Headphones on Planes

Does anyone have a recommendation for headphones to use on planes? I'm mainly looking for something that will cancel the loud airplane noise and let me listen to DVDs. My cheapies are not cutting it, no matter how far I shove them into my ear canal.

Comments

[?]

Good pair of large adjustables from Radio Shack.

I paid around $25 for mine. Make sure they've got a nice bass response/level, and that they're light and comfortable to wear.

[David B.]

How much do you want to spend, Megan? Before I give any recommendations, please stay away from those new Bose noise cancelling headphones, they're garbage and for the price you pay for them you can get better ones for half the price.

For around $100, you can get a pair of Sennheiser's HDC-451 "NoiseGard Mobile." You can read about them and order them here: http://www.jandr.com/JRProductPage.process?RestartFlow=t&Merchant_Id=1&Section_Id=958&pcount=&Product_Id=4507&Sort=Mfr_Name,Current_Price,Product_Name
Sennheiser headphones rock, I love their microphones and headphones. I recommend this one the most, you cannot go wrong with these headphones! :)

For around $40, Panasonic's RP-HC70 seem pretty good. I've had luck with Panasonic headphones in the past. You can read about them here: http://www.jandr.com/JRProductPage.process?RestartFlow=t&Merchant_Id=1&Section_Id=958&pcount=&Product_Id=1945946&Sort=Mfr_Name,Current_Price,Product_Name

That's about all I can find, as I said before, I highly recommend the Sennheiser headphones, best bet, price isn't so bad either.

Good luck, e-mail me if you need any more help.

[Space Monkey]

I've been pleased with the Koss sportapro headphones I bought about a year ago. They have good overall quality and excellent base. It's held up to all my abuse and is pretty cheap. $30 retail and $20 from amazon (http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/B00001P505/qid=1034816198/sr=8-1/ref=sr_8_1/002-9682960-9532035?v=glance). Leather carrying case to boot.

[Ouabaio]

i use a pair of sony MDR-G52 when i use my MD on planes etc, i also have another pair of sony's that have the same over the ear form but without the semi-annoying plastic frame that goes behind your head on the MDR's. i'd reccomend both though.

[Big Jim]

Hey megan,
Aiwa makes a pair of affordable "noise cancelling" headphones that work quite well.In case you aren't aware noise cancelling headphones produce a sympathetic sound wave that effectively "cancels" or elimanates high decibel backround noise-(airplane engines etc.)
They work very well.I have even been happy with their effectiveness even while seated in the rear of a 727(which has an engine on each side of the fusalage no less)
Finally,the best news of all,while N.C. headphones have traditionally been quite expensive($250-$450),the Aiwa's are only about $50 and can be found at places like Circuit City or Ultimate Electronics.
Hope that helps,
Jim

[Wade]

I would recommend a nice pair of BOSE headphones.
They may be expensive, but you just can't beat the sound quality.

[TXTigerman]

What you do is bring along some really BIG speakers. The other people on the airplane won't mind. I do it all the time. They always comment on it but I can't hear what they say. I'm sure they all say nice things about me though.

[David Saylock]

I don't know how avaliable they are out here in California, but when I was back in Michigan, I had a pair of Koss (http://www.koss.com/), and for 14.99 I had a pair of earplugs that did really well on my trip out here.

[Paul]

Sony "street-style" headphones, they are very good. they wrap around your ears like glasses and the part that usually goes over the top of your head is on the back. :) very comfortable

[justin]

are all of these people friends of your's megan? some of them put a comment on each and everyone of your entries,,,, and uhh i found morgans site link on your site,, and errr cough about the head phones,, http://store.apple.com/1-800-MY-APPLE/WebObjects/AppleStore.woa/221/wo/yiXVh1LcrMSIol6Q9n1/8.5.0.3.27.1.15.5.9.0 ,, sorry about the long site name,, its not a apple product but they let you buy it with your i-pod so its good right?,, details about backround noise reducers and all,, i just wish i saw the firewire card when i bought my i-pod,,,, i had to wait a week before,, using my i-pod sniff,,,

ps do you know any way to hack the game in the i-pod,, i can't get past 473 destroyed blocks,, and its driving me crazy.... thanks megan

[Walter Brennan]

I recommend the Sony Street Style headphones. You know the ones that wrap around the back of your neck? They may look uncomfortable, but I fall asleep with mine on all the time. They run about $20-35.

