<p>I want a pair of noise-canceling headphones to use when 1. i do homework at 11 at night in my dorm (and there will be drunk people walking around on thurs nights) and 2. when i sleep so my roommate won't wake me up when she comes in.</p>
<p>the problem is, i'm looking to spend under 100 dollars. any suggestions? thanks</p>
<p>Check these out: RadioShack.com</a> - Home Entertainment: Accessories: Headphones: Sony MDR-EX51LP Fontopia® Earbuds</p>
<p>(Sony MDR-EX51LP Fontopia® Earbuds)</p>
<p>They don't cancel ALL of the outside noise, but in my experience they cancel about 70%. If I put them on in class I can't even hear when someone calls my name, so I have to keep them on one ear only.</p>
<p>The sound quality is great, the bass is really decent, and they're only $40. And you can spend an extra $7 or so and get a 2-year warranty from RadioShack. I got them last summer and they're still working, good as new. The only problem is keeping them clean, takes a little bit of maintenance every 2 months but no big deal.</p>
<p>Can't go wrong with these :)</p>
<p>Not really going to help you find any, but...</p>
<p>I have the Bose II noise canceling headphones. While they do reduce background noise a great deal, they aren't magic. I use them to listen to music when I study, but can still hear things in the background at normal times. And I know from being trashed, and being a sober DD, you're still going to hear noises.</p>
<p>Have you tried simple foam earplugs? I was truly surprised by how well they actually work, and they'd be far more comfortable to sleep in than bulky headphones. </p>
<p>Otherwise, Amazon seems to have some viable options...</p>
<p>Amazon.com:</a> Philips HN 110 Folding Noise Canceling Headphones: Electronics</p>
<p>Amazon.com:</a> Philips SHN9500 Active Noise Canceling Headphone: Electronics</p>
<p>^ Both of these are less than $100 and receive pretty strong reviews. There are a lot of other (even less expensive) options with less strong reviews. You can find some of them in the "Customers who bought this item also bought..." section. Obviously you get what you pay for, to at least some extent, but hey...it's something.</p>
<p>ETA: Are you looking for headphones so that you can listen to music while you study/sleep, minus ambient noise? Or are you looking for silence? From your OP, it doesn't really sound like noise-canceling headphones are what you're after. For one thing, they're supposed to be pretty good at canceling background din (i.e. jet engine, refrigerator buzz, random chit-chat, AC), but less effective against specific noise (i.e. drunk hallmates, your roommate slamming the door).</p>
<p>ETA(again): A google search turned up this site as one with knowledgeable posters: Head-Fi.org:</a> Headphones, iPod earphones, portable audio, MP3 players, high-end audio</p>
<p>noise canceling headphones don't completely cancel out all noise, although they do a pretty good job. My ex had some and I wore them once when I was trying to sleep and he was still up doing music homework. I didn't have alot of trouble falling asleep (besides finding a comfortable position in those big ol' things), although I don't know how well they actually block out noise other than music. Freshman year, my roommate snored really loud and I just got the foam earplugs and they worked wonderfully, although you do have to be careful with them. I wouldn't wear them all the time, because you can get an ear infection from it (I did) and it can get expensive having to keep buying new ones and all. Honestly, I never found the dorms THAT loud (not at 11pm anyway, people are usually just leaving to go out then, not coming in). The good thing about college is, if people are being loud outside your window, you can just stick your head out the window and say shut the eff up A-holes! and no one cares (well the people you're yelling at might, but they can't do anything). Also, unless you've got a really creaky door or your bed is directly beside the door, your roommate should be able to be quiet enough not to wake you up. The few times last year that my roommate woke me up coming in, she accidentally let the dorm slam but it was still like, "huh wha? oh." <em>back to sleep</em></p>
<p>Shure sound isolating headphones. Just google shure and go to their website. They run on the expensive side, but they are sold everywhere, and you will not be able to hear anything even with music off.</p>
<p>you could try just getting normal studio headphones...the insulation is good enough to block out lots of sounds. light music playing will block out even more. i have Sennhiesers, little more than $20 studio headphones off Newegg with better quality than any $40 headphones i've tried, and they block out a good amount of outside noise.</p>
<p>I second the shure SE series. Great product and they do a good job blocking out noise. You can get the se420's for $199 on ebay, which is over you budget but well worth it in my opinion. They also have the top of the line se530's and the less expensive 210 and 310 series.</p>
