Dejais

Well, with much chagrin, I will admit that I was wondering if perhaps they would also block out a certain someone's snoring. *hee hee* I see from your posts that they would not.

Thank you again for all of the info!

SEVEN MORE DAYS! Think I'm counting????

rkkwan

Most of these NR headphones only produce the "anti-noise" at low frequencies. They really work well in cutting down engine noise (not just planes, but trains, buses, etc...); but they won't make much difference for screaming babies.

For that, you can either get a close-ear type headphones that seal off your ears (which are often pretty bulky, heavy and expensive - probably not the best for traveling); or you can try the Sony NC-11. It's an "in-ear" type ear buds that stick pretty deep into your ear canal and seal off all outside noise even if you turn off the the NC function.

I like them because it's light, small, and sounds excellent. Street price is about $80 these days, and one AAA battery last for many hours.

Only downside is that it may take a while (meaning many hours) for you to get comfortable with a foreign object stuck into your ear. I use the older NC-10 model, and the first few hours was pretty painful. But now, I use them everyday on the bus and lightrail in Houston, and won't fly without them.

soccr

I have tried both and maintain (sorry, Robespierre) that the Bose set really does do a better job, but the Sennheiser is quite good, less clunky, and less expensive -- much the better value. My Bose set was a gift, so I can't exactly look that gifthorse in the mouth -- and they do work beautifully, but there is no real excuse for Bose's inelastic price, esp. given how close the Sennheiser sets come.

Rex: to explain my response, let me mention two incidents between 2 close relatives, one the spouse of the other:

A (not a doctor) asks "what would happen if I injected milk into a vein?"
B (a doctor/scientist) responds "well, the calcium would bond with the... " and so on, all about the reactions and interactions at the biochemical level.
A responds: "No, I just wanted to know, would I have a seizure or die or something!"

Similarly: Spouse A yells: "I've burned myself!"
Dr. B responds: "well, is it taught and white or is it red and puckering? Do you feel heat or tingling?"
Spouse A yells: "Get in here and help me!"

I thought your explanation was a pretty good answer to the question, "what is the scientific description of the process by which they work?" but that didn't really seem to answer Dejais' question, which was: "what are they ... and do they really work?"

But Dejais indicates gratitude for the information, so all the better.....

EncycloFodoria.

Gardyloo

Well I did compare the Bose, Sennheisers, and the Plane Quiets (marketed under several different labels - the ones I saw were sold by Radio Shack) and then I bought two pairs (for self and Ms. 'Loo) of the JVC HA-NC100s for around $45 a pair through Amazon. Used them on 747s, A320s, 737s and 757s so far, and they work like a charm. They're Bose-styled over-the-ear jobs, fold up pretty well (not as compact as the Sennheisers or PQs but not far off,) come with a nice faux leather pouch and an adapter for 2-prong sockets, and work off one AAA battery (built into the headset, not a dongle) that appears to have eternal life.

They do a good enough job at canceling both engine and human noise that the FAs see the red light on and have to nudge you instead of speaking to you when they're offering refills on the ole Dom P.

And yes, they made a crying baby almost go away.