One of the most annoying parts of plane travel is the ongoing droning noise the plane makes. Sometimes it feels as though you almost have to shout over it to make yourself heard, and, even worse, especially on long haul flights, sometimes it’s hard to hear the movie/entertainment over the loud droning noise of the airplane engines.
This is where noise cancelling headphones can step in and save the day – or at least your sanity! It wasn’t too long ago that noise cancelling headphones struggled to match the sound quality of other headphones – unless you paid a premium price for them.
But, technology is advancing and these days it is possible to find good quality, effective noise cancelling headphones that are reasonably good value for money – heck, if they’re going to make a long haul flight more tolerable, they’re worth their weight in gold, right?
Active Noise Cancellation Vs Passive Noise Cancellation
Some people are confused by the term “noise cancelling” headphones – don’t all headphones cancel noise? Yes, all headphones will block external noise to some degree. How much noise is blocked will depend on the design, but this lessening of external noise is known as passive noise cancellation.
Meanwhile active noise cancellation does just what the name implies – tiny, inbuilt microphones are used to identify external/environmental sounds and then special audio software is used to actively cancel out the external sounds. This type of noise cancellation can dramatically reduce environmental sounds such as people talking, the rumble of traffic or the dreaded hum of an aircraft.
Sounds too good to be true doesn’t it? But, there is a downside – using Active Noise Cancelling eats up battery power, so you need to keep your noise cancelling headphones charged. Also, if you’re out walking or jogging with your headphones in noise cancelling mode, you need to be extra vigilant about checking your surroundings and staying safe around traffic.
So, which noise cancelling headphones should you buy? Here’s our top 5 favourite picks for the best noise cancelling headphones you can buy in Australia.
Best Noise Cancelling Headphones Australia
1. Coming in at number 1 (because of their price) is the Sony WH-H900N Over Ear Noise Cancelling Headphones.
These win out over our second choice because of the value for money. Depending on where you buy them from, this model can be anywhere from $100 to $150 cheaper than our second option, also from Sony. The major difference seems to be that this model does not come with an adaptor for aeroplane use.
Also, some users report that the noise cancelling of this model is not as effective as the noise cancelling of number 2. However, this model offers great sound and has a longer battery life than most other noise cancelling headphones.
2. Number 2 is the more expensive option but the Sony WH-1000XM3 is a very well liked and reviewed set of noise cancelling headphones.
These come with a durable carry case and a cable for wired listening and they even have the Amazon assistant, Alexa, built in making them very useful headphones.
3. If money is no object, lash out and buy yourself a pair of Sennheiser noise cancelling headphones.
The price is certainly at the higher end but these headphones boast great sound quality as well as being good noise cancelling headphones for flying – these claim the ability to travel from London To Hong Kong and back with just one charge!
Of course we travellers from Oz sometimes have to travel further than that, but an impressive battery life nonetheless!
4. Coming in at number 4 is the JBL Live 650 BT NC headphones.
These offer up to 30 hours of battery life, 2 hour battery recharge time, good sound quality and a more reasonable price than some of our other recommendations.
5. And, our final suggestion for the best noise cancelling headphones to buy in Australia are from a name well known for producing top sound quality products – Bose QuietComfort 35 ii.
Offering three levels of world class noise cancellation for a better listening experience in any environment, as well as supreme comfort to the wearer, these Bose headphones are definitely worth considering if you’re in the market for noise cancelling headphones.
So, there you have it, our top 5 noise cancelling headphones available in Australia right now.
If you’re planning a long flight, or any kind of trip really, a good quality pair of noise cancelling headphones could be just the thing to make travelling so much more enjoyable.
You can’t go wrong with any of the suggestions on our list – all great quality noise cancelling headphones, you just need to decide which ones could add the most value to you.
Happy (and quiet) travels!
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