Noise Canceling Headphones

Bose has been the leader in noise cancelling headphones for as long as I can remember.

I have an old pair of Bose QC-15 (not wireless) that I bought new in 2010. They still work great and I use them every day. I won't fly without them.

I have a set of Skull Candys that are not as good as Bose but I like them for the price paid. I like to be able to hear announcements while flying.

My Bose earbuds work fantastically well and are more functional off the plane - in case you don't want to buy just the large headphones.

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I have a 10 year old of Bose QC15s that still work great but the ear pads started falling apart so I upgraded to the QC25s a few years ago.

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I've had the 35's for around 6 years. Around 4 years ago they failed with a known defect and Bose replaced, no questions asked. Last year the ear pads went bad, but there is a replacement kit that isn't hard. I wouldn't travel without them and use them around the house all the time for audio books. Excellent headphone.

Good to know about the ear pads. My QC-35s are showing a bit of wear after 6 years of use. Great headphones though.

Alright, ignore the Bose and Beats bros for a minute. I have a pair of Bose, but they have a specific use case which I'll describe below. Seven years ago, they had a clear advantage over other brand noise canceling, but they certainly do not anymore.

1) If you buy Bluetooth headphones, you cannot connect to in flight entertainment (ETA: on most mainline flights, international and domestic. A 3.5mm jack looking for audio presents no risk to on board systems, a Bluetooth connection could, at least to the IFE system.) This is why I roll with a Bose set with a 3.5mm jack (I used to do 95% international, which don't do "use your own tablet" stuff like US Airlines do domestically.)

2) Your biggest decision, even before brand, is what kind of headphones you can haul around and fly/sleep in. Over ear are comfier than on-ear, but both are horrible to try to sleep in. If you're just running from MSY to NYC/ORD/LAX each week, no sweat, except they're in a big arse case. In ear buds are far more convenient, if they fit properly. My Bose QC20 in-ear always cause my left ear to hurt after 60 minutes.

3) Non premium brands can be absolutely fantastic at ANC (active noise canceling). I have three pairs of Anker/Soundcore buds that work as well (Life P3, Liberty Air 2 Pro, and the Sport X10) , or better than my Bose in ear. The Bose are only used for connecting to in flight entertainment, otherwise I use Soundcore (far, far, cheaper) so I can get up to go to the bathroom and still have noise canceling.

Soundcore has a Valentine's day sale, which gets the Liberty Air 2 Pro to $129, and the Life P3 are under $80. On the other hand, I bought both of my Bose QC20s (one pair was left in Abu Dhabi) from eBay for far less than retail. If you do that, put a Tile or Airtag on them for sure.

But first and foremost, solve for over ear, on ear (probably not) or in-ear problem first. That will guide your journey, padawan.

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Have the Sony XM4 and love them

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Same. Previously had Bose and had every intention of upgrading to newer Bose.

Tried on everything in Best Buy and I thought the Sony's had as good if not better noise cancelling.

Has a spot for a jack.

And they were on sale so I went with Sony and love them.

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Have the Sony XM4 and love them

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Second this. I've got the newer model, XM5. Have always been a bose guy (have in-ear buds and over ear headphones with them) but gave my wife my over the ear ones. I needed something new so tried out them all at Best Buy. Ultimately went with the Sony, thought they were a bit more comfortable. If you're on the fence, I'd go to a store that has the different options and just try them on to see what feels best to you. I think that's what it really comes down too, as they all have similar features and sound very similar