A little help with choosing headphones

audionoob1984

New Member
Nov 22, 2021
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Hello World!!
I would like some help with choosing a pair of headphones for myself.

Let me elaborate, i am specifically in need of a set of headphones that can totally block outside noise, if this is achievable at all.

I am sadly sat next to a woman at work that has crowns for teeth and has a very strong liking for eating pumpkin seeds, this gnawing goes on for hours, i have acquired a pair of headphones to dry and dampen this and other irritating noises, but alas, the headphones i own don't do a very good job of removing outside noise at all, i have no idea as to the model of the headphones, they are made by genius and are green.
To make this farcical situation even more incredible, my wife also likes pumpkin seeds, so i would indeed very much benefit from owning a set of headphones that can totally shield me from this and other protruding, unnecessary and disturbing outside noises.

With this premise in mind i set about to inform myself some. The main qualm i have, with my layman understanding of headphones is will ANC actually be any good at shielding me from the specific sounds described above or is sound isolation the alley to go down for this particular need?

From what i've gathered, the pick of the crop ANC wise would be the SONY XM4 or Bose 700 while the noise isolation route would suggest various models by Audiotechnica and Beyerdynamic.

I would really appreciate any and all feedback/knowledge regarding my conundrum as i have tried to described above.

Cheers!
 

Addicted to hifi

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Sep 8, 2020
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Hello World!!
I would like some help with choosing a pair of headphones for myself.

Let me elaborate, i am specifically in need of a set of headphones that can totally block outside noise, if this is achievable at all.

I am sadly sat next to a woman at work that has crowns for teeth and has a very strong liking for eating pumpkin seeds, this gnawing goes on for hours, i have acquired a pair of headphones to dry and dampen this and other irritating noises, but alas, the headphones i own don't do a very good job of removing outside noise at all, i have no idea as to the model of the headphones, they are made by genius and are green.
To make this farcical situation even more incredible, my wife also likes pumpkin seeds, so i would indeed very much benefit from owning a set of headphones that can totally shield me from this and other protruding, unnecessary and disturbing outside noises.

With this premise in mind i set about to inform myself some. The main qualm i have, with my layman understanding of headphones is will ANC actually be any good at shielding me from the specific sounds described above or is sound isolation the alley to go down for this particular need?

From what i've gathered, the pick of the crop ANC wise would be the SONY XM4 or Bose 700 while the noise isolation route would suggest various models by Audiotechnica and Beyerdynamic.

I would really appreciate any and all feedback/knowledge regarding my conundrum as i have tried to described above.

Cheers
welcome to wbf.
 

audionoob1984

New Member
Nov 22, 2021
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I know Sony make good noice cancellation headphones but have never owned a pair.
I am currently sat in my office, my co worker took a call, and i literally couldn't hear myself think, luckily i had no important work at the time of her call :) this just signifies the grievous nature of my problem...i failed to mention that although i am in Europe geographically, i am in fact in a third world country, so i will have to align my wants with what's available here, from what i gathered, the xm4 go for about 350 euros while the bose 700's are over 400 euros, again those are the prices here, i can probably get both of them for 250-270 euros from the EU...
 

Addicted to hifi

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Sep 8, 2020
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I am currently sat in my office, my co worker took a call, and i literally couldn't hear myself think, luckily i had no important work at the time of her call :) this just signifies the grievous nature of my problem...i failed to mention that although i am in Europe geographically, i am in fact in a third world country, so i will have to align my wants with what's available here, from what i gathered, the xm4 go for about 350 euros while the bose 700's are over 400 euros, again those are the prices here, i can probably get both of them for 250-270 euros from the EU...
Try them before you buy them.
 

audionoob1984

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Nov 22, 2021
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That was my plan, not too sure about how they will react when i haul my wife with a bag of pumpkin seeds into the Sony and Bose shops respectively, it will be well worth the funny looks if i do indeed find a pair of headphones that totally drown out noise so to speak :)
 
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Addicted to hifi

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That was my plan, not too sure about how they will react when i haul my wife with a bag of pumpkin seeds into the Sony and Bose shops respectively, it will be well worth the funny looks if i do indeed find a pair of headphones that totally drown out noise so to speak :)
I wish you all the luck.
 

Uk Paul

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Sep 27, 2012
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I feel for you, nothing more annoying imo than some knawing on seeds! Bose have exceptional noise cancelling ability, but the Sony have a better sound, I use the Sony and have little to complain about, have tried the Bose (belong to a colleague) and was most impressed with the NC, sonics not quite on the Sony level though. I'm sure both would relieve you of your suffering!
 

audionoob1984

New Member
Nov 22, 2021
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Hey Paul!
i was, for a brief time, contemplating ANC vs noise isolation as an option, but have since gone off the sound isolation option as anc headphones seem to perform better...i forgot to mention that i have somewhat "heightened" hear, so to speak, again this is my own lay term, what it means in practically is that i hear my phone when vibrating through 2 closed doors and whilst being on the lower floor of our home :)
My ear doctor even joked that she would have to measure my hearing with instruments used for bats and dogs...
I only have the financial side of the problem to adhere to now, seeing as ill probably go for either the sony or bose, i'm a little strapped for cash right now, car, home repairs et cetera, hoping to be solvent by mid january...till then i hope that i manage to conduct my seed testing on both options :)
Cheers
 

Brucemck2

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May 10, 2010
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I don’t think the automated noise control headphones will block what you want blocked. They are good for background ambient noise like airplane hum or subway noise, but less so for episodic noise. Instead, you might try in-ear monitors. I’ve had good results with Ultimate Ears custom fit units (wired and wireless), but those are likely not practical in remote areas.

