Here's a plain plane: MMMMMMMMM. Now here's a plane when you're wearing noise-canceling headphones: mmmmmmm. Forget the high-fidelity joys that audophiles buy these techie headphones for: Travelers can slip them on in a plane and experience an ecstatic break from that teeth-chattering drone. (The headphones use a microphone to measure ambient sound, then generate a frequency to neutralize up to 70 percent of it.) We tested three brands to see how they measure up.
-- Steve Hendrix
1) NoiseBuster Extreme, $40 at Sharper Image and other retailers.
2) Sony MDR-NC20, $199 at electronics retailers (we've seen them on sale for $150).
3) Bose QuietComfort, $300 at Bose airport kiosks or at www.bose.com.
Effectiveness
1) If these are the first noise-canceling headphones you try, you'll love them. Flip the swich and you'll think the engines have failed. As rudimentary drone busters, they work. Never compare them with higher-end sets and you'll remain happy. Compare, and you'll suffer headphone envy.
2)These are considerably quieter than the NoiseBusters, mainly because of the greater enclosure. I simply turned these on with no music playing to enjoy the quiet. But I really appreciated the higher quality when I plugged them into
the plane's sound system.
3) These top-of-the-line phones were some-what quieter than the Sony set. But when it came to audio quality (as opposed to simple noise reduction), they blew the others away: Listening to "Toy Story II" was almost as clear as theater sound. And the armrest classical music sounded like NPR.
Comfort
1) With minimal padding and an unadorned plastic headband, these began to chafe after only a few hours. (But I still wore them for most of a transatlantic flight, preferring a bit of ear fatigue to the Chinese brain torture of unmuffled engines.)
2) Perfectly comfortable, thanks to added padding. But I -- possessed of average- size ears (I hope) -- found the cups to be a bit undersized, which eventually made my ears feel pinned to my head.
3) Lushly padded for long-term wear (Wagner's "Ring" cycle in a single sitting?), the phones have an easy-to-adjust head band and ear cups that could accom-modate Dumbo. But on a D.C.-to-Seattle flight, the bullky design got in the way of my head lolling over Wyoming. Eventually, I took them off to doze.
Portability
1) The stripped-down nature of these low-end phones makes them the easiest to slip into a seat back when not in use. The switch and battery pack are attached to the cord, making them more cumbersome than ordinary Walkman headphones.
2) Though bigger in every way (due to the larger cups and the twin-beam head band), the folding band and pivoting ear cups make it a fairly portable package. The switch is built into the ear cups.
3) The spiffy carrying case may make you feel better about dropping $300 for these, but it only adds to their bulk. If you're a light-packing nut like me, you'll resent the room these take up in your carry-on. But the case does make it easier to keep track of the adapters used for various armrest sockets.
The Verdict
1) These low-end phones offer a considerable cut in airplane drone, and because of their small size, they're easy to stash in a briefcase or carry-on. They're the right choice for short-flying non-audiophiles looking for a bit of decibel relief.
2) These are the ones I'd spend my money on. The more finished design and (presumably) higher quality audioworks make these great noise reducers and sound enhancers -- right for frequent fliers who usually opt to watch the
movie.
3) The top-drawer choice in every way except portability. But worth the price? Yes, if you're a true audiophile flier and have no problem paying the first-class upgrade to experience true aural grace. No, if you just want to make flying a bit easier on the ears. For that, see above.
