The nature of my day job requires me to travel. A lot. There was once I had to take a 3 hour internal flight from Dallas, Texas to Los Angeles before taking the international route to Hong Kong (and vice versa) in 2 days! Just for an important business conference. Although I like the travel on the job, trust me, travelling on a 20 hour flight can really take its toll on you. Especially if you’re don’t always have the luxury of travelling on first or business class. The long hours. And not to forget the incessant hissing of the aircraft engines. It just gets into you sometimes.

I probably thought I would have to live with the noise pollution on the flight. Pretty much as long as I’m still with the company. But a recommendation from a good friend of mine changed all that. He urged me to buy the Bose Quiet Comfort noise cancelling headphones. It was a hefty purchase but well, for the quality of the travel experience I enjoy now, it was definitely worth it!

What are Noise Cancelling Headphones?

Noise cancelling headphones are basically audio headphones that uses technology to eliminate ambient noise through the use of active noise control. Through a microphone and electronic circuitry, an anti-noise sound wave with a polarity opposite of the one arriving at the microphone is created. That eventually cancels out the noise within the enclosed volume of the headphone.

One issue is that an over the headphone works much more effectively than the in-ear smaller headphones. That probably means, for those frequent fliers who like to listen to the music while jogging or exercising may need to get a separate set of regular headphones from the ones they bring onflight. But is the hassle worth it? You bet!

How It Benefits Frequent Flyers Like You

In my point of view, the headphones not only allow me to enjoy a far more peaceful journey, I was also able to listen to my favourite music on the flight without competing with noise pollution. This is actually a very significant concern, because I do realize I had the tendency to compete with other noise by just increasing the music’s volume. Frankly, I wasn’t sure what was the impact of that on my hearing but since getting the noise cancelling headphones, my inclination to increase the volume had been greatly reduced.

Besides that, on certain flights which allow travellers to watch movies on demand or play video games, I find myself easily engaged in the storyline or excitement without the irritating hissing from the drone of the aircraft engine. In fact, the headphones was so good in reducing clatter that there were times when the flight attendant had to tap on my shoulder to get my attention. Ha!

Nowadays if you ask me whether there’s anything I couldn’t leave home without, other than my luggage & passport, well that’s it. My set of noise cancelling headphones!

As someone who has frequently used noise canceling headphones onflight, I truly attest to the claim that they can indeed make your flying experience a lot more welcoming. At least for now, I don’t have to live with the incessant hissing from the drone of the aircraft engine, the humming of the fans or other irritating noises coming from the surroundings while I laze in my economy seat.

It seemed incredible but this is actually made possible by simple audio technology. Microphones in the noise canceling headphones send out sound waves to combat noise whenever they detect its presence. In fact, on most airlines, they actually distribute noise canceling headphones to their guests on business and first class!

Well, instead of paying two or three months of your salary to purchase a business or first class ticket, here’s another cheaper option. Get a pair of noise canceling headphones yourself! But with so many brands and even models available, which should you go for?

Frankly, it depends. I’ll recommend that you go through these 4 considerations and do some research before you narrow down to the exact set that fits your criteria. Have fun picking the cherries!

(1) Budget

Naturally, all of us will like to get the best quality headphones. That is, if price is not an issue. But the truth is, money does matters. After all, the cost of a set of high end noise canceling headphones such as Bose Quiet Comfort series can cut you back by a hefty $300 or more. Hence, before deciding other form factors or criteria which I’ll be discussing later, it’s imperative that you decide the amount you’re willing to spend. That will in turn help you narrow down to the brands and models to review.

For example, if your budget is about $150, you may want to consider only brands like Sennheiser which has an excellent series of noise canceling at that price. Brands like Bose would be of a less likely consideration since they would probably cost you much more than that.

(2) Noise Canceling & Sound Quality

What good is a pair of noise canceling headphones if it doesn’t perform well in that department? You might as well get use a conventional set of headphones! Your personal preference for the extent of the noise cancellation onflight and the quality of the sound experience can easily influence your decision on the headphones to select.

For example, if you’re someone particular about the enjoying your music onflight, getting a higher end set can be just a thin line separating heaven and earth!

(3) Comfort

Noise canceling headphones are usually wore for a stretched period of time, depending on the duration of your flight. They can be a strain if the headphone cups are too tight over the ears. On the other hand, if they’re too loose, you probably have to prop them up everytime you lower your head! Put it simply, we want something that gives the right fit.

A rule of thumb is to ensure that the cups of the headphones go over your ears instead of on them and give a nice fit without losing too much coverage on the sound. At the end of the day, I’ll rather pay more for a pair noise cancelling headphones which scores well in the comfort department than something that’s less expensive but totally unbearable.

(4) Size

Is the headphone easily portable and foldable into a storage box for easy retrieval? Can the storage box be small enough to fit into your handcarry bag? At first glance, these seemed to be minor considerations. But for road warriors, this can matter a lot since every inch of space counts in their luggage. Trust me, I’m speaking from personal experience!