I want to buy some for a gift. I know Bose has a good reputation but is also expensive. Does anyone have any recommendations? Stuff better than Bose or almost as good but cheaper? Or should I just go with Bose? Thanks in advance for anyone who has an opinion. In the meantime, I’m reading online reviews. 
I dwell with in-house expertise on this question: Bose ear buds are small and blissful for air travel. Excellent performance. Not much competition for that form factor. For the bulkier headphones, Bose also tends to lead. Could also check out AKG for the possibility of a less expensive option.
Happy shopping. The ear buds reduce my travel fatigue significantly and are more comfortable than having heavy headphones on for hours.
@travelnut Do you think the Bose ear buds work as effectively as the larger, over the ear variety?
This purchase will surely be used on airplanes but a lot of use will be due to noise in a housing situation.
Expert says the buds do more noise reduction than the headphones. All noise reduction ear buds or head phones are most effective against low frequency rumble.
Thanks, @travelnut. Very helpful since I’m not a techie!
My husband uses hearing protection ear muffs from 3m that he got in home depot. He says it’s great sensory deprivation. He will also then use earbuds under them to listen to music or stories.
Bose does have some of the best active noise cancellation out there. If you get the Bose in-ear noise cancelling earphones, and if they are going to be used for air travel, be sure to get the QC20 non-wireless so you can plug them into the plane’s audio (if you ever want to watch a movie or listen to the pilots chat). The QC30 is wireless and has a neck yoke. YOu will not be able to plug it into the plane’s audio. THe yoke also tends to migrate to one side of the neck or the other.
@travelnut -it all depends how they fit. The in-ear ones won’t work all that well if they don’t come close to making a seal in your ear canal. Be sure to try all of the sizes of ear tips that Bose packages with the product. Usually there is S, M, and L. If it does not seal, you will not get active noise cancellation to work well. The over-ear ones tend to work pretty well, actually, but might be less comfortable if you want to lean over and rest.
THere is active noise cancellation (where there is an ear-facing microphone that listens and compares to noise outside to make an exact reverse copy) and passive. Active is best for any kind of steady noise. It is not so much the frequency or pitch that is important but how regular the sound is. It will work well to cancel an aircraft engine, but not so well to cancel a baby’s cry. Passive is what you get from really good fitting earbuds, like a custom fit. If you have a good fit, you can block out a lot, even those random noises like the baby’s cry, and you don’t need the expensive active noise cancellation. You can get a good passive fit if your earbuds are compatible with a foam tip like those made by Comply.
(I do not work for Bose but the nature of my job requires me to be informed about earphones.)
I just bought the Beats Studio wireless which are the over the ear model. They retail for $380. I initially got them for $250 at bestbuy.com but within 3 days of purchasing them they were further discounted to $220 and they did a price match for me. Not sure how they compare to the Bose but if you can get them on sale they might be worth considering. My main use for them is when I am at work and am on a conference call. I was previously using my basic Apple earbuds so obviously there was no cancellation of the surrounding noise and I have a lot of active conversations going on around me. What a difference when you go to an over the ear noise cancelling headphone. It was amazing. We also have white noise piped into our office space that I normally never notice. I found that when I took off my new headphones after wearing them for a while that the white noise was so noticeable and actually sounded loud.
From a comfort point of view, I find that I never get discomfort on or around my ears. But if I wear them a long time the point at the top of my head where they rest can get a little sore. But I have a small head and even when the headphones are adjusted as small as they can be I have a feeling I could actually need them to be just a tad smaller.
Thanks for the helpful input, @LBowie and @adigel.
I need to ask my gift recipient if they prefer in ear or over ear. I, personally, never like in ear as I can never get comfortable with the fit and they give me an earache. But, I’m kind of weird that way and am sensitive to touch. It can be very specific to the user.
It is a very personal equation of fit, budget and preferences. The variables that can be measured may not be what matters most to an individual and fit does matter. DH and I wear different sizes in the ear buds; yet we both are happy. I am headache prone and find heavy head phones a disaster on long flights. There may be an advantage to letting gift recipients test drive so they get what works for them.
I think they are as or more expensive than Bose, but both of my sons really like their Sennheiser headphones.
They have lasted a long time also.
ETA - I can’t stand the ones that sort of sit on your ear. They need to either be ear buds (like my Bose sport ear buds) or the ones that cover the entire ear.
I did see the Sennheiser and they are more expensive than Bose.
For a value option check out the Bohm B66
S2 spent a lot of time researching over-the-ear noise canceling headphones and chose Bang and Olufsen. He loves them, says they are very comfortable to wear with glasses and the sound is amazing. Amazon has them around $270, but we found a pair on sale for a bit less at the store near Philly.
FWIW, I tried the Bose QC35s and returned them. Two things: 1) They fit a bit loosely, and as a result tend to wobble around when you move your head 2) If you walk with them on, the impact of your heel on the ground causes the noise cancelling audio to skip briefly. I found this to be rather distracting.
At $300+, I feel headphones should be pretty close to perfect, and these weren’t, IMO.
@fractalmstr Did you try the QC25s at all? The wired set? Per suggestions above, I think wired instead of wireless will provide more versatility (plane use, etc.)
I have not, but I do prefer wired headphones as well, and ultimately ended up going with a pair of Audio Technica MTH-50x’s. They fit very nicely and the sound quality is superb for the price point!
*I should note, the MTH-50x’s are not noise cancelling.
http://www.consumersearch.com/headphones
this is my go-to place for all product reviews. They compile many expert reviews, and give good explanation of all product features for a layperson (like me). They do recommend the QC25 as the top choice.
I absolutely love my Bose in-ear noise cancelling headphones. I bought them for travel, and like travelnut, they cut the stress as well as the noise for me. I also wind up using them at work & home quite a bit since they’re so awesome. I love how portable they are! My brother bought a pair at the same time I did, and he adores his, too.