For frequent fliers finding the right pair for headphones is crucial. The right headphones can make all of the difference in whether you are able to sleep through the wails of the crying infant a few rows back or the chatter of the couple sitting next to you. When people hear that you fly frequently they immediately suggest active noise canceling headphones but is that always the best route to go?
To further complicate my search for the "perfect" travel headphones, I have tiny ears. My small ears mean that almost every pair of headphones that exist, with the exception of in-ear headphones, provide passive noise canceling and sometimes in a rather uncomfortable way. So what's the difference between passive and active noise canceling headphones, what would I gain by switching to active noise canceling?
Passive noise canceling headphones work to block out sound waves from the environment by the materials that they are made out of. Just like how ear muffs soften outside noise, so do headphones employ passive noise canceling.
Active noise canceling headphones also use the materials they are made of to block out outside noise but they take things one step further by creating their own sound waves. The sound waves they make mimic the outside noise but are the "mirror image" of each other and cancel each other out.
The headphones pictured here are my current travel headphones, the Bowers & Wilkins P5s ($299). They employ passive noise canceling technology and while the fit is not ideal thanks to my small ears, they sound fantastic (when not in the air and pretty good when flying) and have been my go-to choice for some time. Recently, however the amount of flying I've been doing has been stepped up exponentially and after yet another noisy 10 hour+ flight I'm thinking it might be time to re-examine my intense dislike of active noise canceling headphones.
My experience with active noise canceling headphones has not been great. I tried them several years ago and because they were not perfectly in sync with the outside noise the artificial sound waves drove me a bit batty. It felt like someone was tapping the inside of my ear and it was most unpleasant. A year or so later I tried the technology again and it felt like I was off balance, the noise from the canceling technology sounded like someone whispering "whoosh, whoosh" and they made me feel like I was underwater. Needless to say I have not exactly been eager to put on another pair.
After reading a bit more about how they work and listening to other frequent fliers rave about them I've decided to take another look at active noise canceling technology. I've started my search by checking out this roundup of options from last autumn and now I'd like to hear from the Apartment Therapy Tech community. What headphones do you use when you fly?
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I use ear plugs to block out the drone of the plane and then a pair of over ear headphones. basically doubling up on the passive noise reduction. I also use this setup when working long stints in the datacenter where the CRAC units are as loud or louder than a typical airplane ride.
I have the Dr Dre Studio, active noise-cancelling headphones. I love the sound and the noise-cancelling is great. A big point for active is the fact that you need a lower sound level to hear correctly, nicer for your ears.
But the Dr Dre Studio could be sturdier. Their plastic casing make them fragile. Don't drop them or they could be broken forever. I had them replace under warranty because they broke for no reason. A nice touch is the iPhone microphone. I would opt for the all aluminum Studio Pro, but it's quite expensive.
And the yellow bag?
I use the Shure SE420 in-ear headphones with the foam buds. It blocks out most ambient noise... except the deep hum of the airplane and screaming kids. I've tried their rubber gasket buds, but I find they hurt my ears when the plane changes altitude.
My friend uses the Bose QuietComfort 3 and is very happy with it but he could hear the quartet of screaming toddlers on our last flight (when one stopped the another picked up the "chorus").
I never switched to the Bose because of the "clunkiness" factor: it takes up a lot of room in a carry-on bag. Whereas the Shure is very compact and easy to store. If you are going to go with the Shure, pay for the higher-end ear buds because you get what you pay for: great sound quality.
Although, I did seriously consider the Bose on our last flight with four screaming toddlers...
I use Sony MDR-NC7 headphones. I paid $50 for them, they are now available at Amazon for $20. My girlfriend has the same issue as you, having small ears. She saw that I really liked my headphones and borrowed them for a trip. When she got back the headphones went straight on her wish list. I got her a pair and she is very happy with them.
I've been debating weather or not to get sculpted eers, http://sculptedeers.com/. They are in-home custom headphones that form into the shape of your ear canal, and works like ear plugs. Maybe give them a try and give us your review?
I use the Bose QC3 Noise canceling headphone, very pricey, but extremely comfortable and good sounding! And they are on-ear, not around - and thats great for many hours of use!
a bit pricey at $400-500 depending on where you buy it, but after a year of using my sennheiser mm 550 on weekly 4-hour flights, no regrets spending that. i get about 7-8 hours using bluetooth, longer when plugged in on the plane. noise cancelling is fantastic in my opinion and no weird buzz at all.
sound quality can't beat high-end wired headphones, but i'm not that much of an audiophile and i rate the convenience of wireless a bigger priority for me. of course that's a personal preference.
@ Strudelganger The bag is the 14" satchel from Cambridge Satchel Company and fits my 13" MacBook Air, iPad 1 in Dodo Case and Sony Nex5N as well as a pair of sunnies and px glasses, and a small cosmetics bag.
For those recommending ear buds, I have heard that these are a no-no with the pressure changes on plane rides and can cause quite a bit of pain. Have you found this to be true on long plane rides? Most of my plane rides are over 7 hours...which also makes things challenging.
Going to Beats from the P5s would be a big step down in sound quality. The active technology out there has gotten pretty good, and the Bose active technology is widely considered to be the best at noise-canceling, whatever the take on the sound quality. Sennheiser makes a pretty good pair. But if you sample a pair of Bose and feel weird, your best bet would be to stick with passive.
In-ear monitors will give you the best isolation, but they are not going to be comfortable for 10+ hours on a plane. However, there should be plenty of over-ear options that isolate way better than the P5 and are plenty comfy.
BTW I haven't had any issues with IEMs on planes from a pressure change = pain standpoint. Just that anything sitting in your ear canal for over a couple of hours is going to start to hurt. And there's ear wax to contend with.
@strudelganger
It's the Cambridge Satchel. It's about 100 US dollars and comes in ever colour. It's absolutely gorgious and handmade in the UK.
I regularly take 15 hour flights and I have no problem whatsoever with the pressure changes and using earbuds. I use skullcandy 50/50 earbuds and love them. I was recently considering getting active noise canceling earbuds, but was wondering if it's worth it, since I've heard they're not as effective. I find it really hard to sleep with full headphones on, so I don't think they'd be a good investment for me. I am wondering, though, aside from worries about pressure, whether active noise canceling earbuds are worth the premium.