[Closed] Quick question re Noise Cancelling Headphones

Should add I've a budget of £200-300.
I'm planning on visiting John Lewis at the weekend to try some but would appreciate real world experience rather than sales speak.

they will certainly suppress it ....
I have Bose over ear ... and Bose in ear versions ...

Should do. On a plane with my Bose headphones they filter out almost all external noise. Loud conversation - or conversation that is occurring very close is muffled, but not particularly intrusive, and high pitched noise, like crying babies, is also very well muffled and suppressed.

My work colleagues insist on listening to R2

My thoughts go out to you Cheviots, be strong.

I find that they are very good at cancelling droning background noise (on the east coast mainline with mine on as we speak) so great on trains, planes, cars etc.
They are less good at cancelling speech or music actively - they will still cancel passively of course.

This is unsurprising when you look at how the active technology works.

If it is R2 you wish to cancel, passive cancelling headphones will be cheaper and may be almost as effective.

Edit - I got Bose QC35s from the Bose outlet at York with 20% off and still with full 30 day trial, dealer warranty etc. Ask them nicely for the discount - the 30 day trial may be what you need.

I concur with igm above. My Bose ones are great for cancelling background humm (constant noise), but less effective with variations in noise such as airport announcements or someone talking to you.

The combination of some noise cancelling headphones and listening to your music should all but drown out the sh*te of Radio 2. What a horrible experience you are havin to endure - I can’t bear it either.

I think it is accepted that Bose are leaders in NC technology, with Sony and Sennheiser a very close second. I recently bought some Sennheiser Momentum Wireless over ear headphones as they are a beautiful object, and I was happy to sacrifice some NC performance for aesthetics.

I don't think it is intended that NC headphones completely cancel out everything. I think they leak in some frequencies so, for example, you should be able to detect an emergency alarm, so you're not sat enjoying your tunes in a public place while some emergency is going on needing people to evacuate the area. Similarly around voice frequencies they are designed to leak something in so you are aware of what is going on around you and if anyone wants to grab your attention.

As I said earlier, with the Bose almost all noise is cancelled out, not just background hum, but some frequencies do leak through in a more muffled way, so doesn't bother you at all.

Qc 25s are £159 at the mo. Got a pair yesterday 🙂

At the less spendy end of things - the Lindy BNX-60 are about £60 and work pretty well - good on planes and for concealing mindless drivel in the office
I was persuaded by a good review in WhatHiFi

N

They create a out of phase copy of noise, hence why they work on background drone like aeroplane, train noise, large crowd background babble but not individual conversations as there is less of a constant drown. They react they can't predict random speaking and music.

Overear design helps for general isolation.

Does your office have a license to play the radio?

Buy a pair of 30 quid sennheiser in ears, turn the volume up. office bliss shall follow.

poly - Member
Does your office have a license to play the radio?

😆

Some decent IEMs (e.g. Shure SE215 or better) will isolate you pretty well and don't have the slightly weird processed/phasing sound that noise cancelling headphones can have. I also find large headphones can get a bit hot personally, so in ears are better in that respect.

Got my qc35 s from John Lewis after Xmas last yr at a decent discount as they must have been an unwanted Xmas pressie. They had a few pairs there. Might be worth waiting. Echo all the comments above. They are great and usefu” in a shared office.

Some decent IEMs (e.g. Shure SE215 or better) will isolate you pretty well and don't have the slightly weird processed/phasing sound that noise cancelling headphones can have. I also find large headphones can get a bit hot personally, so in ears are better in that respect.

I have a pair of SE215's, some AKG reference (not sure of model number) and some QC25's and while the Shure are good there's no way I would want to wear them all the time while working , the bose are very comfortable and I'm impressed with the sound as well as the noise cancelling. In an office environment the sound shouldn't really sound that odd, I find it's only on really loud tube trains does it go a bit wobbly trying to keep up with the sheer volume and changes in pitch.

siwhite - Member
I recently bought some Sennheiser Momentum Wireless over ear headphones as they are a beautiful object, and I was happy to sacrifice some NC performance for aesthetics [b][i]and an amazing natural sound quality[/i][/b].

I love mine too.

I'm still using QC25s.
They're good; comfortable and I like them.

seosamh77 - Member
poly - Member
Does your office have a license to play the radio?

POSTED 20 HOURS AGO # REPORT-POST

You know thats genuinely a thing? Seosamh?

If you’re going to be wearing them for long periods, then comfortable fit will become more important than performance.

Noise cancelling doesn’t remove speech ... but it does suppress the extremes. I.e a baby crying will be less intrusive. If you are expecting an isolation chamber you will be disappointed

Buy yourself some peace.

"A PPL licence is required when recorded music, including radio and TV, is played in public. ... In contrast, any recorded music being played as part of domestic home life or when there is an audience entirely comprised of friends and/or family (such as at a private family party) does not require a PPL licence."
That includes an office even if not many people visit it.

Personally I don’t think noise cancelling are amazing. Good for taking away the drinking of an aircrafts engines, but iou still hear speech etc

As above the real solution is do they have permit to play music in a public place?

Contact https://www.prsformusic.com/what-we-do/licensing-music/do-i-need-a-licence

They will quite happily get in touch with your company!

joshvegas - Member

You know thats genuinely a thing? Seosamh

for bose owners - can you get different leads to allow use with ios / everything else

The other option is a 50p set of squidgy ear plugs...

In my experience noise cancelling works best with a regular repetitive noise (aircraft jet droning, etc) than a more random conversation/music type of sound.

Any over the ear headphones will offer some insulation, especially if playing music.

Of failing that, 300 quid will get you a very loud beat box to play your chosen music over R2

Bloody love my Bose QC35 II's. Have prevented countless murders on the daily commute - train to and from Sheffield/Manchester.

They pretty much blot out all but the very loudest, most obnoxious groups and does an excellent job of hugely suppressing even those.

Wouldn't be without them. Tried cheaper ones and they are just not as effective. They may be enough for you but I want silence.

£30 will buy you these: https://www.amazon.co.uk/MEE-Earphone-Replaceable-Universal-Microphone/dp/B00SLVB71Q
They’re all you need.

Update-
Thanks for everyone's advice & opinions.
I eventually bought a pair of Sony WH-1000Xm2 & have tried them out at work today.
Whilst they don't offer complete silence I managed to listen to a couple of hours of TMS this morning without too much intrusion from Ken Bruce & then was oblivious to Jeremy Vine in the afternoon.
So money well spent in my opinion.