Ask HN: What are the best noise cancelling headphones? - kamranahmed_se
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paulmatthijs
The QC35. We have had several models in our office and the 35 has by far the
best cancelling while retaining speech intelligibility. It's audible artifacs
are more in the 300 Hz range as opposed to the two octaves above it as is the
case with the 25.

I was a mastering engineer before becoming a founder, and my cofounder was DSP
engineer. We're both allergic to bad processing so we were pretty sceptic
about everything Bose. Their other stuff is terrible, but this is awesome.
Just did 20 hours of travelling, couldn't be happier. I also have 1400 USD
custom mould Ultimate Ears but I'll never use those again on planes.

Only downside I've come across is some pitch bending when listening to high
pitched strings in soundtracks (Rogue One, Arrival)

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tedmiston
There are a lot of Bose votes in here. As someone who wears glasses regularly,
I haven't found a pair of over-ears that are compatible, so my experience is
mostly with earbuds.

I tried the Bose wireless noise cancelling earbuds, QC30, and they were
probably a 2.5/5\. Short battery life, daily connectivity issues, awkward
neckband (very heavy), and emitting a high-pitched artifact sound when using
the active noise cancelling. I gave them two weeks before returning. The ear
tips were amazing though — I'm thinking of trying to retrofit the Bose tips to
AirPods.

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Bahamut
I've been using the DW Pro 2 and absolutely love it: [https://en-
us.sennheiser.com/phone-headset-wireless-call-cen...](https://en-
us.sennheiser.com/phone-headset-wireless-call-center-headset-dw-pro-2)

Can't say I care for the QC35, I've seen it have significant microphone issues
sometimes if you are using it for the headset feature.

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thakobyan
I've been using Bose QuietComfort 35 and they have been great!
[https://www.amazon.com/Bose-QuietComfort-Wireless-
Headphones...](https://www.amazon.com/Bose-QuietComfort-Wireless-Headphones-
Cancelling/dp/B01E3SNO1G/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1493483708&sr=8-1&keywords=bose+quietcomfort+35)

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cjbprime
Why would you ask HN? Chances are anyone here has only bought a few different
pairs, making it impossible for them to tell you which pair is the best.

[http://thewirecutter.com/reviews/best-noise-cancelling-
headp...](http://thewirecutter.com/reviews/best-noise-cancelling-headphones/)

~~~
icpmacdo
And also[1]. I think they say the QC20 have better noise cancelling but I have
a pair and I think over the head QC35's are more comfortable

[1] [http://thewirecutter.com/reviews/best-noise-cancelling-in-
ea...](http://thewirecutter.com/reviews/best-noise-cancelling-in-ear-
headphones/)

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teapot01
Bose QC 25/35 over ear headphones are the best I've come across. Not Ideal for
sleeping on a plane but they block out nearly all plane noise (which is why I
bought them. Good sound reproduction, and with the 25s you can use them as
normal headphones if the battery dies.

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amerkhalid
Another vote for QC35, though this is my first and only Active Noise
Cancelling headphones. But I am amazed at their noise cancelling capabilities.
And amazed at how much easier it is to focus with these headphones on.

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kojeovo
I dunno about 'best', but I have a pair of CB3 Hush and they work pretty well.
Much more affordable than the QC35. I tried both and wouldn't pay a few
hundred dollars more for the QC35.

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baccredited
Another vote Bose QC35. A killer feature is it maintains a Bluetooth
connection to 2 different devices and is smart enough to know what to do when
you pause one and start the other.

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pacuna
QC 25

