UKH

I've been getting the train all week and the almost constant PA announcements are doing my head in. After each station there is an excessively verbose reading of the stops, then a message about wearing masks, then bloody see it, say it, sort it, then it's approaching the next stop. And repeat.

When I tried noise cancelling headphones a few years ago they were great for aircraft noise but didn't block out voices effectively. From the reviews I see now it looks like things have improved and you can pretty much block out everything. Is this really the case? Can anyone recommend a good pair? I'll be mostly using them for the peace and quiet and to make Teams calls, so I don't need high-end hi-fi. But I really want effective noise cancelling. And they need to be portable, so rather not have a chunky pair of over ear ones. And those headphones that go into your ear canal always fall out of mine, so I don't think regular earbuds would work for me. 

I'm hoping there are some sports-orientated ones that are light and hook onto your ears for security?

In reply to Hooo:

When I want to drown noise out, I put these over earbuds.

Job done. 😀

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Peltor-Optime-Earmuffs-Headband-Black/dp/B000VDX18...

In reply to Hooo:

My husband gave me some for my birthday a few years ago to save me from the noise on the train , they are brilliant - Sennheisser!

Can recommend them highly!

In reply to The Lemming:

Done that, and also the other way round - earplugs with headphones over the top. Neither is particularly portable or comfortable though. I'm looking for a compact electronic solution.

In reply to Heike:

Do you know the model number please?

In reply to Hooo:

My sympathies. Last time I was on the train from London the guy doing the announcements was loving it. I think he was auditioning to be C4’s next continuity announcer. What he didn’t manage to squeeze into his repertoire though was any useful information like “we are running a few minutes late and you’ll have to leg it to make your connection at Derby”, just the bing-bong and “see it, say it, say it, say it”.
Anyway, to set your expectations, I have a pair of the big over-the-ear Bose noise-cancelling ones (so not what you’re after) and they can’t quite eliminate the bing-bong guy but they move his noise from very irritating to barely noticeable. They make the journey a lot less wearing. 

In reply to Hooo:

I've got the Sony XM3s. They've been superseded by the XM4s this year (the difference is apparently minor on the NC front), but outside Sony from what I saw when I researched them their only real competition are the Bose offerings, the 700s and the QC range, maybe some Bowers & Wilkins too. None of these are cheap, £230 to £330 sort of area, but they're basically about as good as they come, unless you go much more expensive/aircrew stuff. Takes about an hour to charge the XM3s from 0 and they give you 30 hours of full NC no problem. In this regard, from what I understand, they surpass their rivals.

So what noise do they cut out? I work from home, need to concentrate hard and am hyper noise-sensitive, and I've worn them pretty much all day, every day since Lockdown Vol. I, giving me a fair handle on their effectiveness. Do they cut out all noise like some people maintain? Certainly not. Low frequencies they're very good at cancelling, but anything more mid- and high-end you can certainly 'hear', after a fashion, if you are listening out for it. A screaming baby remains a screaming baby.

They kind of envelop you in a silence nonetheless, so I can be in a room with my kids watching Teen Titans Go on the telly and I can concentrate on my work and not really notice it. It's hard to describe. If the extremely annoying dog ('Lucky'!) up the road is barking, I can hear it, but it's not that intrusive. If my neighbour is chainsawing his firewood, I can sort of hear it indoors (single glazing), but muffled. If I work outdoors in the summer I wear them and sometime have to put some ambient white noise waterfall sounds on through them as well, to ensure I don't get distracted (dogs, kids). You'd need to drive a T-34 into the garden to get through that lot.

They're comfortable, fair to good Hi-Fi headphones music wise, and you really don't notice you're wearing them. Possible overheating sweaty ear issue in hot weather, and reports from Canada say that in -10C they stop working. But I'd recommend them, certainly, and as they're last year's model they can be had for far cheaper than I paid.

Edit: I've just googled them and they're now £169, so a lot cheaper than what I paid. But I don't resent the difference one bit; they were/are worth every penny and, quite literally, have saved me from going bonkers.

Having said all this, they might not be what you want as they're over-ear, but my understanding is that it's like the light, fast, cheap thing with road bikes, pick two. Not sure I've got that quite right, but you know what I mean. Your ears want covering for NC.

In reply to felt:

What felt said.  I have the second version as they came top in the reviews that year as the price drop and only minor improvements of the 3s put them in the top spot.  They kill hum and plane noise and everything else fades to background.  Why oh why did I not buy them years ago!

Cheers

Toby

In reply to felt:

I think the options are limited as they have to shield from the external noise, so have to be in ear or fully covering the ear. 

I've just got the XM4's to replace my aging but still working XM2's. Noise cancelling is slightly better and the sound is a bit better too.

The XM2's have a problem with the head band breaking, which I did a DIY repair on.

Sony appear to have fixed the issue with the XM4's.

I travel a lot with work and they are bliss on airplanes, trains etc.

Quite surreal walking through St Pancras Station listening to FSOL with all the chaos going on around apparently on mute.

I do have my eye on the Sony in ear ones as well, but will have to wait till after Christmas.

