| Headphones are necessary to the extent that you use them to listen to digital music or digital audio books. If you intend to listen to either of these digital audio formats, good quality headphones are essential. Especially when you're traveling such as in an airplane or on a train, noise canceling and noise reduction technologies are important. Headphones such as the Bose QuietComfort headphones envelop your ears in what are called "cans." The QuietComfort headphones have small microphones built into the outside of the headphone cover, enabling them to interpret the outside sounds and provide noise canceling waveforms that reduce or eliminate ambient noise. The Shure E5c headset, on the other hand, features and in-ear design that shuts out noise by blocking out ambient sound. In addition to noise-reduction headphones, the standard types of headphones will also work, but they do not reduce noise. Open-Air Stereophile Headphones Some of the best headphones I've ever listened to do not provide noise reduction. In quieter environments, the Sennheiser headphones are among the best I've heard. They allow you to listen to environmental sounds (such as your spouse calling you for dinner) through an open air design, which keeps your ears from getting hot (which does occur when you use headphones with cans), yet provides highly accurate sound reproduction. Sennheiser HD 590-V1 Headphones If you're looking for excellent sound quality, comfort, and an open-air design for relatively quiet environments, Sennheiser open headphones are a great choice. The HD 590-V1 are top-of-the-line headphones designed for serious audio enthusiasts. If you rip your CDs at less than 256Kb/s, you probably don't need headphones of this quality, however, because they will cause you to notice some flaws in your MP3s. The Sennheiser HD 590-V1 headphones are for real audio enthusiasts.  Special Features: | Open-air design, audiophile sound reproduction | Where to Buy: | PriceTool.com, electronics stores |
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Active Noise Reduction (ANR) Headphones Active noise reduction (ANR) cancels out noise with canceling waves that is, sound waves that are produced to eliminate noise by emitting a wave of the opposite form as the noise. This reduces ambient noise significantly. Bose QuietComfort 2 Headphones Bose is well-known in consumer circles as a high-quality speaker manufacturer. Fortunately for us, the company has applied its expertise to a headset that you'll enjoy wearing on airplanes and in other noisy environments. The QuietComfort 2 headphones use active noise reduction (ANR) to sample the sounds in the environment, and then create canceling waveforms that eliminate the steady noises of airplane and car sounds and the like. One of the great benefits of the QuietComfort headphones (versus sound isolation) is that you can still hear people around you. That may sound bad, but actually, it helps you hear the person next to you on an airplane better because the ambient noise is effectively eliminated or reduced. One other feature that the QuietComfort 2 headphones have that the first generation doesn't is the ability to disconnect the cable from the headphones when you just want noise reduction and don't want to listen to music. It allows you to get the benefits of noise reduction without the wire. In fact, I'm using them right now as I watch the sun rise on my way to Florida on an airplane at 30,000 feet. I barely hear the sound of the airplane as I listen to some MP3 jazz playing from my Tablet PC. It's not because of the music that I can barely hear the plane; the headphone cans block some of the noise, but I can tell a definite difference when I turn off the noise-reduction switch. The rumble returns in force. The Bose QuietComfort 2 headphones improve on the original design with folding ear cups for flatter storage.  Special Features: | Active Noise Reduction, foldable, great sound quality | Where to Buy: | Bose.com |
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Sound Isolating Earphones Sound isolation is another way to approach noise reduction: it limits the noise that enters the ear instead of canceling it. Sound-isolating earphones are in-ear speakers similar to ear buds, but with sound-isolation qualities. They form a seal in your ear that reduces ambient noise. Shure E5c In-Ear Sound Isolating Earphones These earphones reduce or eliminate noise by sealing the ear canal with a custom-fit ear adapter. When you place the earphones into your ears, most of the ambient noise disappears. When you turn on your music, you have incredible dynamic range and clear audio quality. The E5c earphones are the top-of-the-line earphones, and will cost up to $500. However, they are a listening pleasure for the discriminating ear. The Shure E5c earphones pack a lot of great sound into tiny in-ear packages.  Special Features: | Sound isolation, small, great sound quality | Where to Buy: | Shure.com |
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Standard Headphones For most of us who want decent sound for not a lot of money, a pair of traditional headphones from your local electronics store should be sufficient. When I don't want the bulkier or more intrusive noise-canceling headphones, I usually use a pair of in-ear headphones that pack easily. About $20 or $30 will get you a good pair that you can beat up without worrying about them. Most of all, look for comfort and sound quality. Most headphones claim a good dynamic range, which will reproduce most sounds well. If you're listening to audio books or low-quality MP3s, the quality won't matter quite as much. |
