Can someone please recommend a good noise cancelling headphones? I'll be mainly using it in the office, and plugging it into my computer to listen to news or podcasts. My goal is to drown out office chatter and noise . Am I better off with ear plugs or do these headphone things really work? Should I splurge and get the pricier Bose model (some people swear by them)

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00D42A16E/ref ... KG82&psc=1

or the cheaper Sony model?
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00HX9AJ5M/ref ... S5OB&psc=1

Help please!

I have a Bose one and they work really well. I use it only for airplane travel and it blocks out so much noise. When you take it off after wearing it for a few hours, you really get a sense of just how well they do their job. The headphone sound quality is so so but the noise canceling is great.

Any pair of headphones with multiple tips should work for noise cancellation, you just need a good seal between the rubber or silicon tip & your ear canal. You may also want to look into a pair of Comply foam tips, they are extra comfy & block sound very well. Also, cool kids run their earbuds behind the ear, it helps keep the wires from bouncing around which causes audible microphonics.



I don't know what kind of music you listen to so I am not going to recommend any buds in particular.

My father treated himself to some Bose headphones a few years ago and they were spectacular. Unfortunately they were also pretty fragile because they broke a few months later.
If you're going to be bringing the headphones with you on a commute, or just generally using it outside of the house, go with a cheaper model.

I used to have the Bose, and liked them a lot. An important consideration is that "active" noise cancellation (e.g. Bose) works best when external noise is fairly constant, as with airplane noise. Occasional loud or piercing noises that aren't part of the general external "white noise" might not be cancelled out.

I've come to feel that "passive" noise cancellation such as the well-fitting earbuds shown in psilo110's post are just as good in most scenarios. They're generally less expensive if that's a consideration. Obviously they don't do any sampling and frequency voiding like the Bose phones but in my experience they're good enough.

Happy shopping!

While I can't really recommend a good noise canceling headset (I use and old pair of Sony MDR V600's to mix with) I 200% hear you on drowning out the chit chat. People just love to hear themselves talk and carry on without any regard to people around them. Yesterday I think I terrified a few kids at my school as I was cramming for an exam in some obscure out of the way place with a desk near the physics labs. Hour went by then suddenly 3 kids began circling the hallway endlessly carrying on an on laughing and laughing when it was clear I picked this spot to study. I gave them a look like if murder was legal for a day you three would be pushing daisies. I really need to finish school and go live in a cabin in the woods.

Thank you everyone for your advice! Very helpful!
So after reading your comments and doing additional research, looks like the best thing would be unfiltered earplugs! As psilo110 mentioned, it's important that the plugs fit well. Since my main purpose isn't to listen to music, but to block out (entirely or as much as possible) voices and going-ons in the office, unfiltered plugs (blocks out all frequencies of noise) is probably best....

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B007FKY8SI/ref ... &psc=1#Ask

I'll probably get a pair of Sony noise-cancelling earphones to plug into the computer, when I want to listen to something, but in most cases, I just want it to be Q -U -I- E -T . Some new people are moving into our office space, and I've heard they are a noisier bunch, so I just want to be prepared.

Chris, I was hoping you'd chime in! Yep, I'm a super grumpy person when it comes to noise distraction, when I'm trying to calculate and concentrate!

I just listen to really loud music. After taking off my headphones, the ringing drowns out alot of background noise, as well.

er.... I just want a temporary and adjustable solution, not a permanent one!

Sorry for the thread derail, but... This.

I can't tell you how many times I've had this happen in the art wing of my college while I was taking Ceramics. Our class was really zen-like, we had casual music playing and we'd all be really focused on our work. We often had the doors open because people would be filtering in and out since quite a few students were in there doing catch-up work for other classes. There was a group of kids who thought it would be awesome to hang out in the hallways and they absolutely WOULDN'T SHUT UP. I tried giving them the deathglare and slamming the doors shut, and somehow they took this as a cue that they could talk even louder. Disrespectful little assholes.

Even worse was when I sought out a little corner of the science wing to read for a class. There were two benches separated by a little column-like structure, and two giggly bimbos decided to sit on the other bench and proceed to talk about... and I'm not kidding... guys that looked at them and whether they think said guys are cute. They were just like little girls who have just hit puberty and suddenly realize boys aren't so icky, except they were probably 18-20 years old. I wanted to smack them upside the head and scream "YOU'RE WOMEN NOW. STAHP." but I didn't. Sure felt like doing that though...

...I think I just don't like people around my age.

Well, maybe Amazon should sell 2 things...

a. anti-gravity potion (easily slipped into coffee, tea, or juice)
b. fart gun