For future reference: noise-cancelling phones

[mdlbear]

Headphones to Shut Out the World - New York Times

PANASONIC RP-HC500 The pleasantly smushy-edged earcups on this new model do an excellent job of isolating your ears. That may be one reason the noise cancellation works so well; all but the highest frequencies are subtracted. Better still, the music reproduction is stellar, especially in the crisp, clean higher registers.

I waited to look up the prices for these products until after I’d tested them. So I was astonished to discover that you can find these online for $100. You get quality that’s nearly indistinguishable from the Boses — for a third the price.

The Panasonic phones look like the best of the lot for the price. Pogue seems to like headphones that sit on your ears instead of around them. I can't stand them, which eliminates his other low-cost favorite, the Audio-Technica ATH-ANC7.

Since there's air travel in my near future, ...

Comments

[eleccham.livejournal.com]

Have you considered a low-end set of Etymotics, like the ER-2 or ER-6? They go for the isolation thing instead, but I understand that you actually get a better dB rating for the amount of noise that "goes away".

(The equivalent Shure earbuds are said to be rather lacking on bass.)

[mdlbear]

I have a set of the Shure's; they don't isolate worth a damn for me. Neither do foam earplugs, especially in the left ear. Weirdly-shaped ear canals, perhaps.

[eleccham.livejournal.com]

Would you be interested in selling them, perhaps?

[mdlbear]

Not sure you'd be wanting to put my earwax in your ears; I think they'd be hard to clean. In any case, the sound quality is pretty good and they fit conveniently in my shoulder bag or laptop sleeve, so they still have their uses.

[victorthecook.livejournal.com]

I tried the Shure models, and couldn't get any significant isolation -- and it felt like I was sticking marbles in my ears.

The Etymotics ER-4 work well for me -- but I needed to order their large-sized foam earpieces to get a good fit. For me, my left ear is OK with standard; I can get by on the right, but the large work more reliably.

Things may have improved in the last couple of years, but my experiences with noise-cancelling phones (as opposed to canalphones) have been marginal at best -- not much cancellation, so the plane is still loud as hell. That being said: if you find a winner, let us know...

[mdlbear]

I traveled with a pair of Vic Firth headphones last time I flew. Great isolation (they're made for rock drummers) but bulky and uncomfortable as heck. You'd do better, I think, with a set of hearing protectors with earbuds under them.