Noise-Cancellation Headphones recos?
 

Looking for noise cancellation headphones for use while travelling.
Are the Bose QC3 worth the price or there is a cheaper option?
Anyone used Sony MDR-NC50 ?
Any other? Panasonic?

I have old Sony's that work well.

shure E500 pth is great

I have the ear bud version of Sony's noise cancelling headphones (MDR-NC11A/BLK). They work well IF you can get the buds to fit snuggly into your ears. The electronic noise cancelling circuitry seems to work well, so if it's the same as that used in the over-the-ear headphone I can't see why they wouldn't work fine on flights.

Did you look at these?

Sennheiser PXC 300 Noise Cancelling Headphones

http://reviews.cnet.com/Sennheiser_P...-31296835.html

I don't like folding headphones. They are a real hassle. (at least my non-noise cancelling Sony MDR-710LP are.)

Hey Lemans

I have the new QC3 and the new in ear Bose triport, travel a lot. The Q3C is UNMATCHED for eliminating outside noise, I find myself using them many times without any music. Lets you fall asleep instantly

love them and worth every penny

I have tried and bought a few different brands of NC headphones and recently got the Bose QC2's for Christmas from my wife. I must say that while the Bose units are expensive as all hell, they are awesome. They cancel sound without making your ears feel like they are clogged up. Many other brands produce this feeling to varying degrees. The QC2's are very comfortable and sound very good too. They are simply great. I like them better than the QC3's because they are $50 cheaper and also because they are over-the-ear instead of on-the-ear like the QC3's. I think over-the-ear is more comfortable and also helps keep sounds out with an earmuff like effect. The downside: Price is a major one but the fact that they cannot be used in any way without battery power kind of sucks. I have a pair of NC headphones from Sharper Image and at least those can still be used to listen to music without batteries; you just lose the NC function. The Boses will not even play music without batteries. BUT... the batteries last about 20 hours and it's nothing to pack an extra AAA or two.

Also, I am not big on anything in-ear. They're compact and easy to pack but I get tired of the feeling of something in my ear.

Are the Bose QC3 worth the price or there is a cheaper option?

There's always a cheaper option (heck, if you just wanted an SUV, you coulda had a Ford Explorer!) ;) but I don't think there are better headphones for travel than Bose. I have a pair of Sony NC (5 years old, so don't know model), and their NC doesn't seem as good as Bose, and they're far less comfortable. I'd be concerned that you'd end up being unhappy with Sony's and eventually buy Bose anyway.

I have Bose QC2, QC3 and Triports. If you don't want to fuss with batteries, the Triports are great -- comfortable, quiet (they're over-ear and seal out a good deal of noise without NC technology) and lightweight - plus they're considerably cheaper.

The QC2's are great NC headphones, but the QC3's are slightly better in several ways. I have big ears, and got the QC2's because they're over-ear. Then I bought a pair of QC3's for my wife. I just tried them "because they were there", and I was SHOCKED at how comfortable they are, even on long (10-12 hr) flights. They're also smaller, so a bit easier to pack/carry. Some people say their NC technology is slightly better than that on the QC2, but I can't tell the difference, and my guess is that buying either pair right now, you'd get the same technology.

I'd say either the QC2 or QC3 is a "can't lose" choice. Just don't rule out the QC3's because they're "on ear" -- they really are amazingly comfortable. :thumbup:

I've have the PXC 250's; I travel often and extensively throughout EMEA, US, Asia. They are my companions on almost every flight. Superb sound quality. Hassle-free folding system. Very decent noise-cancelling capability considering the fact they don't fully cover the ears. Excellent compromise between "no-bass-earbuds" and cumbersome all-surrounding models.

I highly hilghly recommend them. The PXC 300 should be even better.