Headphones for the office (and occasional flying)
Discussion
I have been shifted into a new two person office, which is much noisier than my last office due to a noisy office through the wall and being in close proximity to the kitchen - chatting, laughing, clinking cups etc.
I have a pair of Jabra Elite 65t wireless in-ear buds which are fine for keeping noise out, but can be a bit uncomfortable over long periods and more importantly their charge doesn't last a full day and they can't be charged whilst wearing them. I also forget to charge them so often don't have them available.
I went into PC World today to have a look around and did some Googling and it seems the premium option would be a set of noise-cancelling over-ear headphones - the Sony MX1000M3 seem to be the ones to beat, and are currently £239 on Amazon.
However, would noise-cancelling be helpful for my office rather than the constant drone of traffic / aircraft etc? Or would it be a lot of money spent unnecessarily where a cheaper set without ANC would be fine? If so, any suggestions of a decent set? Comfortable and low noise leakage is more important than pure sound quality - I am not an audophile (though obviously want them to sound decent).
I do have a long haul flight to Tokyo via Moscow and back in March for which I am sure ANC would be helpful, but I don't fly that often otherwise so not sure it would be worth it for that alone.
I have a pair of Jabra Elite 65t wireless in-ear buds which are fine for keeping noise out, but can be a bit uncomfortable over long periods and more importantly their charge doesn't last a full day and they can't be charged whilst wearing them. I also forget to charge them so often don't have them available.
I went into PC World today to have a look around and did some Googling and it seems the premium option would be a set of noise-cancelling over-ear headphones - the Sony MX1000M3 seem to be the ones to beat, and are currently £239 on Amazon.
However, would noise-cancelling be helpful for my office rather than the constant drone of traffic / aircraft etc? Or would it be a lot of money spent unnecessarily where a cheaper set without ANC would be fine? If so, any suggestions of a decent set? Comfortable and low noise leakage is more important than pure sound quality - I am not an audophile (though obviously want them to sound decent).
I do have a long haul flight to Tokyo via Moscow and back in March for which I am sure ANC would be helpful, but I don't fly that often otherwise so not sure it would be worth it for that alone.
I had a set of XM3 and returned them. I don't think the XM3 (or any other active noise cancelling 'phones) are ideal for an office.
They get rid of the droning background noise very effectively. However Imy desk is unfortunately in earshot of the office kitchen and sharp sounds like numbnuts crashing about with cups came straight through, if anything I found it more intrusive because it no longer blended into the background noise (because that's gone completely).
I've gone back to passive noise cancelling for the office. For flights and public transport they are absolutely superb though.
They get rid of the droning background noise very effectively. However Imy desk is unfortunately in earshot of the office kitchen and sharp sounds like numbnuts crashing about with cups came straight through, if anything I found it more intrusive because it no longer blended into the background noise (because that's gone completely).
I've gone back to passive noise cancelling for the office. For flights and public transport they are absolutely superb though.
Edited by budgie smuggler on Tuesday 7th January 13:55
budgie smuggler said:
I had a set and returned them. I don't think the XM3 (or any other active noise cancelling 'phones) are ideal for an office.
They get rid of the droning background noise very effectively. However sharp sounds like people crashing about with cups came straight through, if anything I found it more intrusive because it no longer blended into the background noise (because that's gone completely).
I've gone back to passive noise cancelling for the office. For flights and public transport they are absolutely superb though.
Which passive noise cancelling headphones would you recommend?They get rid of the droning background noise very effectively. However sharp sounds like people crashing about with cups came straight through, if anything I found it more intrusive because it no longer blended into the background noise (because that's gone completely).
I've gone back to passive noise cancelling for the office. For flights and public transport they are absolutely superb though.
Bussolini said:
Which passive noise cancelling headphones would you recommend?
Sorry I don't have a recommendation for you. For the moment I'm using Creative "Aurvana Live!" 'phones as they're what I had knocking about. They're not known for being especially good for blocking out noise, though they do a reasonable job. IEMs are probably better for this, I just don't have a pair at the moment.Honestly though I would try a pair of XM3s with ANC switched on before you decide. You might decide for your purposes they do the job nicely. I think I tried my pair in John Lewis but I think I saw that Currys had them on display the other day too.
I would say the XM3 are probably the most comfortable pair of headphones I've ever tried too.
Edited by budgie smuggler on Tuesday 7th January 14:05
I have a pair of £35 Jlab Jbuds which I bought from Argos. They are in ear but I found that the silicone tips were either too small and let the sound in or too large making them uncomfortable (medium and large eartips I might add).
In the end, I purchased INAIR memory foam eartips which block out the sound really very well. The bonus about the Jlabs is that the recess where the tips go into the charging case are large meaning the memory foam tips actually fit so the buds charge with no issues.
I find the battery lasts long (approx 24h, including charging case), pair easily and sound great.
In the end, I purchased INAIR memory foam eartips which block out the sound really very well. The bonus about the Jlabs is that the recess where the tips go into the charging case are large meaning the memory foam tips actually fit so the buds charge with no issues.
I find the battery lasts long (approx 24h, including charging case), pair easily and sound great.
I've had an old pair of Sony noise cancelling headphones for years (10+). They were excellent on flights, but in the office not great at cancelling conversations - you had to turn the music volume up.
Over Christmas, I tried the Bose and Sony in Curry's. Wasn't impressed with the Bose, but the Sony were superb - two guys were standing about 4ft away from me having a conversation and I couldn't hear a word - even without music on.
