Headphone Advice

[cyismydog]

I'm looking to get some qualilty, noise cancelling headphones for long road trips for under $100. I know Dre Beats are really popular with our team at Butler, but from what I've heard they are probably not the best bargain. Any advice?
Thank you, it is much appreciated!

 

[besserheimerphat]

I absolutely love my Shure earbuds. They aren't "noise cancelling" but are "noise isolating." That is, they are like in-ear ear plugs with little drivers built in. The sound quality is amazing - bass is the best I've heard from headphones, much better than my Bose QuietComfort headset. I really prefer the earbud design so I can wear them while mowing, working out, etc and they fit snug in the ear so I don't have to worry about them falling out. I think the cheapest models start just over $100 (mine were about $175 three years ago) and the most expensive go over $500. I got mine at Best Buy, but they may be found cheaper elsewhere.

 

[marothisu]

Mine aren't 100% noise cancelling, but they are close because of their design. I have some Sony earbuds which I got at Best Buy awhile ago for maybe $40 and they do a great job and have pretty good sound quality. They are very comfortable in the ear too (i think the liners are silicone probably).

I ride the subway twice a day, and if you've ever ridden the subway in Chicago, you know it gets pretty noisy underground once the train gets going. When I'm listening to music, I can't hear much of the NOISE from the train/tunnel. It's faint, but I barely notice it which is great. There's enough room where you could hear outside noise if you needed to, but you can definitely cut it down.

 

[marothisu]

I absolutely love my Shure earbuds. They aren't "noise cancelling" but are "noise isolating." That is, they are like in-ear ear plugs with little drivers built in. The sound quality is amazing - bass is the best I've heard from headphones, much better than my Bose QuietComfort headset. I really prefer the earbud design so I can wear them while mowing, working out, etc and they fit snug in the ear so I don't have to worry about them falling out. I think the cheapest models start just over $100 (mine were about $175 three years ago) and the most expensive go over $500. I got mine at Best Buy, but they may be found cheaper elsewhere.

My coworker has those and always tells me how his headphones are really good.

 

[cyismydog]

Thanks for those suggestion guys, they both definitely seem like possibilities.

 

[KaiserWilhelm]

I've had really good success with any Sennhesier equipment. I bought a pair of headphones from them last summer for ~$50 and they've been performing great since then. I'm not sure if they're marketed as true "noise canceling," but they seem to block out most outside noise when I have music playing.

I know it's probably not exactly what you're looking for, but here is a link to their product page:
Sennheiser USA - Stereo Earphones - CX 200 - Sound Isolating Earphones - Private Audio

 

[CyBer]

Beats are awesome!












if you are rich.

 

[jdoggivjc]

Mine aren't 100% noise cancelling, but they are close because of their design. I have some Sony earbuds which I got at Best Buy awhile ago for maybe $40 and they do a great job and have pretty good sound quality. They are very comfortable in the ear too (i think the liners are silicone probably).

I ride the subway twice a day, and if you've ever ridden the subway in Chicago, you know it gets pretty noisy underground once the train gets going. When I'm listening to music, I can't hear much of the NOISE from the train/tunnel. It's faint, but I barely notice it which is great. There's enough room where you could hear outside noise if you needed to, but you can definitely cut it down.

I have a similar set of Sony earbuds, and I agree they're great headphones for the price. My only advice with them, is if you have waxy ears like I do, get your ears nice and clean before you wear them because if you don't your ears will itch like crazy.

 

[DJSteve]

I'd second the recommendation of checking out Sennheiser.

Not sure what form factor you're after, but I would suggest checking out the HD-280 Pros. No electronic noise canceling, however they isolate something like 30db (better than a lot of ear protectors) and they sound REALLY nice. Size may be a disadvantage vs some options if you want to travel with them, but they're very comfortable and they fold up reasonably compactly for what they are. Passive isolation also means no batteries to mess with, and less to go wrong down the road.

 

[ruxCYtable]

another cheap substitute suggestion. I have been very happy with a $30 pair of jvc marshmallow phones ( dont confuse with cheapass gummy phones) excellent range although not noise canceling. but believe me when u stuff them in your ear you can't hear a thing. I also have a pair of the Sonys and I think the jvc are better.

 

[HGPuck]

Unless you're looking to spend a ton, can't really beat Sennheiser. Stay away from Bose and you should be fine. Shure make a very good in-ear, as others have mentioned.

 

[Clone83]

I bought the Sennheiser HD 280 Pro headphones a few years ago, and they are great. Someone who had been researching headphones suggested them to me (instead of high-priced Bose), and I have been very happy with them.

I don't think they are technically called "noise-cancelling" at the Sennheiser site, but good enough for me, no problems whatsoever, and Sennheiser makes some very high end phones, so they are surely less so than the top end ones. Note the design, the hinges, how if you placed the headphones face to face, then push them up into the over-the-head part, they fold up nicely, very compact for traveling.

Here is a Google search. They are always available at less than the suggested price $149 ($76.25 it seems now at Amazon):

hd 280 pro - Google Search

Last June I also bought the Shure SE215 in ear headphones and also like those a lot. Here is a web page I had saved when I bought them for $99 (which appeared then to be a good bargain for as high a quality as they are):

Shure SE215 Earphones Black

I bought these for even greater convenience carrying around (even less space required), versus the Sennheiser over the ear. They do a great job of blocking out noise. As a matter of convenience though I still prefer the over the ear, versus plugging them into my ears, but again bought these since they took even less space carrying.

At home or away I generally like to just use the Sennheiser to block things out, if I had my druthers. The Sennheiser ones also have a long, telephone like cord, that I find convenient, generally out of the way but the ability to stretch. On the Shures the cord goes up over the ear, between your head and your ear (note, for example the one labeled Right here, how the cord goes back), which holds them in place very well and helps maintain the seal. (One review I read was someone in NYC who wears them in his sleep.) It makes them more of a hassle putting them on though, than the over the ear Sennheisers, and I have generally always found over the ear design more isolating, say better able to focus on work or study, for whatever reason.

 

[kas4cy]

The Sennheiser HD 280 Pros, which were already mentioned, are what I use. Ridiculously comfortable, durable, and the sound is phenomenal. Although they're not noise canceling, they're are up to 32dB, I believe. Not too shabby. And in terms of sound, they're almost as good as Beats, which are way over priced for the performance that they deliver. You're more so buying a name. Personally I'd rather have something almost as good, but for $200 less.

If you're looking for good quality for a little cheaper, and you want more bass (if you listen to pop/rock/rap/dubstep ect.) then you might want to look into the Sony MDR-XB500's. I've heard very very good things about them.

Amazon.com: Sony MDR-XB500 40mm XB Diaphragm Driver Extra Bass Headphones: Home Audio & Theater