Best noise-cancelling headphones?

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What are the best noise cancelling headphones for Autistics who have sensory needs? My DH's Beats Studio Wireless use "white noise" to cancel out other sounds, but white noise is stressful and disruptive to me and makes my ears itch. Are there better options? At this point, cost is not an issue; I just want quiet.

The earphones I use are more like earmuffs, with audio.

But it took me a long time to find a pair I liked, as my ears are on the larger size (they don't really look it), so most earphones were uncomfortable or hurt after an hours use.

But it is worth the effort of finding a pair you like, in the end I got lucky as these came bundled with a laptop i bought and were a limited run.

They appear to very similar to these:

http://www.pccasegear.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=116_1234&products_id=29917

Bose has long made some pretty good active noise canceling headphones, but they can be pricey. Still, nothing works as good as active NC where the incoming sound waves are processed and negated by active transponders. White noise just depends on much of the outside sound getting lost beneath a threshold, the same phenomenon used by mp3's to only have to save part of the information. For me, though, that's like covering an annoying random sound in a room by turning on a LOUDER random sound...

I don't care if they're pricey- what model do you suggest? What is the likelihood that a Bose store would have an Autistic employee who can understand what I need in a pair of headphones? Or at least an employee who is familiar with how the world sounds to an Autistic person?

I have Bose QC15 and QC25 (QC15's successor). As I've never used other noise-cancelling headphones, I cannot compare QC15 and 25 with them. I bought those because users' reviews on different headphones overwhelmingly favoured QC15 and 25.

They are not bad but you can still hear some noise. They cancel constant not-too-loud noises pretty well. In crowded noisy places they do help, but you can't expect absolute silence.

I don't think it's easy to find autism-aware employees in most stores.

I can enthusiastically recommend the Bose QC20 earphones for both excellent fidelity (even by my audiophile standards) and noise-cancellation. Being compact and low profile they can be used discretely and can be tucked in a pocket when not in use. The QC20s are especially good at mitigating loud, sudden noises. They are fully tested in NYC. In extreme circumstances ear muffs can be worn over them.

I also had the Bose QC15 but after comparing the two, the QC20 has better fidelity and more effective noise-cancellation over a broader frequency spectrum. Although I have not had extensive experience with the newer QC25, Bose full-size headphones, even though initially very comfortable, make me sweat too much over time around the ears especially in warmer weather.

Im good at headphones, Bose are very good, and they are super comfy, but the audio isnt the best. Quiet Comfort 25 (the newest model, although ive heard the old one has better noise cancelling, dont know if its true though). I would recommend for you to try them out in the store, just to make sure they dont have the white noise that annoys you. I inserted a link in this message, so you can see the best ones according to the internet, and if you have the chance to try out some of them and then decide. Best noise cancelling headphones

My apologies, I don't know the model numbers as I was just borrowing them from coworkers. There were several Bose models and all with active noise cancellation clearly worked better than the other brands' white noise models and most of the other brands' active models.

Update: It looks like a few other posters came to the rescue with model numbers - yay, for WP people!

Noise-cancelling? You need ones that produce harsh noise. xD

But anyways, I do not recommend Bose. They are crap and overpriced. I use Sound Blaster Rage Tactic. They are wireless and work well when it comes to noise-cancellation.

Sound Blaster...of sound card fame? Interesting. Do you happen to know if they (or a similar model) come in a 1/4" or 1/8" phono plug model, or is there a sound card in the USB dongle (& if so, what is the quality of the card)?