I'd love to get the Bose ones, but I can't justify the $300+ mark. Even at $150 it's hard to justify. But I thought I'd see what people recomend?
I've seen the Phillips SHB7250 ones with 'noise isolation' for under the !00 mark, and reviews aren't to bad. Anyone have these?
Looking at replacing my very old pair of corded TDK ones (that are still good but the ear pieces are falling apart)
Maybe have a look at some cheaper IEMs (In-ear monitors), they're generally pretty good at isolation and shouldn't break the bank.
I can recommend the Shure SE215 - think I bought them for $120 a couple years ago, and replace the memory foam tips around every 3 months (Comply foam). Not complete isolation but doesn't let in the train/bus noise in on the commute to uni. They aren't wireless but I use one of those cheap bluetooth adapters that go on special here every now and then.
I've done so much research on this so here are my thoughts
Dizzle makes a very good explanation above so read that if anyone isn't aware of the difference between cancelling and isolation (i didn't know it at the start of my search for 'noise reducing' headphones)
In my long search I've come to realise the you either get the Bose QC35 or the Sony 1000xm2. Don't even bother with anything cheaper because the active noise cancelling will be mediocre. Now don't get me wrong, cheaper solutions can still cancel out very basic things like rumbles of airplace engines or aircon sound but they just don't do it as well as you would expect and Audio quality will still suffer due to the nature of how ANC works.
You should also investigate and maybe try a pair of ANC headphones for yourself in a store. A common complaint with ANC is that it creates a pressure feeling in your head when the noise cancelling is on (similar to pressure you feel on a plane)
If you are shopping for <$150 range I've come to the realisation that noise isolation is the better choice (especially IEMs), you will get better audio quality than ANC headphones and they are much more capable of blocking out sounds like screaming babies or people talking.
Also a side note- if you want to get a idea of what difference ANC makes I suggest you watch reviews for the QC35 and WH1000XM2 on youtube from JimsReviewRoom. he does live recordings inside the earcups in public and you can get a basic feel of ANC for yourself
Further to that Rtings.com does a very objective review of both the QC35s and the MDR-1000Xs and compares the cancelling between them here https://youtu.be/U9OW41r2cTY?t=4m10s
qc35
I'm loving the jaybird x2
Just so you are comparing the right things:
Noise isolation is a far cry from noise cancelling. Ear muffs are noise isolating - They provide a physical barrier that muffles sound. So in essence any around ear headphones will be noise isolating, and any in-ear headphone that fills the ear canal, rather than just sitting there. The effectiveness depends on the qualities of the foams and rubbers used.
Noise cancelling on the other hand have microphones that pick up the external noise and then send a "counter-wave" to lessen the unwanted noise. Quality is varied, so some noise cancelling "cheap" headphones may not be as good as some better quality Noise Isolation headphones. Constant noises such as air conditioners and plane engines are easier to cancel out. Constantly changing noises such as talking and music are harder as the mechanisms need to react very fast to the changes - Which is why people pay more for the Bose/Sony Noise cancelling.
Even the best N/C won't cancel out everything, but I've found they do enough so that if you are not listening out for the background, you don't hear it. When I'm watching a movie on the plane, I'm focused on that, so I don't hear the kid crying in the seat behind me.