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Noise cancelling headphones

fegs

fegs

pfm Member
Due to having a shared space, i.e long living room with TV etc at one end and HI-Fi at the other, a lot of my evening / night time listening is done using headphones.

I have no problem with this whatsoever, as much as I enjoy my vinyl, I really enjoy getting comfy and streaming music through my headphones, this is great but I've only got a relatively cheap pair and during quiet sections or low level listening I can hear the TV, so I'm now thinking of buying a decent pair of noise cancelling headphones.

A quick Google as brought me to the Sony WH-1000XM4, which get great reviews but before pulling the trigger I thought I'd ask you fine people at PFM your thoughts please?

Budget around £300 ish and don't want secondhand

Many thanks
 
I'd second Sennheiser noise cancelling headphones. Excellent sound as all their products are and excellent noise cancelling. As for durability I still have a pair of Sennheiser HD414s I bought at Uni in the 70s Replaced leads once and foam ear covers a few times. The headband has discoloured but they still work fine. Plus spare are still available. Now that is long term product support.
 
The Sony's are well regarded. I liked them when I auditioned them, but went for Beyer Dynamic Lagoon at around the same price. The USP for me was the MIY app that runs you through a series of burst test/sweep tones that figures out just how badly b*ggered your hearing is from years of abuse, and adjusts the response of the headphones accordingly.
 
DuncanF said:
The Sony's are well regarded. I liked them when I auditioned them, but went for Beyer Dynamic Lagoon at around the same price. The USP for me was the MIY app that runs you through a series of burst test/sweep tones that figures out just how badly b*ggered your hearing is from years of abuse, and adjusts the response of the headphones accordingly.
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That might suit me, my left ear is a little dull to be fair
 
Ok, will try tomorrow when will be driving. I have Bose. I remember they did not help much when wanted to sleep while somebody else was driving and listened radio.
 
If some are good at blocking radio, it is because of good passive isolation, I think. There has to be some regularity to sound to be able block it actively, I think.
 
I have the Sony's and they are excellent at noise cancellation and very good at music reproduction too. They have an ear tuning function on the app, but I don't remember it being a big difference after I ran it. They also have an ambient pass through that allows you to hear when others are trying to get your attention. This can be helpful if you are waiting in for a phone call/parcel delivery as otherwise the noise cancellation is so good you could well miss the phone/door bell.
 
gints said:
If some are good at blocking radio, it is because of good passive isolation, I think. There has to be some regularity to sound to be able block it actively, I think.
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This could be old tech that I'm thinking of, but ones like the Bose QC25s like I have just have mics facing outward. The signal from the mics is played through the drivers, but out of phase. This is in addition to the audio signal coming from your source (if any). This only works well for lower frequencies.

The Bose aren't the best sounding headphones I've heard, but the noise cancelling is impressive. Also, I had a 50% discount at my last employer so it was a no brainer to try Bose over ear, in ear, SoundLinks, etc. and sell what didn't work. (I kept them all!)
 
One other thing. If they're wireless and you plan to keep them for a while, it's worth a little research to see if the batteries are user replaceable. I went for the corded, AAA powered Bose QC25s vs the rechargeable QC35s because I found they didn't have user replaceable batteries. If Bose QC35s batteries failed during warranty they would send you new ones. Out of warranty they would just give you a weak discount on a new pair. That kind of sucks to find out after spending a couple hundred.
 
In my opinion for the price and features the Sony WH-1000XMs are fantastic, I had the XM3 until they got stolen, so now I have the XM4. The noise cancelling is superb, and contrary to what has been said above they greatly reduce TV/radio noise - the closed over ear design helps with this and if you are playing music with ANC on you will not hear the TV. They are comfortable for hours of listening although as with any closed cup design your ears can get a bit warm (great if youre out for a run on a cold windy day). They are a bit big to fall asleep while wearing in bed or on sofa, but manage ok if you are leaning against an airplane window.
Out of the box I felt they were a bit bass heavy but the Sony app has an equaliser and various other functions to tailor the sound to your liking and head / hair. One thing about the XM4 vs XM3 - the XM4 version doesn't support aptX, but the XM4 will pair with 2 bluetooth devices at the same time so you can pair to a bluetooth music player and also your phone so you won't miss a call.
The microphone on them is not the best for talking on the phone but it works ok, but it's easily good enough to chat on the phone. They can be used wired (3.5mm jack) or bluetooth with or without ANC, and the battery life is excellent with a pretty quick 50% USB recharge, although the supplied USB charging cable is only 6" long which is a PIA but you can just buy a longer one.
Overall these are the best ANC headphones I have ever owned (and I've had a few incl Bose, Panasonic, Senheiser) which is why I went for the XM4 when my XM3s went "missing" on a flight from Montreal to London - you snooze you lose!!!!
 
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