This may be OT since strictly speaking it’s about hardware… I trust it is ok to post it given the spirit of the community, but have my apologies and feel free to remove it if it’s not.
I’m looking to replace my old Bose QC25, since they have recently died (after a long a fulfilling life), but it seems everything nowadays is bluetooth (which I don’t mind) and require some proprietary app to turn ANC on/off (which I do mind… are physical buttons/switches become too expensive to include in your overpriced earbuds?).
Anyway… do you know of any headphones/earbuds that meet the following?
- can be powered via wire or have batteries that last 12+hrs (long-haul flights)
- have decent noise cancelling
- don’t require me to install a apps or can be used with some open source app (possibly with full functionality and straightforward to setup)
- are not overly expensive (I have to buy 2 pairs and I’ll only use them a few times a year when I fly)
Why not just go with some classic wired closed backs (ex: audio-technica ath-m50x)? They tend to keep a lot of noise out. If ANC is a must, i cant really suggest anything as i find most implementations annoying, but im sure there are wired headphones with ANC.
Seems like going wireless would limit your options A LOT with that 12h requirement
Maybe OP works in noisy environments, or his device is a recent phone which doesn’t have a jack input and using a adapter is not very convenient?
Anyway, passive noise cancellation (typically, a closed back or in-ears) is more efficient in the higher frequencies: physically blocking short wavelengths is a lot easier, as any obstacle will act as a dampener. On the other hand, ANC is a lot more efficient on lower frequencies (on the opposite, it’s easier to be precise on lower frequencies, longer wavelengths). On ANC devices, both are used in tandem. And I don’t know if you’ve tried any good, recent ANC headphones these last few years, but they’ve become surprisingly good! Nothing to be compared with passive noise blocking.
I’m sure there are (although I don’t know any), but ANC requires digital processing, which is performed by the headphones itself on the signal. If you’re plugged in with a jack, that means you’ll be needing a digital-to-analog-to-digital conversion, which is objectively a loss in quality, which would have to be handled by the headphones… Besides, ANC headphones usually have several modes which can be selected from the app. Anyway, all that to say that now that we have quite to very good Bluetooth audio codecs, there’s no real upside to having a wired connection for ANC headphones, which is why most makers have moved to that.
You can also increase the passive noise cancelling by replacing the earpads for felt / velour or fabric lined ones, though bear in mind it will also affect the “feel” of the sound as it reacts differently to the stock PU leather.