Hi,
I am looking for some over the ears headphones for a long flight (am sick of those airline supplied ones)
I know nothing about headphones and was hoping someone could point me in the right direction.
I had a look in JB Hifi but was overwhelmed with the selection and the price !
As I only want these for flying to cut out cabin noise I do not want to pay a fortune.
Any recommendation on where to get some and what brands would be greatly appreciated
Definitely amazing headphones…I equate them to a business class upgrade. A trip to Europe feels a lot shorter with them on and you arrive fresher.
I have the Bose in-ear buds and they are amazing for flights. I can't believe I ever traveled without them. I use them every day on the train too and they knock out most of the noise and makes public transport that little bit more enjoyable. I think they were a good investment, but if you have a tendency to lose things, probably not a wise choice.
Depending on your budget I'd pick either the Audio Technica ANC29 (~$120) or ANC9's (~$250)
Headphonic has a pretty honest blurb on headphones in different categories to help narrow your search.
http://headphones.com.au/pbrowse?catID=1&subCatID=51
Remember to get a 2-to-1 3.5mm adapter so you can plug in to the in flight entertainment headphone jack without hassle.
Do you still need the adapter these days? It seems every flight I've been on lately works fine plugging into the left-side plug
Hrmm, unsure. For $5, its something that I always pack into my carry on. Not worth the risk of having to have either no entertainment, or crappy airline headphones, particularly for a long flight!
Used these ones on a transcon flight recently…….highly recommended…
http://www.addictedtoaudio.com.au/product/audio-technica-ath…
+1 for the Bose QC15
If you don't want to spend hundreds…i have these which are comfortable and adequate for long haul flights to the US or Europe. They are nothing too fancy, but for $50-$60 i can't find a fault with them.
https://www.jbhifi.com.au/headphones-dj/headphones/sony/sony…
Oh and +1 to Tizey - definitely get the plane adapter…you never know what connector the plane has until you get on, and you don't want to get caught out. They are like $2 on ebay.
TIP:
Be careful buying the "big over the ear" style headphones vs "in ear" earphones.
Some people have a lot of trouble sleeping with the chunky over-the-ear headphones. Naturally they have better noise cancellation but are harder to sleep with when compared to the in-ear earphones.
Are you guys freaking serious recommending overpriced POS garbage headphones like Bose?
Ok ok, they aren't that bad but for their price you can do a HELL of a lot better.
Just go for these buddy:
https://www.jbhifi.com.au/headphones-dj/headphones/sennheise…
You don't need to spend a fortune to have good sound isolation and great quality audio and they will suit your needs fine. They are over the ear (a hell of a lot more comfy than on ear headphones since you'll have them on for hours on end). If you want to go for on ears though meowmeowmeow's recommendation is not bad.
If you were looking for something more expensive however I'd personally go with the AT-M50s
http://www.pccasegear.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&p…
Both options are GREAT bang for buck and will do the job nicely, just depends on how deep your pocket is ;).
Neither of those options have noise cancellation which makes them a poor choice for long haul flights, as per the OP's request.
OP did not request noise 'cancellation', he requested to cut out noise and this can be done through noise 'isolation' which is a far better option. You get cleaner audio and quiet for much cheaper.
The headphones I recommended are both over-ear and closed and I am not a fan of either (simply because they are closed). They however are definitely not a poor choice. What IS a poor choice is people recommending QC-15's when the OP clearly said he didn't want to spend a fortune! A fortune is a bit hazy (which is why I recommended two different classes of headphones) and can be interpreted differently by everyone but in the headphone world, $400 is a fortune.
Have you tried the Bose qc15/20? They are over ear
I have a athws77 which do not have NC , I found nc to make a big difference (mind you I did not explicitly try on a flight but compared vs train commute), same goes for h6/p7. Non-nc I found are better for home use
I have a set of Monster WH-940s that I think are fantastic. Sound quality is good (not amazing; but certainly very good). Noise-cancelling is shockingly good. Everyone I've lent them too is amazed by the moment of silence that comes 5 seconds after putting them on your ears. And best of all they have Bluetooth. Which won't help you on your flight (wireless technologies probably forbidden) but it does mean that you have a set of headphones you can use whenever you want without a pesky cable.
If you pay retail they're $400, but you can pick up a set on ebay for around $150ish (eg. these ones, which admittedly have some buttons broken http://www.ebay.com/itm/151361353927 )
Oh they also have NFC, if your device supports that.
Not sure if first gen beats have the same NC tech but the Bose ones run circles around them
If you can afford it, buy the Bose QC15's. I have the QC3's and have had them for 8 years. I use them on flights every couple of weeks and they are still an absolute joy to use. You will get value out of them. The QC15's don't have a rechargeable battery but don't worry, the batteries last forever. A lot of people I work with have bought them now and without fail, all love them and they've become an essential travel accessory.
I had the complete "el cheapo" experience with some noise cancelling headphones recently.
Was wandering Kmart 6 months or so back and encountered a no name set for just $15. (Kmart also had non noise cancelling headsets for $10) They had comfortable cushioning and took an AAA size battery, also came with the converter plug for the seat jack used in older aircraft.
Used them on a recent trip to the USA and back and they worked a treat. They were comfy and functional, I turned noise cancelling off for a while and they were still very good for using the entertainment system.
At that price I wasn't worried whether they got lost or stolen either. Didn't need the converter plug as their stereo plug worked fine in an Airbus A330. Went looking for a set for wifey when we got back, and our Kmart, a small one, has been re-organised and there are no noise cancelling headsets there now but plenty of the $10 headsets.
Cheerz Wabster.
I find it best to wear (good) earplugs under any headphones in a plane. Noise cancelling headphones will cut back the engine noise but then you will realise everyone is yelling to be heard over it.
Let those babies scream their lungs out! The QC15's deal with that beautifully. As long as you don't have a blocked nose you can smell when the food is coming along :)
I can vouch for the Audio Technica ANC9's, after a few trips, long and short, these headphones have paid for themselves a few times over. No one wants to hear the drone of the jet or worst still a screaming bunch of babies for 5 hours.
With three different settings you can't go wrong no matter what environment. The headphones even work without batteries, unlike Bose, so you can still listen to music without noise cancelling functions.
I have both qqc15 and qc20. The qc20 is magic. Its worth the price. Also, it works without batteries
I wonder if those that bash Bose here have actually bothered to try them out before smh
I have these QC 15's and they are practically magical!
No wonder Bose still manage to sell them for so much.