The Bose in-ear headphones reduce background noise by sampling incoming noise, reversing it and adding that mirrored audio to your music – the background noise is canceled by its inverse. It works, but most Rube Goldberg machines work, too. The question isn’t whether or not noise-cancelling headphones work, but whether or not there’s an easier, cheaper way to get a better effect?

Absolutely. High-end sound isolating headphones accomplish the same task – keeping background noise out of your ears – better and more simply than Bose models by, well, physically keeping the background noise out of your ears. Sound isolating headphones are equipped with sleeves that focus sound into the the ear and create a barrier against outside noise. You might guess that this method is much cheaper than Bose’s more technological approach. You’d be right – over a hundred dollars cheaper in some cases. Of course, Bose doesn’t want you to know that noise-cancelling technology isn’t that expensive. Some Sony models with comparable technology cost under $50, while the Quiet Comfort models Bose sells cost more than six times that. The best technology – the micro-balanced armature drivers found in in-ear headphones – can be more costly, but it’s unquestionably worth the cost for listeners who need the best sound quality.

The other dirty secret Bose doesn’t want you to know? That so-called noise-cancelling technology doesn’t truly cancel out noise – and that Bose’s model isn’t even the most effective. Take a look at this study on noise reducing in-ear headphones. The most effective sound isolating earphone – the Shure SCL3-K – blocks over 16% more background noise than the comparable Bose model.

When it comes to Bose in-ear headphones, the moral of this study is to not always trust the company with the biggest marketing budget – at least not without doing research.

Claim: Noise cancelling headphones are more effective than sound isolating earphones.
We Say: Don’t listen to the marketing claims of huge companies. We tested popular noise cancelling headphone brands against our sound isolating Shure earphones.

Inside The Test

We outfitted ten participants with noise cancelling headphones and Shure sound isolating headphones. We tested them on three separate occasions to eliminate the possibility of any outside variables having an effect. We tested the amount of noise reduction provided by each product, and found that Shure blocks 3.5 times more noise than Bose, 6.3 more than Sennheiser headphones, and a whopping 7.5 more times than Sony earphones!

What’s The Difference?

Think the difference between noise cancelling headphones and sound isolating earphones is all in the name? Think again. Here are the details on each kind of headphone:

• Sound Isolating Earphones – A plastic, foam, or rubber sleeve is fitted around the earphone and slides comfortably inside your ear. The small, flexible sleeve prohibits outside background noise from interrupting your music. Unlike their noise cancelling counterparts, they don’t require any extra circuitry or batteries.

• Noise Cancelling Headphones – These headphones utilize a small microphone inside the earcup that samples outside noise, and a circuit provides a “mirror-image” of the noise that works to cancel it out. Additional batteries are required for these headphones.

The Verdict

Our findings show that sound isolating headphones are overwhelmingly superior to noise cancelling headphones. We want you to experience only the best sounding music, and we recommend Shure Sound Isolating Earphones for you.
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