Know of any good but affordable noise canceling headphones?

Post Reply New Topic

I know good & cheap are oxymorons but I need some kind of innovative method to help me sleep.

Are you talking about headphones for music or shooting range style earmuffs that block out everything?

Are you looking for in-ear or sealed headphones? In-ear headphones are generally more expensive, but may be more comfortable, especially for sleeping. I've never used the kind that have noise-cancelling electronics, but I think if you get a good pair of sealed headphones you shouldn't be able to hear much at all. I bought my headphones (HD580) from headphone.com, it's a really good site with lots of selection and thoughtful, unbiased reviews.

http://www.headphone.com/products/headphones/in-ear-monitor/
http://www.headphone.com/products/headphones/sealed-and-noise-canceling/

I bought mine from Amazon.com.
Cheap for me was $50.
They are not top of the line, but they work great for the money.
They are the only in ear phones that stay in my ear.

The only drawback is the cord is a little short. I am a size 16 neck which I think is average; these phones go around the back of the neck and fit just right, but if I was one neck size larger They'd be too small.

Look at this:

http://www.thetravelinsider.info/9nov2001.htm

and this:

http://reviews.cnet.com/4520-3000_7-1017728-1.html

Philips SBC HP250 work extremely well for me and have like a 9ft cord and cancel the noise very well. I believe the price was $20... highly recommended.

I use some Sony EX71 in-ear headphones that completely seal the ear, like an ear plug. These are reasonably cheap (~$30) and don't need batteries for the noise cancellation circuit. The downside is getting used to how they feel, though I find them less annoying than traditional (non-in-ear) headphones which tend to make my ears feel hot and compressed.

http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/de ... s&n=507846

Another nice thing is that they are very small and so can be carried easily.

I use Etymotic ER-6 in-ear earphones (they go for about $80 on ebay). They're not noise-cancelling but noise-isolating (noise-cancelling devices tend to distort the music as well). I'm perfectly satisfied with them except that I have to change the earwax filters every now and then, but that's standard practice for in-ear earphones.