation.
I got rid of the QC35s. The QC20s do a better job to my ears as they have a reasonable element of noise isolation too. They are wired but you don't have any bluetooth issues and if the battery goes they still operate.
I got rid of the QC35s. The QC20s do a better job to my ears as they have a reasonable element of noise isolation too. They are wired but you don't have any bluetooth issues and if the battery goes they still operate.
24lemons said:
I have been looking at the Sony XM3. Although they are large I think I prefer that to the collar design some of the ear buds use. I suppose I can also use them wired if I want to watch a movie or play on the Xbox while my wife is in the room.
I had the Bose Quiet Control 30 (collar design) had to send them back as I was not convinced the noise reduction was working properly. Bose agreed and replaced. Still wasn't as good as i expected but lived with them until I lost them! Wifey bought me a new set as a surprise Christmas present but I'd already done some research and decided the Sony XM3's would be my choice when i could afford them. So I returned the Bose and got the Sony's. The MX3's are far better than Bose in all aspects in my opinion. I wear them for hours on end especially in a very noisy fabrication workshop. I can wear them switched off and they're as good as ear defenders but with NC on it's like being in another world!
Also far better than Bose for phone calls (no horrible echo issues).
Nice feature is the "touch/tap" surface for volume and track changes and especially the ability to just cover the right pad to mute music and switch to ambient sound to talk and listen to people.
Trustmeimadoctor said:
i have the sony xm3 very very dissapointed in them on flight tbh my sure did i much better job imho But i can wear them for 10 hours like the sony
Just read your post about ten times and to be honest if you're a doctor or not i'm still not sure if i can trust you 
Luke. said:
I’ve got some of those, highly recommend them. I’ve used them on a number of flights and on the train, they are great and the battery will last the length of a long haul flight.For short haul and work I’ve got some of these. They are ok but not as good and the battery will last 2 hours at best then they need to go back in the case for a re-charge:
https://www.johnlewis.com/sony-wf-1000x-noise-canc...
bloomen said:
I had Bose QC35 IIs and QC20s which are ear bud ish with noise cancellation.
I got rid of the QC35s. The QC20s do a better job to my ears as they have a reasonable element of noise isolation too. They are wired but you don't have any bluetooth issues and if the battery goes they still operate.
Same.I got rid of the QC35s. The QC20s do a better job to my ears as they have a reasonable element of noise isolation too. They are wired but you don't have any bluetooth issues and if the battery goes they still operate.
I had QC15 and QC20s at the same time and tested them on a flight. There was no discernible difference, in my ears, so I sold the 15s. I'm no audiophile though so can't comment on sound quality.
I have the Shure 210s. About 6 years old and going strong after a couple of hundred flights.
They can be uncomfortable for extended use, however they sit entirely in the ear so can be used when in a flat bed seat. I find playing white noise, plus the passive cancelling, makes for a much, much better night's sleep. Add an eye mask and even the Emirates insistence on lighting up 90 minutes before landing can be ignored.
They can be uncomfortable for extended use, however they sit entirely in the ear so can be used when in a flat bed seat. I find playing white noise, plus the passive cancelling, makes for a much, much better night's sleep. Add an eye mask and even the Emirates insistence on lighting up 90 minutes before landing can be ignored.
I have Bose QC II and my wife has the Sony XM3
Lots of people think that the Sony edges the Bose in noise cancelling and sound quality but the most important thing is how comfortable they are to wear. The Bose fit me perfectly and I can wear them for hours.
Try them both on before purchase.
Lots of people think that the Sony edges the Bose in noise cancelling and sound quality but the most important thing is how comfortable they are to wear. The Bose fit me perfectly and I can wear them for hours.
Try them both on before purchase.
Bose all the way for flying, I have some really old QC something or others, falling to bits but far better than the pair of Sony, allegedly noise cancelling ones we have.
have some Jabra Elite Active 65T in ear wireless ones which are pretty good, they do some noise cancelling, but again, Bose are way better but these are awesome for in the gym, no wore to annoy and not huge like some seem to wear.
have some Jabra Elite Active 65T in ear wireless ones which are pretty good, they do some noise cancelling, but again, Bose are way better but these are awesome for in the gym, no wore to annoy and not huge like some seem to wear.
J4CKO said:
Bose all the way for flying, I have some really old QC something or others, falling to bits but far better than the pair of Sony, allegedly noise cancelling ones we have.
have some Jabra Elite Active 65T in ear wireless ones which are pretty good, they do some noise cancelling, but again, Bose are way better but these are awesome for in the gym, no wore to annoy and not huge like some seem to wear.
Don’t know what Sony model you got but I’d bet they’re not the XM3’shave some Jabra Elite Active 65T in ear wireless ones which are pretty good, they do some noise cancelling, but again, Bose are way better but these are awesome for in the gym, no wore to annoy and not huge like some seem to wear.
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