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St Soichiro

macrumors regular
Jun 30, 2004
152
0
Tulsa, OK
Noise cancelling - if you travel by air a lot

I really love my Bose Noise Cancelling headphones, especially during air travel. In a typical year I take 2-3 flights long-long flights - they are amazing then. Work best with white noise. But, they are expensive!

In regular use I tend to prefer my regular iPod earphones.
 

Nspace

macrumors regular
Jul 13, 2004
204
0
Toronto, Canada
I am still waiting for my iPod, but with previous mp3 players such as my creative 20gb, I just used standard ear-bud panasonic headphones. I like the earbud style the best for being on the road. So natually I will probably use the standard ipod headphones when it arrives.

When I am at home listening to music and the player can be plugged in or I am on my computer, I have a pair of Sony MDR-v700's. These things are dj headphones, block like all outside noise, fit really snuggly to your head, can go real loud and have amazing bass definition.
 

Whigga Spitta

macrumors 6502
Apr 21, 2004
256
0
Can you say Chi-City??
I HATE the iPod headphones. Maybe I have weird shaped ears or something, but they can never stay in, EVER. The sound quality isn't *TERRIBLE* but I much prefer my Bose QuietComforts. If you can justify spending the money for them, they will be one of your best investments, especially if you fly. Our family has 4 pairs of them, that's how good they are. They are unrivaled in sound quality and super comfortable.
 

kbonnel

macrumors 6502
Mar 1, 2004
471
2
In a nice place..
I am a real big fan of apples in-ear headphones. They sound fantastic, and reproduce bass real well. not only that, but when I am flying (which is a lot), I don't hear anything other than the music. Another big plus, they are comfortable.

Kimo
 

Duff-Man

Contributor
Dec 26, 2002
2,984
17
Albuquerque, NM
Duff-Man says...the Apple in-ear ones were not availabl;e yet when I got my original 5GB iPod and I did not like the Apple supplied buds much....so I got the Sony MDR-EX70's - really happen with them. I think they've now been updated to EX71's and there is a cheaper version (EX51) too.....oh yeah! **
 

aptmunich

macrumors member
May 29, 2004
51
0
I prefer in-ear (canalphones) as well.

I use either the shure e2 or the shure e3, depending on what mood i'm in :)

But the shure e2 are excellent value at around $80, which sounds like a lot, but isn't when you consider that these are almost professional musicians quality...

But the sony ex51/71 are also quite good at around half the price ;)

For more info check out http://www.head-fi.org


apt
 

jemeinc

macrumors 6502a
Feb 14, 2004
771
0
South Jersey
aptmunich said:
But the shure e2 are excellent value at around $80, which sounds like a lot, but isn't when you consider that these are almost professional musicians quality...


apt

I'll second that about the shure e2's... I got a pair at "The Guitar Center" for $79.99— the guy at the store asked me if I was going to be using these to perform on stage with or for my iPod... lol... When I asked how he knew I had an iPod he said the only people that buy them are either performers or people with iPods...

They are comfortable (unlike the iPod earbuds- those things feel like an ear infection to me) & they block all outside noise... I just finished cutting my grass & couldn't even hear the tractor running at all...lol...
 

puckhead193

macrumors G3
May 25, 2004
9,570
852
NY
St Soichiro said:
I really love my Bose Noise Cancelling headphones, especially during air travel. In a typical year I take 2-3 flights long-long flights - they are amazing then. Work best with white noise. But, they are expensive!

In regular use I tend to prefer my regular iPod earphones.

I have to agree, I love my bose headphones. I have the first ones there like gold/champage color.... Everyone is so jealous when i can't hear a single thing. There even good around the house.
There expensive but are the best!
 

Xenious

macrumors 6502a
Mar 22, 2004
685
46
Texas, USA
Yea noise cancelling is great for headphones. Note that for a while American airlines was giving away Bose v2 noise cancelling headphones if you flew business class to london from several american cities.

Also I like the Sony V700DJ's for studio work (nice boosted low end for electronic tunes). And the upcoming Etymotic ER-6i's sound very interesting (if they come through on their promise of increased bass without compromising fidelity).
-jim
 

suraj

macrumors member
I like my Bang& Olufsen A8's although many will say they aren't worth the money.

They are definately expensive, but they are stylish and comfortable.

bang3.jpg
 

Chip NoVaMac

macrumors G3
Dec 25, 2003
8,888
31
Northern Virginia
St Soichiro said:
I really love my Bose Noise Cancelling headphones, especially during air travel. In a typical year I take 2-3 flights long-long flights - they are amazing then. Work best with white noise. But, they are expensive!

In regular use I tend to prefer my regular iPod earphones.

For your type of use, do you think that the cost is worth it for the rest of us ?
 

jsw

Moderator emeritus
Mar 16, 2004
22,910
44
Andover, MA
Maybe I have strange ears, but, for me, comfortable over-the ear headphones are much better - noise cancelling or not. Not as portable, no, nor as cool. But, listening at my desk at work, I can leave over-the-ear ones on all day. I can't do that with earbuds. My choice is the Sennheiser HD600, but they cost a fair amount. However, I wear them while at work a number of hours most days, and I've had them for years, so it was a good investment.

Noise-cancelling ones are great during travel, but I have no real use for hem otherwise. And they don't sound as good, IMHO, as similarly-priced "normal" ones.
 

St Soichiro

macrumors regular
Jun 30, 2004
152
0
Tulsa, OK
Chip NoVaMac said:
For your type of use, do you think that the cost is worth it for the rest of us ?

Probably not. I am as cheap/broke as the "rest of us" :D and this is one of the few wanted-but-not-needed items that I have splurged on in the last one year.

However, a week after buying them I got to use them on a last-minute transatlantic flight in which I was seated in the middle seat in the last row (the one that does not lean back) :mad: The headphones made that ungodly trip fairly bearable :eek:
 

JFreak

macrumors 68040
Jul 11, 2003
3,151
9
Tampere, Finland
i also recommend the shure E-serie. i myself have the flagship E5 earphones, but that's just because i'm a musician and need those on stage. however, for most of us, the E2 model might be enough to be in awe of how great the music sounds ;)
 

homerjward

macrumors 68030
May 11, 2004
2,745
0
fig tree
i have some sony h.ear's. i would have gotten them in pink but circuit city didnt stock them so i got blue. very comfy, fit my ear perfect. sound really good for earbuds which never do sound as good as over the ear.
 

whyrichard

macrumors 68000
Aug 15, 2002
1,695
4
etymonic research er-6's are absolutely incredible. expensive, but incredible. i heard things from them and my ipod that i never heard from a cd and a $4000 stereo.


they are incredible.



r.
 

geeman

macrumors regular
Nov 27, 2001
154
3
At My Mac
whyrichard said:
etymonic research er-6's are absolutely incredible. expensive, but incredible.


I use the ER4-S Etymotic combined with a headphone amplifier running out of the "line out" of the iPod. Etymotic do a version of the ER-4S specifically for portable players called the ER-4P which, while I haven't heard them myself, are supposed to be very good also.

Etymotic have also just released an "iPod-version" of their ER-6 (much cheaper than either the ER-4S or the ER-4P) in white

Etymontic Research: http://www.etymotic.com/

When I'm travelling (which I do a lot) I use the PocketDock adaptor which is fantastic as you don't have to lug around your Dock:

http://www.sendstation.com/us/products/pd_lineout.html

IMO a headphone amplifier improves the sound output quality immeasurably. Yeah, it's a bit of a pain carrying around yet another piece of kit; but the pros outweigh the cons.
 
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