[AdrianA1]

Hi All
Looking to buy some quality closed noise cancelers, options Senheiser 450, Bose QC3, dennon tried the SDennon they felt and sounded good but not tried any others yet
Any help greatly aprecieated
Adrian

[Steven]

You will not be able to try them because its the UK, but active noise cancelling headphones cannot compete with IEMs. Passive noise cancelling wins every time. Think ear plugs. No background electronic hum. You should search for my posts.

Trouble with not being able to try is that you do not know if you will be one of the minority who cannot get on with the fit

[Uriel]

Have a look at reviews of the Goldring NS1000s. I have a set and am very impressed with them. From what I've read they offer better sound quality than the QC3 and can be had for much, much cheaper (they frequently turn up on offer at play.com for around £50 but RRP is around £140), although aren't quite as comfortable. It's taken a while for them to wear in but I now find mine quite comfortable after initially finding them rather tight.

They're also some of the most natural sounding headphones for vocals (especially male) I've tried - including some great sets like the HD580 and HD600.

Just a word of warning - when noise cancellation is enabled, there can be perceptable hiss. I believe this can be a problem for most active noise cancelling headphones though.

Edit: in response to the above poster, I wouldn't dismiss active noise cancellation entirely. The NS1000s do a better job at controlling computer fan noise and similar drone type sounds than my s-Jays IEMs with foam tips. The s-Jays do better with conversation etc though. Horses for courses...

[tredders]

If you decide to go down the Bose route, it's worth finding a Bose factory outlet. I bought mine (QC2's, which I preferred to the QC3's) from the outlet store at Bicester, and paid £170 for them, which at the time was a £50 saving.

[Uriel]

A couple of reviews:
Test bench: noise-cancelling headphones - Times Online
Goldring NS1000 Active Noise Reduction Headphones

Originally Posted by AdrianA1

Hi All
Looking to buy some quality closed noise cancelers, options Senheiser 450, Bose QC3, dennon tried the SDennon they felt and sounded good but not tried any others yet
Any help greatly aprecieated
Adrian

I'd say QC3s, as long as you look after them. This means keeping them in the carry case when you are not using them. I'm on my fourth pair, and pairs 1-3 all failed with the same problem - right hand can died - but I think this is because they were not kept in the case, which protects the drivers from being forced in and out by air pressure.

I also have a pair of the Goldring NS-1000 'phones which are impressive for £54 (a play.com offer) but they are a bit tinny compared with the Bose, and they do hiss a little (QC3s have no perceptable hiss at all). Having said that they are not burned in yet so I expect to see an improvement (and in any case, the Bose sound quite warm and bassy, and this tends to rob the top end of detail.

It's a bit of a risk, as the QC3s are now £300 retail, and you have to get them direct from Bose. So you might be better off going for the Goldrings for £55, trying them out and stick 'em on eBay if you don't get on with them. Of course, with the Bose, you can return them if you don't like them, provided you do it within a certain period. But they are so much money....

Build quality of the Bose is superior, there is no creaking or any cheapness here.

The Goldrings are to my mind a lot more comfortable than the Bose, but they are much bigger. I find I like the over the ear fit; the Bose on-ear pads tend to get hot (or rather your ears do) after about an hour. Goldrings are therefore much bigger than the Bose when packed away and obviously they are bigger on the head. Hovever, due to the Bose carry case design, it is not much thinner than the Goldring case (although the Goldring case is wider and taller).

I think it might be better to compare the NS-1000s with the larger Bose QC2s (a pair of which I don't have, but I tried them at the Bose Store in Regent Street (London) and, like the Goldrings, I felt they were a bit bass light. I suspect the QC3s are boosing the bass and midrange somewhat in order to achieve that warm sound.

I have only tried the headphones on my iPod which isn't really "hi-fi", but I will have another go later with a decent CD player. For comparison I have also tried an old pair of Technics headphones, which, like the Goldring, are also bass light.

Hmmm. There's a pattern emerging here. Perhaps I can conclude that I prefer the warm QC3 sound, and that the other headphones are more neutral.

Note : All comparisons done with niose cancelling turned on.

[HiFi Headphones]

I have to agree with LFC_SL that noise cancelling headphones are definitely not the last word in sound quality. The audio signal gets digitised by a DSP chip, processed and then turned back into analogue again. The end result is a modified and much noisier audio signal.

If you are looking to spend upto £250 then you could do far better with a decent pair of IEMs (Klispsch Image, Sleek Audio SA6, Shure SE420, Westone UM2, etc) and custom earphone sleeves. Custom fit sleeves will completely isolate you from the noise and there will be no problem with fit as they are made specially for your ears.

[bigtings]

monster by dr dre

[MrFurious]

ive decided that i will try a pair of bose quietcomfort 2, these are the style that fits over the ear i think, i need a pair that let no noise out as the wife complains too much.

[Steven]

If you are only using at home, I am not sure you strictly need noise cancelling as a set of closed headphones could work just as well

Audio on train/tube without looking a tw@t? (that's just the thread title, not my words :-))

[MrFurious]

i would only use the bose at home yes, but when im lying in bed at night i need some headphones that dont let any sound out, the wife is fed up at listening to my music.

[warrenmmmmm]

I recently purchased as-new US factory-reconditioned Sennheiser PXC-450 headphones, as my PXC-250 set went to my wife to combat her noisy work environment (and they were none-too-comfortable around my big head). These cost me US$235 (~UK£157 today) on eBay including postage to Australia, and arrived inside a week. Seller ebay ID is compaqparts. They are not up to the sound quality of my AKG-701s, of course, but they are very good indeed, musically more satisfying than any other noise cancellers I've heard. They are also very very comfortable, though not up to the comfort standard of Sennheiser HD600/HD650. You might be charged VAT on top, but, even so, this is a real bargain.
Regards
Warren in Sydney, Oz