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Headphones - Noise Cancelling or Noise Isolation?

post #1 of 4
9/30/04 at 7:03pm
Thread Starter 
I'm looking at the expensive headphones and they're all pretty much the same price, $300.

The difference is some use noise cancelling and some use noise isolation. I'm wondering who's used them (Or if someone has used both) and can tell me which is better under different circumstances?
The circumstances I'm wondering about are:

Alone and and a quiet place, just based on quality of sound
In a room with about twenty people talking normally
In a room with one-hundred people, give or take, talking normally
On an airplane
During a concert/band. (Specifically, I'm in marching band/concert band/jazz band and I want to know if either of these can block or, or significantly reduce the band if I wanted to tune out in class.)
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post #2 of 4
9/30/04 at 7:07pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Dalton
I'm looking at the expensive headphones and they're all pretty much the same price, $300.

The difference is some use noise cancelling and some use noise isolation. I'm wondering who's used them (Or if someone has used both) and can tell me which is better under different circumstances?
The circumstances I'm wondering about are:

Alone and and a quiet place, just based on quality of sound
In a room with about twenty people talking normally
In a room with one-hundred people, give or take, talking normally
On an airplane
During a concert/band. (Specifically, I'm in marching band/concert band/jazz band and I want to know if either of these can block or, or significantly reduce the band if I wanted to tune out in class.)
1. cancelling
2. isolation
3. isolation
4. isolation
5. isolation
6. they both can drown out noise in class....but isolation are more discreet

let us in on the secret...which one are you looking at for isolation....i had a pair of UE-10's and etymotic ER4s myself....god knows where i put em....i also used bose quiet comfort....IMHO they blow.
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post #3 of 4
9/30/04 at 7:50pm
It depends on the style of headset. If the ANC set completely (or mostly) covers your ears, it has both active and passive noise cancelling qualities. ANC works best under conditions where the ambient noise is fairly constant. There is a delay from when the noise is picked up to when the cancelling sound is produced.

ANC headsets are very popular among pilots because the noises are very loud and the drone stays the same for long periods of time. Dealing with noise can be exhausting and after a flight, you arrive much more refreshed. In a quiet place, you really don't need noise cancelling.

Speach and music are much more random. ANC can deal with the constant background din, but will struggle with the spikey highs and lows.

Again, a good set that completely covers the ears has both qualities, and the better it seals against the head, the better both active and passive cancelling will work. If you are in a situation where the ANC system just can't keep up, you can always turn it off and rely on passive to muffle things.

You always have the option of springing for the ear bud style of phones, (the same ones musicians use on stage). It inserts right into the ears and seals like a set of ear plugs. Sennheiser and Shure are two popular brands. They are discreet, seal well, do a great job of eliminating outside noise and produce great sound. Think about the environment they're used in. These guys have to be able to tune everything out and just hear their own voice, with the rest of the band in the background. Might be what you're looking for.

Good luck.
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post #4 of 4
9/30/04 at 9:23pm
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by K[H]eMiKaL
1. cancelling
2. isolation
3. isolation
4. isolation
5. isolation
6. they both can drown out noise in class....but isolation are more discreet

let us in on the secret...which one are you looking at for isolation....i had a pair of UE-10's and etymotic ER4s myself....god knows where i put em....i also used bose quiet comfort....IMHO they blow.
I'm looking at the Etymotic and the Bose right now. Any suggestions on specific brands besides these I ought to be looking at guys?
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