<p>While your at it, you should buy a portable amp, dock line out to mini in order to bypass the internal amp of your music player, and some Sennheiser hd650's for good measure. ;)</p>
<p>They're not headphones, but I swear by my white noise machine <a href="available%20at%20JCPenney">url=http://www4.jcpenney.com/jcp/ProductsHOM.aspx?ItemID=0c94898&ItemTyp=G&GrpTyp=STY&ShowMenu=T&ShopBy=0&SearchString=sleep+mate&RefPage=SearchDepartment.aspx&CmCatId=SearchResults&Search1Prod=True</a>. It doesn't cancel out all noise, but that's actually a good thing. I never hear people in the hallway when I'm asleep, but I also wouldn't sleep through something like someone knocking on my door or the fire alarm going off. When I was preparing for going abroad, I bought a White Noise CD and ripped it to my mp3 player, and it was wonderful. I used it to sleep on noisy trains and in hostels, and I had absolutely no problem getting to sleep.</p>
<p>The disadvantage is that if you have the machine, your roommate has to be okay with your running it at night, but it really only sounds like a loud fan or air conditioner. My freshman roommate admitted to me that when I went home for weekends, she would go and turn on the machine anyway because she liked it, and she ended up buying one herself after we moved out.</p>
<p>i prefer in-ear eaerphones that block noise, instead of traditional noise-cancelling headphones. i haven't found headphones like bose's to be very effective or anything.
it depends on what kind of price range you're looking at...in the 100-150 range, the three main headphones i hear about are ultimate ears super.fi 5, the etymotic er-4ps, and the shures.</p>
<p>Shure is great as someone else said. I personally use Sennheiser CX300s and they are great. The rubber ear things can be easy to lose though.</p>
<p>I would prefer a noise-canceling earphone as opposed to a bulky headphone (how can you sleep with that?). I know it's an old model, but I'm using Shure E2C and it's great. I think it's great for sleeping as the earphone fits snugly into the auricle, so you can sleep on your side without breaking the earphone or having it poking into your ears. Google image e2c and you'll see. The other option with similar design would be Westone um1, but they are a little over the budget ($110).</p>
<p>Yeah, it seems (for the most part at least) that the technology in active noise-cancelling headphones is pretty much the same, regardless of price. I'm not sure why the Bose QCII and Bose QCIII are so expensive, but from the reviews that I've read on Amazon, Buy.com, etc. they aren't significantly better than similar products in the market and fall apart after a few years of careful usage. My advice - go with something cheap and certainly don't get industrial ear phones (I've tried this method, but these are only made to block out high-frequency noise - meaning that low-frequency nouse like that of a TV or your roommate will still get through).</p>
<p>I have done a ton of research on headphones a couple years back looking for the best sounding and bang for my buck. What I recommend is checking out in ear canal phones or in ear monitors. A company called Shure makes them among others. They range $50-200 for a good pair. </p>
<p>Reads the pro's and con's for noise canceling and in ear monitors by searching google.</p>
<p>If you do what calkid says you will probably find that the audiophiles think that Bose are junk and wildly overpriced.</p>
<p>Ultimate Ears, Shure, Westone are the way to go. I love my Shure SE420's.</p>
<p>Check out Head-Fi.org:</a> Headphones, iPod earphones, portable audio, MP3 players, high-end audio</p>
<p>etymotics! why doesn't anyone talk about etys? er-6's and er-4p's are consistently recommended along with shures and ue's.</p>
<p>Yes! Ety's are very good too. They don't have much bass though. If you don't like a lot of bass than ety's can be a top choice. They are a little ugly though : )</p>
<p>ill agree with others, go with a pair of shure headphones</p>
<p>The headphones are on the expensive side but they are awesome. I have a pair of shure e2c headphones and the sound is fantastic, and noise canceling. Once you get used to them, you'll never want to go back.</p>
<p>The best would be Bose headphones, they cost roughly around $100 give or take. If you can find a used one, that would be even cheaper (even though quality may or may not be good).</p>
<p>^ Uhh, no.</p>
<p>While Bose noise-cancelling headphones are better than their "hi-fi" equipment (which, btw, are considered overpriced and overmarketed and not even close to being hi-fi), they hardly are considered the best headphones for sound quality (whether noise-cancelling or not).</p>
<p>For traditional style noise-cancelling headphones - get the Sennheiser PX250 or PX300.</p>
<p>Otherwise, Shure's and Ety's are great.</p>