Noise reduction

Prior to my recent trip overseas I decided to take the plunge and invest in some new noise cancelling headphones.

I had been using a pair from Sony that pre-dated the current Sony MDR-NC11 - these were purchased almost 10 years ago in Akihabara. The cable that joined the NC unit to the phones was frayed and it had some very funky Sony proprietary connector. I'm good with a soldering iron but not that good.

We have a Bose store downtown (yes, unusual) so I was able to test out the Bose Quiet Comfort2 phones against the Bose Tri-Port phones. The Tri-Port phones are great but have no noise cancellation and don't fold flat. However, the Quiet Comfort2's are twice the price.

A bit about noise cancellation - both headsets cancel high frequencies due to the over-the-ear foam padding. The trick is cancelling the low frequency sounds that penetrate the headphone cup. This is done by using a powered microphone in the headset earpiece that generates an "opposite" waveform in real-time, effectively cancelling the low frequency rumble (like that heard on an airplane).

It turns out that today's technology is too slow to generate an opposite waveform for high frequency sounds in real-time, hence the goofy looking foam pads.

I plunked down my $$$ for the Quiet Comforts. They come in a great quasi-firm case, a little on the big side, but you can actually hold your iPod in there, too. They are very comfortable, even after hours of use. The audio quality from my iPod and my notebook (both fairly "poor" sound reproducers) was fantastic, especially the bass. You can also just use them on the plane without the audio cord and cancel out external noise.

I guess that means I could just wear them around my house when my kids start screaming.

Just kidding.

Comments

[MetroDad]

Hey DD...I love my Bose headphones too. And since I share your geekiness for gadgets, let me also recommend the Shure E3C headphones as well. They are great for ipods. I generally use the Bose for travelling but the Shures for everything else. Sound and bass levels are great. Give 'em a try.