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Topic: Noise Canceling Headphones Question (Read 4532 times) previous topic - next topic
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Noise Canceling Headphones Question

I was thinking about getting the  Sennheiser PXC250 noise canceling headphones. I'm going to use them along with my DAP in the math lab of my school so everyones voices will be drowned out. I noticed that it comes with a box and batteries and I was wondering what exactly is that for and am I really going to need that box attachment to drown out people talking in a room? I'd rather not have to carry that box thing around and just use the headphones themselves.

-Darin
Cowon Iaudio X5 30 gig. It rocks!

Noise Canceling Headphones Question

Reply #1 –
If you're talking about what I think you're talking about (the cylinder thing that hangs down from the headset part) then the answer is no, you can't detatch it. That is where all of the electronics for the noise cancellation are. Its doesn't detatch, and even if it could, the headphones wouldn't cancel anything without it. As for the batteries, you don't need to put em in just to listen to music (that will make it weigh less) but you need batteries in for noise cancelling.

Incidentally, if you are trying to drown out people talking, noise cancellation is not what you want. Noise cancelling headphones cancel out low frequency noises (e.g. airplane rumble or road noise) far better than voices. If you are just trying to stop voices, canal phones or simple earplugs are a better bet.

Noise Canceling Headphones Question

Reply #2 –
I have both the Sennheisers and the Bose QC2 phones. The Sennheisers work without the batteries, but sound anemic and mid-rangey that way - the noise cancelling amplifiers boost bass and treble and appear to be a much better match for the phones themselves, so I never use them in the "passive" mode.

The Bose QC2 are far superior to the PXC250 in virtually every way - less hiss, much much MUCH better external noise cancellation, and more comfortable. They also are fully self contained and have no external containers to deal with.

That's my $0.02. Good luck!

Noise Canceling Headphones Question

Reply #3 –
I'm useing ear canal headphones right now and they don't drown out any outside noises, so I end up turning my DAP loud enugh to drown out the noises but then it damages my hearing. So, the noise canceling on the headphones is nothing more than a seperate amplifier that boosts the low and high frequencies?

Yeah, I'd like to have those Bose but they are like $200.00 more.
Cowon Iaudio X5 30 gig. It rocks!

Noise Canceling Headphones Question

Reply #4 –
Ear canal phones should drastically reduce all external sound - by 20db at least. Affordable ones are made by Etymotic and Shure.

Noise Canceling Headphones Question

Reply #5 –
Quote
So, the noise canceling on the headphones is nothing more than a seperate amplifier that boosts the low and high frequencies?[a href="index.php?act=findpost&pid=328094"][{POST_SNAPBACK}][/a]

No, noise cancelling headphones have microphone pickups on the outside of the earbuds. The sounds picked up there are inverted and added to the sound coming out the headphones. This causes destructive interference with the actual sound, thus canceling it out.

Noise Canceling Headphones Question

Reply #6 –
Quote
I'm useing ear canal headphones right now and they don't drown out any outside noises, so I end up turning my DAP loud enugh to drown out the noises but then it damages my hearing. So, the noise canceling on the headphones is nothing more than a seperate amplifier that boosts the low and high frequencies?

Yeah, I'd like to have those Bose but they are like $200.00 more.
[a href="index.php?act=findpost&pid=328094"][{POST_SNAPBACK}][/a]

You don't say which ear canal phones you're using, but the etymotics or shure exx plugs, if put in properly should isolate better than most active cancelling cans. Some folks really hate the feeling of isolating plug/phones like the etymotics or shures, and I suspect the bose things would make you happy in that case. Shoot, you might find that just a pair of fairly decent sealed headphones provide enough isolation without the need for active cancellation. (E.g.: AKG K 26 P, Sennheiser HD 201, Beyerdynamic DT 231, Sennheiser EH 250).

Personally, I have shure E3's and got over the funny feeling of having my ears plugged up.

FWIW, not to sermonize on ya or anything, but cranking that thing up to drown out the noise can't be good for your ears.

Sorry for the sermon.

Mark

Noise Canceling Headphones Question

Reply #7 –
A quick addition on the Sennheisers - the noise cancelling circuitry does create intentionally destructive interference with outside noises (like it should) but the effect upon the frequency response is, I am sure, not explicitly intentional. It simply was a choice of the engineers to include some response optimization in the circuitry. When listening to the phones without the circuitry, this optimization is lost and the phones sound mediocre.

The Bose don't work at all without power, but this is a perfectly reasonable choice given the parameters.
 

Noise Canceling Headphones Question

Reply #8 –
The batteries are one of the reasons I don't recommend the noise cancelling heaphones, but the other reason is the hissing I could hear at times. I decided to try a pair of EX-29 Noise Reduction/Isolation Headphones and liked them very much. Just my two cents.