Noise-Canceling Earphones

Earphones designed for use in noisy environments

There are two kinds of noise-canceling earphones: in-canal earphones that use passive noise reduction, a physical barrier to block outside noise, and earphones with active noise cancelation, which generates white noise to negate unwanted sounds. Most in-ear headphones already discussed in this report passively block sound to some degree, although some are specifically sold as "noise isolating." It is unclear whether such models are any better at blocking outside sounds than other in-canal models, and reviewers appear not to pay much attention to such labels.

Ultimate Ears 700 Noise Isolating Earphones (*Est. $250) are a new addition to the Ultimate Ears line that fall into this category. iLounge's Jeremy Horwitz says they compare favorably to the Jays q-Jays (*Est. $180) and Etymotic's ER-4P. However, while these dual-driver earphones offer great sound in a compact package, Horwitz notes that unless you can find them for less than the still-available q-Jays, the Ultimate Ears 700 is a premium most listeners don't need to pay.

Few in-canal phones offer active noise cancelation -- most rely on passive sound blocking. Of those that offer both, the new Panasonic RP-HC55 (*Est. $60) earphones get the best reviewer responses. Initial comments indicate that the HC55 has a relatively comfortable fit, although one user notes that if the clip-on noise-canceling unit (with AAA battery) is left dangling on the cord, it may pull out the earphones over time. Battery life is very good, though sound quality is average. Australia's Choice and New Zealand's Consumer magazines both measure active noise cancelation precisely, and find it far superior on these earphones than on other in-ear models, but it falls short of that found on full-sized headphones.

Custom-fitted earphones are another option for blocking out noise, but they can get very expensive. Just under the $1,000 threshold for in-canal earphones is the Ultimate Ears UE-10 Pro (*Est. $900), worn by rock stars onstage so they can hear what they're playing at a lower volume than they would with the naked ear. An audiologist makes a mold of your ear canal so it can be sent to Ultimate Ears in California, and your custom in-ear monitors arrive a few weeks later. CNET says in a March 2006 review, "Simply put, there are no better in-ear headphones available, even for listening to standard MP3 files."