Alternatives to Bose QuietComfort 3 Noise Cancelling Headphones?

[rockykabir]

I'm on the look out for noise cancelling headphones after being quiet [sic] impressed after using them on a flight I was on.

It is a bit pricey, and I hear that Bose aren't that highly rated amongst most people here. Can anyone recommend any non in-ear headphones with noise cancelling technology?

I've read a bit about the Sennheiser PXC headphones - but apparently they are quite flimsy?

Cheers

[andyUK101]

The PXC-250 and PXC-300 are a little plasticky and flimsy but the PXC-450 are built very well, unfortunately they are around the same price as the QC3

Ive not seen a set of PXC-350 yet but they look to combine the built quality of the PXC-450 with the more realistic pricing of the PXC-300

[chrisgeary]

The PXC-450 is currently on sale at dabs.com for £166 delivered. I've ordered a pair to see what they are like.

[LFCRules]

At that price, they are a steal!! I'd be interested in your comments when you get them

[QuantumUK]

Have you looked at the Goldring NS1000?

http://www.quantumelectronics.co.uk/...eadphones.html

[LFCRules]

Originally Posted by LFCRules

At that price, they are a steal!! I'd be interested in your comments when you get them

Oh well, I crumbled, I've for a pair of the Sennheiser's on their way to me also from Dabs

[chrisgeary]

nice! I've yet to receive mine (they are at the depot waiting for me but I can't get them till Saturday!)

[custodian]

I do quite a lot of long haul flights. The Bose 3 phones I find poor becasue they seem to sit uncomfortably on my ears (no comments on my ears please!).

I own the larger Bose 2 and the Sennheiser pxc450 which I think are significantly better. The Sennheiser phones give a more musica sound and are very comfortable however the Bose give slightly more effective noise supression. The real winner for the Sennheiser is the built in function that allows you to press a switch and hear outside conversation so when the stewardee asks you if you want another glass of champagne you don't just sit and look totally blank (unless you've already had too many glasses)

I alo have a pair of Shure E5c in-ear phones which souond great but personally I just find them too uncomfortable for lengthy use.

The Sennheisers at the reduced price are an absolute steal and I wouldn't think twice.

Theonly real advantage of the Bose is that there is a third party adaptor available which lets you add a mic and use them if you are a pilot. They are a lot better than the usual pilot's headsets

[LFCRules]

Originally Posted by chrisgeary

nice! I've yet to receive mine (they are at the depot waiting for me but I can't get them till Saturday!)

Well you'll be getting them before me Just got into work, and found the email saying it was out for delivery, today!!! And given my "local" depot is miles away (I don't drive) I'll have to arrange redelivery for next week sometime, probably Tuesday

But given the previous review, I look forward to getting them

[LFCRules]

Well I got home tonight, and found on the door step of the flat a box

The headphones are here. There are a lot lighter than I thought, and for someone with a melon head like me, they fit perfectly. The earpads are dead comfy, and fully encompass the ear with ease. The excellent build quality really does show with the earphones in general, but then again it should do at this price.

I've only had a quick go this evening, listening to my Ipod Classic and video on the MacBook Pro. At first, this being my first cans of this type, it felt weird, like a vacuum over the ear but once the sound kicked in and I had them on for 15 mins or so, it was back to normal, and a very good sound.

As for the main reason why I bought them, the noise cancelling is very good. I cranked up the surround sound whilst listening, and it drowned out the noise easily. And the talk through is a marvel, with the touch of a button, you can hear perfectly

All in all, a good investment, I look forward to using them on my travels, and in the office when I'm on my todd

[chrisgeary]

Picked up mine today too.

My first impressions are much like yours. My reference cans are the Senn HD25-1s which sit on my ear which I've never liked after more than half an hour or so. I think the 450s are going to be much nicer for extended periods.

The sound is similar but I would say more neutral than my HD25s, which are biased towards bass and treble. It'll take a little getting used to the difference. One thing that is a big plus is the 450s sound more or less the same whether noise cancelling or in bypass mode. There is a roll off in the bass in noise cancelling mode, but otherwise you wouldn't know it was enabled. Also, enabling/disabling noise cancelling fades the audio in and out, which is a nice touch.