Forgot to add, to get the best out them you need a hi- res capable music player. I use my Sony phone. 

In reply to The Lemming:

Magic! They will cancel out the noise from the long haired General!

In reply to felt:

They sound really good for home use, but just not portable enough for me. I want something I can keep in my pocket to use as required. I'm happy to compromise a bit on performance for that portability.

In reply to Hooo:

Ah, well. They do fold up small and easily fit into a softshell jacket pocket, but not trousers.

https://hometheaterhifi.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/02/fig-15-sony-wh-1000x...

In reply to felt:

Hmm. Do they have a microphone for calls?

In reply to Hooo:

Probably. I don't have a phone so I'm not sure.

In reply to Hooo:

Yes 

In reply to Hooo:

I have the headphones and the earbuds (XM3 versions). The headphones are astounding, especially with continuous noise like on an aeroplane. The earbuds are markedly less effective at noise cancelling, not really very comfortable and keep falling out unless you really screw them in!

Chris

In reply to Chris Craggs:

That's really useful, thanks. After reading reviews I'd got my hopes up that the earbud XM3s would do the job, and nearly ordered a pair. But if they keep falling out they are no use to me. 

In reply to Hooo:

They come with about ten different sized/softness adapters, so you can get a good fit. Maybe my ears are an odd shape 😀

Chris

In reply to Hooo:

Like a lot of people are saying the Sony MX1000 are brilliant.  I have XM3 and my wife has XM4.  They really do the job of shutting out annoying background noise.

In reply to Chris Craggs:

The trouble is I think my ears are an unusual shape too. I've never found a pair of those in the ear ones that stayed in. 

I've found the Bose earbuds that seem to get rated as highly as the Sony ones, but they have an extra bit that hooks into your ear. Has anyone tried them?

In reply to Hooo:

My son has them and really likes them. I have some older Bose over ear NC headphones which I can highly recommend.

CB

In reply to Hooo:

Id be very surprised if the apple earbud pros didn't fit. I was amazed by the sound on these having had Bose stuff for years. Loads of different NC settings too if you need to be able to hear the sound around you. 

I was sceptical at first with the price but wouldn't hesitate to buy again. 

In reply to Adam Lincoln:

Why would they be more likely to fit than any other brand? My daughter has air pods, although not pro, and I've tried them. They fell out. Also, don't you need an Apple device to use them?

In reply to Hooo:

They come with a few sized buds and apparently they have a subtle shape.

They work with any device.

I really rate mine despite the £££

In reply to Hooo:

Good ergo design and a selection of buds. They are nothing like the standard ones. 

No you don't need an Apple device but then why would anyone buy anything else. Android is crappy and cheap. Never seen anything that compares with apple products. They just work.

In reply to Adam Lincoln:

Yeah, that's what I thought

In reply to tom_in_edinburgh:

Sorry, but I can't resist any longer ... your wife has the higher spec 'phones to drown out your relentless independence droning? 🤣🤣🤣

In reply to Maggot:

She's German.  Which means a. she's not a big fan of Brexiting Tories and b. if she wants me to shut the f*ck up she'll tell me to shut the f*ck up, not put on headphones.

In reply to Hooo:

I haven't got the exact model number, but they look very much like that! They are fantastic. And fold together neatly to put in a bag or pocket.

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Sennheiser-Wireless-Headphones-active-cancellation...

In reply to Hooo:https:/... i use these at work and seem to keep noise out well. also the "hooks" mean they don't fall out your ears. also have been through the wash and still work!

In reply to Finn of Bristol:

That's the sort of style I'm after. Hooks for the ears and a wire linking them so that when one falls out I don't lose it.

Unfortunately all the reviews say the noise cancellation on those is pretty much useless. TBH I'm looking at spending a lot more for something in a different league. The trouble is that all the high-end ones seem to be over-ear or bulky true-wireless earbuds that fall out.

In reply to Hooo:
Have a look here

https://www.bowerswilkins.com/en-gb/headphones/pi4

I think, however, that if you want the best in noise cancellation then you will have to go for over ear. I’d go for the PX7. I have the original PX and they are truly amazing for sound quality.

Jason

In reply to Hooo:

I think you're expecting a bit too much for that style of earbud, unless they are a good fit in your ear canal or completely enclose your ear as in the headphone type, the noise cancelling is going to be poor.

I've had some of the hooked on, Bluetooth but wired to each other ones, despite not being cheap, I left them in a glove box of a car I sold, as they were useless. 

In reply to Hooo:

I'd give another vote for the Sony XM3. I was working in London for a couple of years, commuting from Glasgow mostly by plane but sometimes train. The noise cancelling on them is fantastic but it's mostly the bass it eliminates, you do still get some vocal / treble noise intrusion but when you activate the NC, it's like someone suddenly switched off the engines, it's quite remarkable. I tested a lot of fairly high end headphones at the time and although the Bose ones were slightly more comfortable,  the Sony won on noise cancelling performance, hands down. From memory I paid about £300 but I never regretted the price tag and they're still working great several years later.