Noise cancelling headphones.

[TCOTTLE]

I have taken the big dive and now work from home. I need some noise cancelling headphones that are affordable, and provide decent audio quality. I am a programmer, and work better when I have some music and can have the ambient noise muffled or removed.
Unfortunately, I am waiting for people to pay me, so budget is a consideration.
Thanks all.

[Cochese]

I have taken the big dive and now work from home. I need some noise cancelling headphones that are affordable, and provide decent audio quality. I am a programmer, and work better when I have some music and can have the ambient noise muffled or removed.
Unfortunately, I am waiting for people to pay me, so budget is a consideration.
Thanks all.

Depends on what style you like.

I was never a fan of OTE headphones (preferred in-ear, and earbuds don't work at all for me) until I tried some Sennheiser HD203s. These are my exclusive at-work headphones, and tune out any ambient noise there. You'll get some come through if people are really loud, but that's rare for me.

http://www.amazon.com/Sennheiser-HD2.../dp/B003LRN53I

At home, I prefer their RS120, due to the lack of a cord. These, however, are no where near noise cancelling.

I'm a huge fan of Sennheiser since I bought the HD203s. Great sound quality at a not outrageous price.

[TCOTTLE]

Thanks, that is less than I have been looking at. I was going to check out the Sony MDRZX600/BLK ones, they are a moniter series, and I wonder how the noise cancellation works in ones that are noise cancelling. I have 3 kids, so there is always a tv on someone, or someone walking by, and I am trying to rid myself of some of that distraction.
Do you find the HD203s can block out quite a bit of background noise?

[schloff]

I work in an office environment, so noise cancelling is imperative for me to get anything done.
I buy the cheapies to keep here. I'm using Skull Candy ear buds now. I bought them at Best Buy for about $15, and fully expected them to suck and not last long. 3 years later, they still rock. Great sound, especially for the money.
I would buy them again when the time comes. They completely remove ambient noise, and fit well.
Not a fan of buds for the most part (hygeine reasons), but these clean easily and store anywhere.

[Cochese]

Thanks, that is less than I have been looking at. I was going to check out the Sony MDRZX600/BLK ones, they are a moniter series, and I wonder how the noise cancellation works in ones that are noise cancelling. I have 3 kids, so there is always a tv on someone, or someone walking by, and I am trying to rid myself of some of that distraction.
Do you find the HD203s can block out quite a bit of background noise?

I suppose it depends on how loud your environment is. You might need active cancellation if your kids are as loud as mine are.

In an office environment, the construction does cut out quite a bit of sound. We sometimes have overhead pages for codes in the hospital, and with these on I can still hear that we're having a page, but I'll have to knock an ear off to hear exactly what it is.

Only one review on Amazon for those, and it was through their Vine program. You may just need to buy some and try them in your home and see what works best.

[BigguyZ]

I use Sennheiser CX500 earbuds. They seal well around the ear, and block out a lot of noise w/o being a full-on active noise canceling headphone.

They sound amazing- you'll be shocked at the amount and clarity of bass on these little buggers.

I can reccomend anything Sennheiser- I've had these and two other OTE headphones. All have been great.

[vaking]

I have been working from home 60% of my time for the past 2 years. I am not a programmer, I also need to regularly participate in meetings and conferences, so I am on the phone a lot. My company is multi-national, so part of my "work from home" package is something called sofphone - software application for my computer that allows me to use computer instead of a telephone, somewhat like skype only more professional. Needless to say it needs a headset. I also use Sennheiser but headset has 2 plugs intsead of 1, second plug is for the microphone. So if you see need to use PC instead of telephone in the future - may be you need a headset instead of just earphones? There are many headsets available, higher end are usually advertised as gaming, price is a range.

[LCHIEN]

I don't use headphones for work but I like NC phones for travelling. When on airplanes, esp. long flights, the endless drone of the engines is tiring and makes it hard to hear my iPod or understand the movies on board. For travel The headphones not only need to be noise-cancelling but lightweight and compact and not cost $300 and up. The last two put Bose out of the running even though they have a good reputation.
For a while I use Panasonic and then Sennheiser ($80-100) on top of the ears NC phones - they both have an electronics pod on the cable which is a bit annoying but they folded flat and were lightweight and comfortable for long term use (9-10 hours to Europe and back). I have started using V-Moda ear buds (around $35). No batteries even though the previous ones lasted 40-50 hours on one AA cell, but they are light and seal well enough to give similar performance. Since starting carpooling (50 minutes each way) I use these several days a week and they are comfortable... sometimes they made my ears ache after a while but that has gone away. At the price they are not free but cheap enough to not cry if I lose them or they get damaged... I've already bought a spare pair. ANd they have a built-in microphone and in-line switch to pause my Ipod or skip songs.
As for sound quality, they are OK for the price and I'm a bit of an audio buff. A little weak in highs but the lows are surprisingly good.
In the car pool it blocks out almost all the conversation and also the radio (they like NPR and I prefer classic rock) as well as road noise. Same for the planes - keeps the roar down to a minimum for less fatigue and makes the movies understandable.

Don't know if that helps with your office situation but thats my experience.

[cabinetman]

I've got tinnitus, so I'm not a good candidate for a review, but the last headphones I tried, both Bose and Koss had some very good ones that fit very well.

.

[chopnhack]

I have the HD202's and have found them to be comfortable for extended use and at low volumes, give quite a wide range while blocking most noise out. I guess it all depends on how noisy your environment will be.

[gsmittle]

IMO, Bose headphones (and speakers and table radios, etc.) are overpriced and underperforming. You can get much better sound for much less money. I've never had a need for NC headphones, but I really like Sennheiser's overall, and my little $30 pair of Koss headphones kick butt for the price.

Try Headroom for tons of info on headphones (including the best bang for your buck), and some truly scary audiophile prices for the über good stuff.

g.

[sandoz71]

I work in IT in a busy office and travel quite a bit as well. I own an over the ear pair I purchased on Amazon from a company called Audiotechnica. They are about 5 years old and going strong About 120.00 as I recall and I have compared them to the Bose and a few others....for the money they simply cant be beat. I have convinced several others in my office to buy some as well and have never heard a complaint.

[Rand]

I have a pair of JVC noise cancelling headphones that I like. They were very highly rated when I bought them in 2005. I don't think the model is available any more but you might want to give JVC a shot.

The noise cancelling isn't complete but it does muffle the noise inside a jetliner considerably.

[sailor55330]

Sennheiser, hands down.

As for Bose, Bose sound and perform great.....unitl you compare them side by side to almost anything else.