There is no sense of 'sucking' that some noise cancelling cans create. I had a pair of Audio Technica ANC-ATH7s for about a day and they really sucked out my right ear - it was awful. They sounded good, a little bassier maybe, not as neutral as the 450s. I know they are half the cost, but the noise cancelling was far too aggressive and I couldn't live with the right side pull they created. The 450s talk-through feature is really good - I didn't think I would be bothered by it, but it is really like you don't have the cans on at all. The audio is cut and you can hear as if you didn't have them on.

I've got a flight to the US tomorrow, so I'll write more about their performance on a plane.

[Jules Tohpipi]

Another thumbs-up for the PXC-450s here too.

I was recently returning from Japan with a colleague who owns the latest Bose headphones. He let me give them a try and I was immediately convinced. However, being a self-respecting audiophile, there was no way I was ever going to buy something with the Bose logo on it - so the BA in-flight offer of £200 for the PXC-450s seemed too good to miss.

My first impression on unwrapping was 'Blimey, these are bigger than I thought they'd be'. But that was soon forgotten as they are sooo comfortable. The whole luxury experience is like slipping into the back of an S-Class, and you could wear these for 10+ hours no problem at all.

Comparing with the Bose in-flight, then the two are roughly equal in terms of noise cancellation (i.e. excellent) but the Sennheisers cream the Bose for sound quality. Of course, while in the air, the massive reduction in background noise effectively makes either sound better than any conventional audiophile (on-ear) cans.

It should be noted that, if your battery runs out, the PXC-450s can still be used as conventional headphones. This is not true of the Bose, where not only do you lose the noise-cancelling feature but you lose all sound full stop - they're completely dead. This means that if you intend to use the Bose as your home headphones aswell, then you'd better have a supply of batteries readily at hand.

My lasting impression of the fantastic PXC-450s though is when I took them off. Sat on the sofa at home, not only did my ears not ache from wearing them, but I had none of that residual ringing and roaring in my ears - typical of being in close proximity to four jet engines on full chat for 12-13 hours. Those who fly regularly will know exactly what I mean. In short it was a revelation and greatly speeded up my recovery time, removing completely one of the major after-effects.

Having completed over sixty buttock-numbing return long-haul flights in the last eight years, then I really really should have bought some of these years ago - even if it that would have meant buying Bose, the concept works that well. Thank heavens Sennheiser have stepped-up to the mark...

[chrisgeary]

So after a 10 hour flight from Heathrow to San Francisco, I can say the following:

PXC450 pros:
- excellent noise cancelling, I mean excellent.
- excellent comfort. I kept them on for 8 out of the 10 hours taking them off once or twice.
- talk-through really works, although people you are talking to must think you can't hear them properly. i think its a bit of a gimmick, everyone needs to take them off now and then. perhaps its better to save some cash and go for the 350s.
- sound quality is excellent too
- i even managed to snooze a little with them on! if you position yourself right in your seat, you can rest your head without resting on the headphones themselves. ahhh quiet time!

PXC450 cons:
- with no audio playing, if you move the headphones, they pick up the noise from the pads. its minor though. its like a rubbing sound, a noisy 1/4" jack lead, a noisy gain control - that sort of thing, but really very minor.
- the bass drop in noise cancelling mode is quite pronounced, its too weak really.
- the bass is overpowering in bypass mode - far too much.
- they do seem a little heavy, although I've nothing to compare them to yet.

While I'm here, I think I'm going to revisit the Bose QC2s for comparison. If I can find a pair at a reasonable price, I'll use them on the return leg in two weeks time.

To the OP - I know you originally asked about the QC3s, but as I don't like the on-ear design, I won't offer a comparison, but I hope my experiences help.

[thetraveller]

I've just got some Jabra C820 noise cancelling phones - £70 from play.com.
I've not been on a long haul flight with them yet. They seem fine to me but I'm not an audiophile.
I previously had some really cheap Altec Lansing noise cancelling phones but those broke when stuffed in a bag to get through UK airport security. Tjhe Jabra's are in a much more robust case.