I just caught the 10pm showing of TSS. I was one of the 5 PhotoShop Challenge winners. Horray!

http://www.techtv.com/screensavers/photoshopchallenge/story/0,24330,3403670,00.html

[Doug]

my koss earbuds work fine, but if you really want no noise, dont use earbuds, get a comfy pair of leather headphones.

[A_Raving_Derelict]

The voices in my head will cancel out almost all ambient noise.

Seriously though, I’ve played around with a Bose quiet comfort noise canceling headset and found them to work very well but they cost around 300 bucks. Koss makes some nice noise cancelling headphones that work nearly as well and cost a lot less.

[Keith Wright]

What $100 bucks for headphones? That's crazy what you do is go to your local Sam Goody or Tower Records store and pick up a pair of sony head phones, doesn't matter that model cause there all good. Plus there load I almost got hit by a bus once while I was walking to school with a pair on!

[Rob]

I love my Bose Quiet Comfort Headphones - they totally block out the whoosh sound on the plane. As an alternative to shelling out cash for them, you can pick up a pair from AMEX Rewards.

http://www48.americanexpress.com/en/docs?request_type=un_details&linkid=999&rewardid=1379&themeid=28&rewardtype=1

[Roikins]

Like what's been said, the two different methods you'll want to look at will be active noise-cancelling headphones or ones that completely block out external noise. I've had an old set of Sony Studio Monitor headphones that I use that does a very good job at blocking out external sounds so all you hear is the audio you want. I guess you can always check out some headphones at a store and have Marco yell at you to test if you can hear him. :p

[Marlon]

I don't think any headphones could of drowned the noise from a flight I once took from Vegas to NJ, We sat all the way in the tail of the plane, the TV monitor showing our section the flight "movie" was distorted and green, we dined from the chicken or chicken selection (they ran out of everything else), I didn't sit next to the pretty girl(bachelor party trip);( and my walkman was not loud enough.

On another flight with my wife from Puerto Rico, we sat in a huge plane, in the middle of the middle row (stranger+Wife+me+stanger) with a Crying baby and a loud Mom with friend. The baby was not a big problem, the yelling mom telling the kid to stop was driving me nuts. She never offered milk, juice, a toy, etc. never did the cute baby talk (works for my kids and the are loud!!!), even when the attendant offered to help, she would snap this is not your fagging business , esa blanca no entiende.. . To bring this back to topic, my Walkman could drown the noise. I guess I should of listened to Metallica instead of Depeche Mode;)

[Jeff]

Try checking out www.goodcans.com they have a selection of headphones and recomendations based on style and price. Ask Leo about his Grado's those would make a fine choice, they talk about them here as well. Good luck.

[Joe Durso]

The Etymotic ER-4 and ER-6 are suposed to be good and block more noise than just about anything else, but they are exspensive, $130 and $270 at headphone.com, although some people hate them with the normal plugs, they're basicly earplugs with headphones attatched (really good headphones).

[A_Raving_Derelict]

Keith, If you have to wear headphones for several hours a day or use them in a noisy environment you will find out very quickly that not all headphones are created equal.

[John Weston]

Try Lab Tech Headphones. Great for planes

[WoodsDweller]

http://www.headphone.com/layout.php?topicID=2&subTopicID=15
This page has a discussion of earbud-grade headphones. They are recommending Etymotic ER-4P (at $269), which are basically earplugs with headphones built in. We all know that you big TV stars rake in the big bucks and demand the best! I have not tried these headphones, but I have done business with this company and was pleased with them.

[John]

Im too busy holding down my lunch on airplanes, no time for music and dvds. Good luck anyway.

[Rich Dow]

If you fly American Airlines, they'll make you pay for the headphones--and they won't let use your own (at least for watching the movie).

[Dave]

If you dont mind looking fairly silly (you're good looks will no doubt cancel the silly-ness) get some monster KOSS UR-20 's. Sounds like an airplane or something...they cover the entire ear and drown out all surrounding sound.