Sennheiser PXC 300 Noise-Canceling Headphone

Pros:
+ Excellent noise cancelling capability
+ Extremely comfortable for extended periods of time
+ Great battery life
+ Good audio quality (see qualification below)
+ Fold up into a relatively compact space

Cons:
- Like all noise cancelling headphones, only works on lower frequencies
- Like all noise cancelling headphones, adds a low-level hiss of white noise to the background when on
- The electronics unit on the cord gets in the way
- Will not cut out as much noise as in-ear units
- Origami-like folding requires some patience

If you're expecting to buy these and cancel ALL outside noises, then you need NOT apply. The PXC300 like all (Bose, previous Sennheisers, Sony's, etc.) are designed to cancel out certain frequency ranges that prove to be the most annoying to commuters/travellers. These range in the 300hz - 1Khz band. Most sounds outside this range are unaffected. The positive is that for travellers looking to drown out that annoying aircraft cabin noise, these will work wonders for you. They'll also work well in auto's, trains, etc. What they are not as good for is cancelling out conversations (although they will mute it somewhat) and other higher frequency sounds around you.

Sound quality is good but not quite in the excellent category. IMO, they are better than the Bose since I find the Bose to sound very colored (sound is not the same as the source - typical Bose), the Bose seems to bottom out the bass driver when playing certain types of music, and finally the Bose noise cancellation circuit introduces more hiss than these Sennheisers.

Ergonomically the Sennheisers will travel well with you. The carry case fits the headphones, battery stick and adapters very well. The Bose, on the other hand, is a huge monster that takes up half your carry luggage.

If you're looking for a true sound isolation headphone you'd need to look at something like the Shure E4C or the Etymotic ER4P. These truly sound great and accurate while virtually eliminating ALL outside sound. The downside is that they are in ear headphones and many find them uncomfortable and difficult to wear on an airplane, especially when cabin pressure changes and your ears can't equalize the pressure as easily.

I have used the Sennheiser PXC 300 and the Bose QC2 on domestic U.S. and trans-Pacific flights to/from Australia. Here are the relative strengths and weaknesses:

PXC 300
- smaller & lighter
- takes up less room in carry-on
- plays without active noise cancelling feature turned on

Bose QuietComfort 2
- fully cover the ears to shield maximum sound in-leakage
- somewhat more comfortable on long flights
- will not play without noise cancelling feature turned on

I like the Bose but must tip in favor of the Sennheiser's given the substantial price difference. Wake up Bose... think "value priced smart design".

I travel once to twice every month and I want to buy a pair of good noise-cancelling headphones so that I can listen to my iPod or get some rest.

First, I tried a Sony NC50 at a Sony Style store. The NC50 put out so much accoustic pressure to my ears and it really hurt. Then, I tried Sennheiser PXC-250, PXC-300, and Bose QuietComfort 2 extensively. First time, I brought both PXC-250 and PXC-300 to a trip from San Diego to Newark. There is no significant performance difference in terms of noise cancelling. The PXC-300 has a better case. Then, on my next trip, I borrowed a Bose QuietComfort 2 from a colleague of mine and compared it with PXC-300. After extensively testing (with and without music, with and without background people talking, and etc.), I found it is about 20-30% less of noise with Bose. Also, my ears felt warm and uncomfortable after 30 min with PXC-300 because of the over-the-ear style.

I understand everyone else's comment on Bose being over-priced, but if you are looking for the best noise-cancelling performance on an airplane, unfortunately there is no other way around it. Bose is certainly the best.

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