noise cancelling cans

my missus likes the idea of noise cancelling headphones for when she is away on business. she is not too fussed about the whole hifi thing but she does want a good pair. what exactly do they do? do they cancell out all noise? if anyone can give me some pointers i would be chuffed

 

A few options you could try.

At the bottom end theres the Sony MDR-EX71, which are not technically noise cancelling, but offer a high level of attenuation. The sound quality is rather poor on them IMO though, and as such, its probably worth paying a bit more for....

Sennheiser PXC-250, which is a sits on the ear type design with a headband. It has active noise cancelling capabilities, but from what I've read, is not entirely effective, and also has a result of making them rather difficult to drive for some portables. If you can get an audition it might be worth trying, an audition would be highly recommended IMO since they arent cheap.

Other than that, you are pretty much looking at the Shure E2C (check ebay) or the Etymotic ER6, either of which should cost less than £100, and are like the EX71 in that they are canal phones and offer a high level of attenuation rather than active noise cancelling.

Or theres them Bose noise cancelling jobs, but I dont know how much they cost, or whether they are any good.

 

Tried the Sennheisers once, they cut down steady sounds a bit but can't do much about more intermittent stuff (so, expect to hear less engine/wind noise, but not much effect on people talking).

Technology or common sense - something that isolates like the Etymotic might be more effective if the goal is to hear less of all of the world, I think.

 

the noise she wishes to cancel out is the 'world' noise. people talking , enjoying themselves etc. the bose jobs cost £275 btw.

 

I needed exactly this for when I'm in the gym (normal headphones don't quite manage to drown out Britney's whining...). In the end, I went for the Shure E2C - readily available for £65, I got mine new off eBay for £50 Buy It Now.

Sound quality is fantastic for a £50 pair of cans and their isolating qualities are excellent. In the gym I never hear any noise except in-between tracks. I find them very comfortable, but in fairness my wife struggled with the concept of sticking a headphone inside your ear canal...

I've also heard that the active ones are not that effective.