You might peruse SoundStage Solo (link below) for reviews and pick a decent one available to you. I’d add third party foam tips which are similar in composition to soft foam earplugs and provide extra isolation. Airpod Pros with the added Comply tips work well if you have an iPhone, as that combination makes it easy to turn the noise reduction on and off.

 

audionoob1984

New Member
Nov 22, 2021
6
2
3
39
I don’t think the automated noise control headphones will block what you want blocked. They are good for background ambient noise like airplane hum or subway noise, but less so for episodic noise. Instead, you might try in-ear monitors. I’ve had good results with Ultimate Ears custom fit units (wired and wireless), but those are likely not practical in remote areas.

You might peruse SoundStage Solo (link below) for reviews and pick a decent one available to you. I’d add third party foam tips which are similar in composition to soft foam earplugs and provide extra isolation. Airpod Pros with the added Comply tips work well if you have an iPhone, as that combination makes it easy to turn the noise reduction on and off.

Thanks Bruce,
to be honest i thought i considered this type of headphones, so to speak, because of them not being bona fide headphones per se...i really don't know what to think anymore...the xm4 seem to trump everything else in terms of sheer anc performance but will this be enough to drown out my inconsiderate colleague?!
My first option were in fact the Samsung earpods pro (i had no idea in ear monitors even existed) seeing as i can acquire them quite easily i think they would set me back cca 150 euros...now you have opened the world of IEM--'s to me, for this i am indeed grateful, i will be definitely be doing some serious reading on IEM as of now !!
Cheers
Just had a bit of a look at iEM-s, quite expensive, 400 euros +, bearing these prices in mind, coupled with your very astute comments about automated ANC not really hitting the mark in reagrd to what i wish to have blocked out i am now leaning closest to the Beyerdnyamic 770 just have to figure put what the ohm-s do exactly...plus there is a shop near here where they sell them so...i am pointing in the direction of Germany for now
Cheers again Bruce
 
Last edited:

Gregadd

WBF Founding Member
Apr 20, 2010
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That was my plan, not too sure about how they will react when i haul my wife with a bag of pumpkin seeds into the Sony and Bose shops respectively, it will be well worth the funny looks if i do indeed find a pair of headphones that totally drown out noise so to speak :)
I know for a fact the SONY will. Bose may even be better. With the SONY your wife can put her hand over the earcup and defeat the noise cancelling.
 

AMR / iFi audio

Industry Expert
Aug 21, 2019
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Thanks Bruce,
to be honest i thought i considered this type of headphones, so to speak, because of them not being bona fide headphones per se...i really don't know what to think anymore...the xm4 seem to trump everything else in terms of sheer anc performance but will this be enough to drown out my inconsiderate colleague?!
My first option were in fact the Samsung earpods pro (i had no idea in ear monitors even existed) seeing as i can acquire them quite easily i think they would set me back cca 150 euros...now you have opened the world of IEM--'s to me, for this i am indeed grateful, i will be definitely be doing some serious reading on IEM as of now !!
Cheers
Just had a bit of a look at iEM-s, quite expensive, 400 euros +, bearing these prices in mind, coupled with your very astute comments about automated ANC not really hitting the mark in reagrd to what i wish to have blocked out i am now leaning closest to the Beyerdnyamic 770 just have to figure put what the ohm-s do exactly...plus there is a shop near here where they sell them so...i am pointing in the direction of Germany for now
Cheers again Bruce
I think, that Bose is the king of ANC, they have invented it for aviation after all. It's true though, that Sony will provide better sound. Since you are working anyway I believe that better isolation is a way to go in this case. That's what I would do in your place :)
 

Alrainbow

Well-Known Member
Dec 11, 2013
3,189
1,387
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Sony MI 1000XM2 I use these daily
great noise canceling
great sound once you use there app n eq
its not buds you can loose
it’s over the neck ear bud
has many cool features
I use mine with foamies to really isolate best
just my choice
 

ketcham

Industry Expert
Feb 29, 2016
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I own a pair of the 64 Audio in-ear monitors - studio versions (for absolute neutrality). These were custom-molded locally and I dropped off the molds at the factory. The process is very simple, arrived in 14 days, and they do have sales.

There is a very broad product range to suit your needs. I would consider the custom-molded versions.

This combined with an ifi portable DAC for ideal impedance matching - would be a great work combination.

(I have no financial affiliation with 64 Audio or Ifi.)
 
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AMR / iFi audio

Industry Expert
Aug 21, 2019
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ifi-audio.com
I own a pair of the 64 Audio in-ear monitors - studio versions (for absolute neutrality). These were custom-molded locally and I dropped off the molds at the factory. The process is very simple, arrived in 14 days, and they do have sales.

There is a very broad product range to suit your needs. I would consider the custom-molded versions.

This combined with an ifi portable DAC for ideal impedance matching - would be a great work combination.

(I have no financial affiliation with 64 Audio or Ifi.)
Thank you for pointing us out! I own Campfire Audio Mammoth IEM and they provide good isolation most of the time. It's lacking only in the noisiest situations. Day to day it's more than sufficient. The thing with IEMs is to get a good seal. Since you have custom moulds it's not a problem. I had to experiment with tips to find a perfect fit for my ears.
 

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