I tend to disagree. Most people underestimate good passive isolation and have never tried good closed back headphones.
Just spend $99 on Sennheiser HD280PRO, try them on a flight trip and make your own decision.
I've had good closed headphones before, and they're... okay... but nothing like a good active noise cancelling headphones.
For example, the Sony WH-1000XM3 is already a relatively good closed headphone! If you put one on with the noise cancelling disabled, it still provides a quite decent amount of isolation. But then instant you press that little switch... near total silence.
I used to tell people that first class tickets on planes are a waste of money because: You're still on a plane, it's still noisy, you just get better food.
But now with my Sony headphones, cattle class feels like first class. It's bliss: I can sleep. I can watch movies and actually understand what people are saying. I can read a book without feeling like there's a running hair dryer behind my head the whole time. The cries of babies are completely inaudible.
You get much more leg room. You are getting much more space than an economy.
Now, business class or whatever they call the thing where you can recline your seat almost horizontally, that's something. I can't really sleep sitting.
Depending on the configuration you may have a real (narrow) bed feeling, or you may be lying in a sort of tube with not much space to move, but definitely completely flat.
If the price is not outrageous I always go for a business flight on long haul.
Absurd means in the 6000$ range from Europe to Asia and I agree that's over the top compared to, say, 700$ economy with a reasonable airline.
Then again upgrading is an option and sometimes really great bargains can be found.
I flew Zurich Bangkok return with Oman Air in business for less than 2'000 in February. In my opinion a very reasonable price for a great product.
Also funny how you yourself come up with the ridiculous salary of $500k, something ~nobody here will ever make, as the amount that finally makes $3k sound trivial to you. I agree with that much. That's the salary that would make me finally consider paying $3k for leg room.
You need to be level 7+ in a FAANG anywhere else in the world to make anything near that. And you definitely won't be there with "a bit of Javascript".
It is not. It is a great Bluetooth/NC headphone but certainly not a good closed one compared to other closed back phones specifically built for passive isolation. It is also targeted at consumers.
Have you actually tried the HD280PRO I specifically talked about? It is a professional headphone that is very popular with drummers for a reason.
I own the xm3, i own the Beyerdynamic DT770 which is way more popular with studios and drummers; passive isolation vs ANC is not even a discussion
But maybe this is just me :-)
1. Buy a good pair of closed back headphones 2. Take them on a flight 3. Make your choice
If AFTER you have done this, you still prefer NC (and are willing to pay it) then fine by me.
You also get more legroom and a less cramped seat.
If you're flying "only" five hours this may not be a big deal. If you're flying >10 hours (e.g., across the Pacific), then it can make a huge difference to comfort.
First is nice when I get upgraded, but I'd rather take say Qatar Business than BA first.
That said, the headphones I has on a US Airways Business from Manchester to Philidelphia were amazing - far better than the BA ones, so much that I bought a pair (QC25s) while I was in the States.
What with 2020 I haven't been on a plane for over a year now, and I've been on 3 trips on a train, so I've basically forgotten what "out and about" headphones are like. I do wear one on my ear if I'm watching something in bed (hook over ear). Never seen any wireless ones, fortunately I haven't downgraded from my iphone SE so can still use them.
Yes: for some reason I missed "first".
The upgrade to at least business is probably worth it (budget permitting) for flights ≥8 hours, but going to first is probably diminishing returns.
Whenever I tried using noise cancelling headphones, I always felt what I can only describe as a high air pressure in my ears. The best I can describe it is the feeling of needing to pop my ears but popping them providing zero relief.
Is this common at all? Does everyone feel this but somehow are able to ignore it?
Anyway fully agree that good passive isolation goes a long way!
If you fall into this camp, then passive isolation is the only viable choice for you.
https://www.soundstagesolo.com/index.php/features/178-eardru...
Earbuds don't tend to exhibit it nearly as much as headphones.
I feel pressure almost immediately but it doesn't the level of even mild discomfort until 7-8 hours of continuous use (my employer provides a pair that have an ANC option). Even then I can deal with it for longer if I'm watching a movie or something after work.
also if you already have earbuds that you like but they don't give you enough isolation, you can always wear earbuds under construction earmuffs, which is what I was doing before getting the Vic Firth isolation headphones.
Interestingly the AirPods Pro are explicitly engineered to avoid this, and I don’t have this problem with them.
I wonder what the deal is with the Airpods Max?
Nice Sennheiser over-ear cans are okay on a plane, but honestly aren't as good as solid in-ear options (e.g., Etymotic).
Sennheisers (or others) with ANC that are also over ear are FAR AND AWAY superior. It's astonishing how nice it is for the drone of the plane to just VANISH vs. being merely muffled.
Is your claim that Sennheiser HD280PRO headphones do a better job than these? Because I've got a pair, and I agree 100% with the author: the first time I tried some noise-canceling headphones was the last time I took my HD280PROs on a flight.
If that's not your claim, then it doesn't seem like your statement makes any sense.
Sure, HD280PROs are better than not wearing anything over your ears. But the flying experience is dramatically different once you have active noise-cancelling headphones, so different that, euphemistically speaking, there's no going back.
Passive isolation most noticeably outperforms noise-cancelling for transient noises.
And the sound quality is really excellent for the price.