I bought a pair, and in the office they are superb. They mute the conversations to a very very low level - and if you play music as well you can't hear them at all, even at very low volume. It's actually a bit disconcerting when you take them off and find that somebody is having a loud conversation at the desk next to you that you weren't even aware of.
Not just my opinion - lent them to a colleague who tried them (without music on) and he was amazed.
I know the general view is that noise cancelling headphones are not great for cutting out voice - and in fact, that was my view before buying these - but these really do a very very good job. I've used them just in noise cancelling mode without music a couple of times when I need to concentrate and they really do an excellent job.
Over Christmas, I tried the Bose and Sony in Curry's. Wasn't impressed with the Bose, but the Sony were superb - two guys were standing about 4ft away from me having a conversation and I couldn't hear a word - even without music on.
I bought a pair, and in the office they are superb. They mute the conversations to a very very low level - and if you play music as well you can't hear them at all, even at very low volume. It's actually a bit disconcerting when you take them off and find that somebody is having a loud conversation at the desk next to you that you weren't even aware of.
Not just my opinion - lent them to a colleague who tried them (without music on) and he was amazed.
I know the general view is that noise cancelling headphones are not great for cutting out voice - and in fact, that was my view before buying these - but these really do a very very good job. I've used them just in noise cancelling mode without music a couple of times when I need to concentrate and they really do an excellent job.
davek_964 said:
I've had an old pair of Sony noise cancelling headphones for years (10+). They were excellent on flights, but in the office not great at cancelling conversations - you had to turn the music volume up.
Over Christmas, I tried the Bose and Sony in Curry's. Wasn't impressed with the Bose, but the Sony were superb - two guys were standing about 4ft away from me having a conversation and I couldn't hear a word - even without music on.
I bought a pair, and in the office they are superb. They mute the conversations to a very very low level - and if you play music as well you can't hear them at all, even at very low volume. It's actually a bit disconcerting when you take them off and find that somebody is having a loud conversation at the desk next to you that you weren't even aware of.
Not just my opinion - lent them to a colleague who tried them (without music on) and he was amazed.
I know the general view is that noise cancelling headphones are not great for cutting out voice - and in fact, that was my view before buying these - but these really do a very very good job. I've used them just in noise cancelling mode without music a couple of times when I need to concentrate and they really do an excellent job.
Have to agree about the Sony as they are superb in an office/home environment. Noise cancelling on the tube however is very annoying as the various dips in air pressure find its way within the earcups. In that respect though, I use the Ambient Off mode.Over Christmas, I tried the Bose and Sony in Curry's. Wasn't impressed with the Bose, but the Sony were superb - two guys were standing about 4ft away from me having a conversation and I couldn't hear a word - even without music on.
I bought a pair, and in the office they are superb. They mute the conversations to a very very low level - and if you play music as well you can't hear them at all, even at very low volume. It's actually a bit disconcerting when you take them off and find that somebody is having a loud conversation at the desk next to you that you weren't even aware of.
Not just my opinion - lent them to a colleague who tried them (without music on) and he was amazed.
I know the general view is that noise cancelling headphones are not great for cutting out voice - and in fact, that was my view before buying these - but these really do a very very good job. I've used them just in noise cancelling mode without music a couple of times when I need to concentrate and they really do an excellent job.
Bussolini said:
I've pulled the trigger on the Sony WH-MX1000M3's at £234.99. Let's see how they are!
Nice one, please update the thread with your findings. Like I said, mine didn't help, but I'm intrigued to see if that was just a duff pair (or the firmware update that I put on f
ked them).First impressions:
They are quite remarkable on public transport. I can listen to music quietly and hear every note, but then when I flick off ANC I can barely hear the music the background noise is so loud!
They are useful in the office when not listening to music - I've never realised there is so much background noise! They don't cut out everything, but very quiet.
The music quality is great, but not convinced the ANC is that useful whilst playing music in the office - as it is a relatively quiet environment anyway. At least, not much of a difference from my Jabra's. They are however MUCH more comfortable for longer listening periods.
They are quite remarkable on public transport. I can listen to music quietly and hear every note, but then when I flick off ANC I can barely hear the music the background noise is so loud!
They are useful in the office when not listening to music - I've never realised there is so much background noise! They don't cut out everything, but very quiet.
The music quality is great, but not convinced the ANC is that useful whilst playing music in the office - as it is a relatively quiet environment anyway. At least, not much of a difference from my Jabra's. They are however MUCH more comfortable for longer listening periods.
My tip here would be to get ones which you can easily control to let sound in.
I've been using some Samsung Galaxy Buds + recently. Sound quality is nothing special, but it's very easy to just tap on the ear and to stop what you are listening to.
This means if someone is trying to talk to you, you can just tap the bud in your ear and listen, without having to take them off.
Dunno about others but I find it really irritating taking phones on/off everytime I think I might have heard someone ask me something.
Also useful to have phones that have the option to let some ambient noise in. I use the galaxy buds in one ear with maximum ambient noise coming in when cycling.
I've been using some Samsung Galaxy Buds + recently. Sound quality is nothing special, but it's very easy to just tap on the ear and to stop what you are listening to.
This means if someone is trying to talk to you, you can just tap the bud in your ear and listen, without having to take them off.
Dunno about others but I find it really irritating taking phones on/off everytime I think I might have heard someone ask me something.
Also useful to have phones that have the option to let some ambient noise in. I use the galaxy buds in one ear with maximum ambient noise coming in when cycling.
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