Viewing 18 posts - 1 through 18 (of 18 total)
  • Noise cancelling ear phones
  • Potdog
    Free Member

    Just thinking about these, how do they work? Is there some tricky microprocessor work in the earphones or is it the device that they are connected to that does the work (i.e. a specific noise cancelling equipped device).

    I’m just wondering whether they can be used without “music” from a device to simply cancel out background noise to create a quiet room amidst the mayhem!

    conkerman
    Free Member

    Simple answer.

    Yes they can.

    For full sized phones its all built in, smaller ones have a box o’ tricks.

    You would probably be better off with a decent pair of closed headphones, they drown out an awful lot of noise. Audio Technica A700s are good.

    STATO
    Free Member

    bought some for a flight to oz over crimbo. couldnt afford the fancy £100ish sony ones so went for some £35 ones from dixons, think they are panasonic maybe? anyway, just the in ear bud things which block out a lot of noise anyway but WOW, im was really impressed with the noise blocker, not so much cut out the noise but just made the music (or plane tv/movies) really clear and easy to listen too. Sort of like a booster for the tones that get drowned out by the ambient plane noise, really good tho for £35.

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    Hairychested
    Free Member

    Stato, more details please if you remember. Cheers!

    smurf
    Free Member

    I went for a pair of in-ear ‘phones that act as ear plugs if you see what I mean. I have a pair of Ultimate Ears something something 5.

    They are very good at blocking out external noise so you dont need to play your music / films etc at high volumes – important for long term hearing health.

    Well worth the money in my view. To give you some idea of how effective they are, mine were supplied with a little plug that goes into the plane h/phone output socket and then you plug your phones into that plug – this reduces the volume out of the plane output to a low enough level that the headphones can be worn safely.

    smurf

    Hairychested
    Free Member

    Cheers, fella!

    CountZero
    Full Member

    Most ‘noise cancelling’ devises work, but the fact there is another power supply required makes them really a bit of a nuisance. I used a pair of I think it was Phillips ones, and they lasted about a month before they broke. Now I use in-ear phones, which do vary in effectiveness. The size of the little ‘bulb’ that goes into the ear is crucial, and the best sort have alternative flanged ones. I’ve recently got a pair of Ultimate Ears phones for my iPhone, because they are one of the few makes that have voice versions through most of the range, starting from around $25. Mine are Superfi.4vi, which were $124, and are frankly astonishing. The sound quality is the best I’ve ever heard, and they need no EQ. There are flanged eartips available, which I’m going to order, as I wear them using very noisy machinery, but the ones supplied fit pretty well, and there are also a couple of pairs of foam ones supplied, which would probably do the job just as well. I tend to find foam ones irritate after a while. Get a pair of UE’s, mine came from earphonesolutions.com, who’s service was superb, and I really don’t think you’ll regret it for a second, they really are bloody marvelous, and make all those microprocessor jobbies redundant.

    Del
    Full Member

    i’ve used my mate’s creative labs ones – think they were about 30 or 40 quid. they are the ‘big headphones’ that cover the ear. they work with or without being plugged into your source. the batteries fit into the headphones ( AAA ). they were bloody superb for a flight to the US. not only do they knock out all the ambient roar, but you can actually hear what people are saying to you too. if i was on long flights routinely i’d buy my own pair in a flash.

    GeeZed
    Free Member

    I fly long-haul almost every month and use noise-cancelling headphones for watching the movies, listening to music, etc. Yes they work a treat for cancelling out background noise, but the best thing by far in my opinion, those little squishy foam ear-plugs!

    So Potdog…if all you want is to

    simply cancel out background noise to create a quiet room amidst the mayhem!

    , try some foam ear-plugs. Cheap as chips!

    avdave2
    Full Member

    They are great for flights and do an excellent job of cutting out the low roar of the engines. I’ve a pair of the Sony in ear ones which work well but don’t stay in my ears all that well. I think it’s largely because the built in microphones which are there to analyse which sounds need to be cancelled out make them heavy in comparison to standard in ear headphones. I’ve also used the Bose QC2’s for long haul and they are fantastic, really shut you off from everything and I found them still comfortable after 10 hours. The only drawback with them is that they won’t work as standard headphones if the battery is flat which the Sony’s will.

    NZCol
    Full Member

    I picked upa pair of Sony ones in the US for $20 last year which work OK for drumming with (as in they block a lot of noise out). Just bought some Phitek/Blackbox ones and they are amazing – flew to Akl the other day and they completely remove the drone of the plane. Thank the lord, am off to the UK next Friday so have 40 hours to test them properly. But did buy another pair for the wife to ensure there was no “Can i just borrow them….” moments. I paid $139 for mine which was 60 under RRP. If anyone wants some let me know and i’ll post them to you when i get back to the UK on the 7th !

    bbAardvark
    Free Member

    Potdog, not sure if you’re looking to buy any – but spookily enough The Register has a review of 10 here and Wikepedia can tell you how they work here.

    eldridge
    Free Member

    Bose over-ear ones are great. TBH I mainly use them for cutting out the noise of neighbours/fellow-passengers rather than playing music. Stick in a pair of standard expanding foam earplugs, slap on the Boses and peace and quiet rules!

    Boses are expensive tho – but they do have a retruns policy if you don’t like them

    STATO
    Free Member

    had a look and mine are Philips SHN2500’s. Found the reciept to, only £20! I remember now, spotted them for £35 (rrp) in the ‘duty free’ dixons after id bought them from a Dixons on the way to the airport. Halfords even sell them for £20 at the mo, or PLAY.com for £15!! Absolute bargain!

    STATO
    Free Member

    bear in mind they arnt full noise cancelling, but cut most of it out and let you listen to your music/film in comfort. They work well to sleep too, just not like the £100+ sets everyone else has.

    flippinheckler
    Free Member

    I can make some custom made earphones made according to an ear impression of your ears with buit in speakers, they dramatically reduce street noise & road noise and they will retail for arounr £40, this means you can have your ipod or similar on about half the volume level so its a small price to pay to protect your hearing.

    blades2000
    Free Member

    I have a pair of the JVC NC-250 headphones. They are fantastic wouldn’t fly anywhere without them now. Unlike some others they will work without being turned on however obviously not cancel ambient noise. Highly rated and well worth the money.

    Potdog
    Free Member

    Sorry, just got back online after leaving the office. So thanks for all the info.

    But as GeeZed rightly picked out, maybe I’m looking to go far too hi-tech for the desired outcome.

    All I probably need is a pair of these

Viewing 18 posts - 1 through 18 (of 18 total)

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