I've read a lot recently about noise-cancelling headphones, but never actually tried a pair out for myself.

Do they actually work? I can't imagine anything is more effective than just buying really good fitting in-earbuds. Maybe I'm wrong though eh!

Hey Tommy

I had the chance to try Bose ones a couple of years ago when I got a free upgrade on a Delta Business class flight and they were brilliant at eliminating the background noise on a plane. That's why I'm after some now for a few long trips I'm going to make.

I'm not sure how effective they would be a more changable sound environment (eg tube or street) but I'm sure they'd eliminate some of the background; depends on the effect it has on the music you're listening to.

There are also earbud noise-cancelling headphones as well as the on ear and circumaural types. I personally tend to find them a little uncomfortable after more than a couple of hours.

Cheers Paul. I've noticed Bose have quite a range but they all seem really expensive. I'm still looking around for a pair. Maybe Sennheiser? They tend to get pretty good reviews. Anyone got a pair of noise cancelling Sennheisers?

NOISE-CANCELLING HEADPHONES! WHAT NEXT?
MAYBE NO NOTHING EAR PHONES.OR!MORE MONEY NEW SHAPES. I FIND MY SENNHEISER EAR PHONES 10 YEARS OLD JUST AS GOOD!
COST SOME BUT PLAIN AND SIMPLE QUALITY-COULD OF BEEN SONY PHONE WHAT EVER.NOT INTERESTEND IN THE QUALITY OF NOISE.
THANK TOMMY G.GO FOR SENNHEISER THAY ARE GRATE!!!

I've got some etymotic ER20 in ear plugs that are absolutely fantastic. Quite expensive and probably a bit OTT for portable use only. However, I use them also with my "proper" Hi Fi (with ER20S converter)and the sound is unbelievable. They really cut out external noise effectively - I can quite happily listen to music while my wife watches TV. Only problem is they're a little fiddly to take in and out when she wants to tell me how we need to get on with the latest Kevin McCloud grand design!

hi,

i use shure E2c for work, factory work and they are amazing for what they do!

quality is spot on too,

I have the Shure E4's and they are brilliant at both noise cancellation and Sound Quality got them for about £110 and money well spent !!

hello. i wanna by a pair of ER20 earplugs, dose any 1 no the cheapset place?????? xxxx

Hi,
using the sennheiser pcx250 at present. pretty good for cutting our the low vibrations to get whilst travelling, noisy van, train and plane-but do not expect a total absence of background noise-peoples voices can still be heard for instance. Trouble I find with the 'foldy-up' sennheisers is that they are a mess to pack and carry and its a pity you cannot take of the noisegard bit when you do not need it. Positive is that i shall be taking them on the train again tomorrow and the batteries have lated ages. They still work as headphones without the batteries (2 x AAA's)-just checked.

Hi,I use the Sennheiser PCX300 which are available at a very good price on ebay.I would not replace my home ones with them but they are terrific for flying cutting out most of the background noise.They pack small and come with adapters to fit different sockets.i understand that a new top of the range (Pcx450?0 is imminent.

I have the Sennheiser PXC300 headphones and have found them to be very good for flights when I use the airplane sound system.

However, if I use them with my portable CD player or any other portable sound source (mini-disc, ipod etc) I find the maximum volume level they can provide is too low.

I must emphasise that I do NOT listen to music at anything like a loud level, but I cannot comfortably hear the music with a portable source. These Sennheisers have very low sensitivity compared to the free or in-ear phones which are commonly used with portable audio sources; they are fine with a source which has a normal output level like a standard hi-fi amplifier or similar.

My portable player has an output level of 5mW with an impedance of 16 ohm. I think the output needs to be at least 10 mW with the Sennheiser PXC300 phones.

If anybody knows of a portable CD player or similar which does provide reasonable volume levels when used with the Sennheiser PXC300 phones then please let me know.

I have a pair of Sennheiser PX300 and I use them to listen to my iPod when I am travelling. I bought them because I was aware that I was running the iPod at full volume just to hear the music on my PX150s which gave me some concerns over long term hearing damage. Do they work? well yes they do, but I must say that the improvement in a plane is not staggering. I am able to reduce the volume of my iPod to say 80%. In the back of a car the difference is fantastic, particularly on motorways and if this is the use (or similar) that you are likely to put these 'phones to I would recommend them. Do shop around as you can save a significant sum by doing so! I keep breaking the in ear phones that I have tried from Apple, Sony, Shure etc so I keep a pair of cheap Sennheisers solely for occasional cycling use only.

I have a blended train/bike commute - so I am keen to find a system that includes the fewest bits possible - some of the NC headphones I have seen have heavy battery pods and loads of wires - so what is the neatest solution out there

I've owned a pair of Audio Technica ANC7 Noise Cancelling Headphones for about six months.  Comparing them with a friends Bose QC2's I actually prefer the Audio-Technica's.  The build quality of the AT's is a lot better than the Bose headphones and the sound quality is just as good (if not better).