Noise Cancelling Headphones on a budget

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lxsw20

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#175627 6-Jul-2015 15:20

Hi

Can anyone recommend some decentish noise cancelling headphones for around the $100-150 mark. I just want them for when I travel really. I've got ATH-M50s which I'm quite happy with for day to day use, but after something for when I'm flying, on a train etc.

I'm open to both in ear and over ear.

Cheers

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#1337973 6-Jul-2015 15:51

A long time I go I bought some big over-ear Sonys for flying, which we a pain to carry around, and to store onboard, and which broke in the end while I was in SFO -- then I purchased some JVC in-ear noise cancellers which come in a little pouch -- from an el cheapo place on Market for USD40. They have been fantastic and much more usable. They aren't as efficient as the Sony pair, but do the trick very well indeed, can actually hear the movie! I'd recommend looking in this sort of direction.

gml

kiwitrc

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#1337975 6-Jul-2015 15:53

One of the guys at work bought some Monoprice headphones after a bit of research, very happy with them , although they are a little higher than your top end $$

There some QC2 Bose on TradeMe that have to old broken plastic side issue. Nothing a bit of black tape cant fix.

Jaxson

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#1337977 6-Jul-2015 15:56

I used black box for just this. They had a clearance sale on older models at the time. Just tried, and whilst the clearance link is still on their front page, it just loops you back to the same main page.

sbiddle

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#1337988 6-Jul-2015 16:22

I'm be brutally honest here - if noise cancelling is your key requirement then everything else on the market apart from Bose is just rubbish. I've tried lots of different headphones and nothing comes close to my QC15's.

I'm no Bose fanboy - IMHO everything else they make is rubbish also, but in the N/C space nothing else comes close. Even the Blackbox and Audio Technica headphones that people thing are no comparison on a plane compared to a pair of Bose headphones.

robjg63

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#1337993 6-Jul-2015 16:30

I bought a pair of these http://www.dicksmith.co.nz/headphones/panasonic-noise-cancelling-over-ear-headphones-black-dsnz-c7951
(Panasonic HC200 over ear noise cancelling headphones).
Bought from the duty free shop at the airport a year ago - they were $69 then - DSE are cheaper I note.

I always find it hard to hear the films on the junk airplane headphones - these did a great job - comes with the adapter plug. Cut the background noise down heaps and means you can hear the film pretty clearly.
Of course they are not as good as the $500+ Bose noise cancelling headphones my wife bought herself - but for the price they are all I needed and do the job ok.
They come in a little cloth travel bag and seem moderately strong - I wouldnt get overly upset if I managed to lose them at that price.

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timmmay

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#1338010 6-Jul-2015 16:39

Black Box or Panasonic are two brands to look for.

lxsw20

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#1338011 6-Jul-2015 16:40

Yeah I've been looking at those Pannys, mixed reviews but at that price what can you expect really. They don't have to be amazing, just good enough so I can actually hear a movie/song, rather than it like I've got my ear up to a sea shell!

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robjg63

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#1338015 6-Jul-2015 16:44

lxsw20: Yeah I've been looking at those Pannys, mixed reviews but at that price what can you expect really. They don't have to be amazing, just good enough so I can actually hear a movie/song, rather than it like I've got my ear up to a sea shell!

They do that job just fine. Thought I would get howls at suggesting them to be honest.
Have to say - when I bought them I didnt expect a lot from them - was very pleasantly surprised.

Nothing is impossible for the man who doesn't have to do it himself - A. H. Weiler

Jaxson

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#1338047 6-Jul-2015 17:13

On a budget the option is simply to lock other sound out with over-ears, essentially wearing air-muffs on the plane.
But as others have said, they're not particularly suited to travel really.

lxsw20

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#1338060 6-Jul-2015 17:42

Looking at the Monoprice In Ear jobs, they seem to get a good review, and on closer inspection seem to be the same or very similar to the Blackbox c20

http://www.monoprice.com/Product/?pg_no2=2&c_id=108&cp_id=10823&cs_id=1082706&p_id=10799&sortby=&period=&rating=&seq=1&format=4#feedback

insane

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#1338074 6-Jul-2015 18:41

I've got a pair of Sennheiser PXC 250 which do a better job than the cheap Panasonic and Sony NC headphones. I've found a pair of well fitting in ear earbuds work just as well and are more comfortable on 10+ hour flights.

If I was buying now I'd consider getting a pair of in ear noise cancelling ones - lighter on your head too.

sonyxperiageek

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#1338081 6-Jul-2015 18:53

Another vote for the BlackBox earphones. These are within your budget and should do the job fine, unless you want to spend a couple hundred more on Bose ones.

On another note, I like in-ear ones on the plane, because they won't get in the way of you sleeping as much as the over the head ones do.

Sony

kendog

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#1338100 6-Jul-2015 19:32

I use the blackbox c20 when flying, they work really well.

Technofreak

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#1338148 6-Jul-2015 20:47

Another vote for the Blackbox C20's.

They do a good job and are very portable. I use mine all the time when travelling. They are very comfortable. They might not match some of the Bose in total noise cancelling but for the money and portability I don't believe you can surpass the C20's. Plus they also work even with a flat battery.

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qwertee

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#1338149 6-Jul-2015 20:50

I use BlackBox M10 over the ear headphones for long haul flights
They are very good and come in a soft carry case

But for my last trip I used a cheap set of Phillips in ear noise cancelling headphones as
I wanted to save space in my small cabin bag.

I broke the head band on the M10 and was given a replacement from Phitek free of charge
though they were out of warranty.

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