Those clever headphone thingies...

Happy enough with my Grado SR-60s at home as first pair of 'phones, though seriously tempted to try HD650s given recent reviews....

But I also spend 8-10 hours or so per week on trains. Mainly East Coast Line which means more reliability and less noise than most. That's mechanical and wind noise; what is really getting on my wotsits is hearing the same old announcement about the catering facilities, ticket restrictions, etc, etc.

I know Bose sell apparently magical noise-cancelling (is that the right term?) headphones and I think I have seen some Sony or other popular brand advertised recently.

Does anyone have first (or even second) hand experience of this type of 'phone? Do they work? Any pros and cons of specific makes/models? As I say, these are not for genuinely hi-fi use but for a Discman in noisy surroundings.

Thanks in anticipation.

 

I wouldnt go for the Bose. its likely to be very overpriced for what it offers, although i admit i dont know the price. A better bet for trains IMO is probably something like the Sennheiser PXC-250 which is said to sound pretty damn good for a portable phone, even holding its own against full size cans. If not those, then perhaps Etymotic ER6 or Shure E2c (I think thats the name). The latter can be bought on ebay for less than 60 notes.

 

Bose noise-cancelling headphones "work" but not terribly well. When my company pays me to fly business class to the US they have them on the American Airlines flights but I always take my trusty Sony MDR EX70s with me. For a start the sound quality is miles better but being "earplug" type headphones they are just as good at blocking out external noise (better than any electronic noise cancelling IMO) and they're also a lot more comfortable to use.

The Etymotics that Paul mentioned are the ultimate "earplug" phone but they are very expensive. The Sony's (current model MDR EX71) are about £25-30 new.

Michael.

 

The ER-6 is a budget Ety, so its not as expensive, but I still think its at least £100. of course the EX71s that Micheal suggests are not bad for the money also, and are definitely worth a look.

 

Thanks - funny ears....

Thanks for advice, chaps. Unfortunately I can't use the usual in-ear things as I have cutesy little earholes which are a tight squeeze for those that come with mobile phones, walkmans, etc. So I have to use some sort of over-ear thing for comfort. Current portable ones are those (£30?) Sony things which are a few centimetres across, coil up into a small space when not in use and hook over the ears when in use (if that makes sense).

So I can't rely on a physical blockage to keep noise out, hence my interest in Bose-like devices.

Any other Bose-like-but-non-Bose over-ear 'phones you know of? Not as huge as HD650s for practical reasons, of course.

Otherwise it looks like the Bose will get that month's trial.

Thanks again,

 

The Sony EX71s and the Etymotics are not like the usual "in the ear" phones that come standard with Walkmans etc. They are much smaller and fit in your ear like an earplug. I'd be amazed if anyone couldn't get them to fit. They're also very comfortable, much more comfortable than normal "in the ear" phones. I believe that the Etymotics have different sized "earplug" bits aswell to suit different people.

Here's a pic of the Sony's:



Michael.

 

I can spare you much pain on this as I have been round the houses researching this topic.

Shure E2C canal phones or Etymotic?? 6s is what you want I too have major reservations with in ear phones but had the chance to borrow shures of a mate and can say that they are comfortable, sound excellent (not up to my HD580s but damn close) and have excellent noise reduction properties.

try

http://www.dolphinmusic.co.uk/d2/?page=shop/index who apparently sell the Shures.. or www.audiocubes.com for the Etymotics.

Both about 100 quid.

I personally wouldn't bother with anything less and as you have Grados I think the Shures will work nicely.

To completely baffle yourself and raise more questions than you answer try www.headfi.com

 

I've got some Sennheisers which I use when I fly. Have also used them on a train and wouldn't hesitate to recommend them. Much cheaper than the Bose option!!

 

I've tried quite a few noise cancelling headphones (including Bose) and cannot say i have been impressed at all. As well as the background noise they seem to cancel out a good deal of the music too. The bass becomes quite thin and weedy and the music in general becomes rather two dimensional... but, the *constant* background noise virtually disappears.... so i guess you pays yer money and you takes yer choice......

 

Did you try the PXC-250's? I understand they are a bit harder to drive than most portable headphones, but it may have been worth a go anyway.

 

Excellent forum help

Thanks again!

Yup, I could fit those in Michael.

Will revisit and follow threads when my son is not kicking me off the computer....

Great to hear that someone has tried more than one pair and the music loses something - saves me hours of trials.

Off to the shops with £100 then...

 

Happy bunny....

Sony MDR EX71s arrived, courtesy Amazon, a few days ago. What a difference! These have transformed my 1+ hour train commute. The sound is better than anything else I have heard amongst the standard offerings, and the reduction in background noise is excellent.

It might not be the hi-est of fi, but at £25.99 it must be amongst the best bang-per-buck you could ask for.

Michaelab and others, thanks for discussion and recommendations.

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