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What is the best sound isolation headphone/earphone?

I got an email from Shure. They said that their products are similar in terms of sound isolation. The differences are acoustic quality. Even higher end model could better isolate the noise, I am concerned that I may feel pain in my ears if I wear the plugs for 1-2 hours.

I wonder how the QC20i blocked the background music in the Bose showroom. My Shure SE 115 couldn't do that.
 
I've been using the Bose QC20i for a couple months. The bose earphones are comfortable to wear for extended periods, I don't notice them unless I think about them, even after extended periods. I use a similar pair of bose athletic earphones when I run, same story - comfortable and secure.

All noise canceling headphones have a slight hiss when used. The newer QC20's seem to have less hiss than my old pair of bose on ear from way back, but its still there. If I'm listening to music I stop noticing it.

The active noise canceling doesn't eliminate all outside noise, but its very good at what it does eliminate. Anything that is "background" noise seems to disappear. Loud voices, taps, doors slamming will still be there. If you're listening to music you don't have to turn the music up loud to cover the background noise but you will still hear the music clearly and it will cover a lot of the other noise, like voices, even at relatively low volumes. I find that I can't hear the stewardess on an airplane at all. It doesn't block all noise but with a little music it reduces it below the threshold at which you notice.

The QC20's have a button that allows you to turn the noise canceling off. The music doesn't sound as good, but its useful if you're walking near traffic or listening for your flight to be announced. They will also work as headphones with the battery dead or turned off. Sound quality isn't very good without power, but they do work.

They're great for phone calls, say in a busy hallway. They allow you to concentrate on the voice of the person you're talking to and I've never had a complaint as to how I sound.

Reviews say that the mid range sound quality is good (not great) but the upper and lower ranges are a bit weak. I'm not an audiophile and I'm not sure I could even tell the difference. If sound quality is that important to you then these probably won't work for you.

Anyway, unless you are extremely sensitive to noise or a serious audiophile these will probably work great for you.

Also, customer service from Bose is great. I recently had a several year old pair of bose earphones,that the volume switch quit working on, probably because they got wet from sweat too often when running. I called bose customer service about it and even thought they were way out of warranty they took them on trade for a new pair of athletic earphones at 1/2 off.
 
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helveta said:
All noise canceling headphones have a slight hiss when used. The newer QC20's seem to have less hiss than my old pair of bose on ear from way back, but its still there. If I'm listening to music I stop noticing it.
...

Anyway, unless you are extremely sensitive to noise or a serious audiophile these will probably work great for you.
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Thanks. I am not an audiophile. I probably don't notice the quality of the music unless it is noticeably bad.

The QC20i filters out background music, sound of air conditioner, sound of the train. It does not block human conversation nor sound from hammering the keyboard. So, using it makes it clearer to hear human conversations and sound from the keyboard?

In regard to the hiss, I have tried the QC20i in several Bose showrooms. I don't mind this sound.
 
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hajime said:
Thanks. I am not an audiophile. I probably don't notice the quality of the music unless it is noticeably bad.

The QC20i filters out background music, sound of air conditioner, sound of the train. It does not block human conversation nor sound from hammering the keyboard. So, using it makes it clearer to hear human conversations and sound from the keyboard?

In regard to the hiss, I have tried the QC20i in several Bose showrooms. I don't mind this sound.
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They don't completely block the sound of voices but they do deaden the sound. You can still hear them but its much less obtrusive and easier to ignore. If you're playing music you won't notice the conversation.

As an example, if my wife and I are in bed and she's watching tv and I want to sleep, I can put the earphones in and turn them on and still hear the tv, it just won't be as loud. If I turn the music on, even at a relatively low volume, I won't hear the tv.
 
helveta said:
They don't completely block the sound of voices but they do deaden the sound. You can still hear them but its much less obtrusive and easier to ignore. If you're playing music you won't notice the conversation.

As an example, if my wife and I are in bed and she's watching tv and I want to sleep, I can put the earphones in and turn them on and still hear the tv, it just won't be as loud. If I turn the music on, even at a relatively low volume, I won't hear the tv.
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Thanks. How about typing? Can you hear the sound from the keyboard?

I am curious why I could not hear the background music in the Bose showroom when I turned on the sound cancellation (don't remember if I had the music on my phone on or not).
 
hajime said:
Thanks. How about typing? Can you hear the sound from the keyboard?
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Do keyboards still make noise when you type? My macs are pretty quiet. If you're that concerned, I'm sure they have a keyboard at the bose store where you can test it. They also have the qc20 at the apple store.
 
helveta said:
Do keyboards still make noise when you type? My macs are pretty quiet. If you're that concerned, I'm sure they have a keyboard at the bose store where you can test it. They also have the qc20 at the apple store.
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One of the good things about the Mac is that the keyboards are quiet. The new guy that is sharing an office with me is using a DELL. I can't stand people hammering those DELL keyboards. The noise drive me crazy.

Unfortunately local apple stores do not have the qc20 on display.
 
Get some Klipsch,Sennheisers or Shure. I personally wouldn't waste the money on Bose or Beats like others have said. I just feel like they are greatly overpriced for what you get compared to other headphones in the market. Just my opinion.
 
According to Shure: "The acoustic performance of the SE846 is far superior to mainly all of the ear buds on the marhet now. The isolation comes from the fit and the model of sleeves that you are using."
 
Hello, could somebody who has the Bose QC20 do some tests for me? In case of working in a room with constant traffic from the outside, can the QC20 block out the sound of the traffic moving nearby? Can it block out the sound of the birds? Thank you.
 
Bose

I have the boss qc20 and the Bose qc25.
The qc25 is very good in terms of noise cancelling, however it is a big thing.
The qc20 is the best noise cancelling earbud or in earphone out there, it is also really small.
If you need a small deceive that you can carry anywhere, get the qc20
If you can carry a big earphone, get the qc20i
 
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Shure and Etymotic Research made some of the best sound isolation earbuds like Etymotic Research MC5 and Shure SE215. The eartips play an important roles for noise isolation. If you've already had a pair, jut find compatible eartips to increase comfort and sound isolation. Check out http://www.wearableinear.com/best-noise-isolating-earbuds/ they recommend 2 pairs with different sound signatures.
 
Dizzler said:
I always thought noise cancelling technology was for airplane noise. It never seemed to work on conversation noise. Are there new ones out there that do this also?
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No, noise cancelling technology works best on noise that is constant such as airplane or lawn mower noise. Doesn't work well with variable noise such as conversations, although the ear buds can simply block some noise.
 
I know people have thrown out a lot of different options... I'm a fan of the Shures. I have the 215's (a couple pairs) and a 535. If you're not concerned about audio quality, I'd say 215's are more than enough.

The most important part for me is the COMPLY tips. The P series on the 215 provide essentially the same -26dB from foam "bullet" earplugs, but also allows for good listening. It means I don't have to turn up the audio.

However, there's only so much you can block out. Noise cancelling ADDS noise. It inverts the outside and pumps it in. It gives me headaches. I'm very happy with a full-insert and standard volumes when I'm on a plane. I imagine it'll help you at Starbucks. Just be very aware that the more you "drown out", you'll have some give and take.
 
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