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I borrowed a pair of these for an upcoming airplane trip, since they seem to be universally reviewed as the best for noise cancelling (other than IEM's, which I find excruciatingly uncomfortable).
I spent a lot of time listening to music with these phones in a room yesterday with a VERY noisy Window air conditioner. Putting on the headphones reduced the air conditioner to a whisper. They were not bad for music. They did have a noticeable midbass emphasis, and they sounded congested in loud orchestral music (e.g., Respighi Pines of Rome). Compared to my regular headphones (AKG K701), they are less comfortable (smaller earpads with leather or vinyl covers, compared to foam on the AKG) but probably wearable for plane trips. They provide plenty of volume from an iPhone (but not that much, I understand, from an iPad).
So in summary, I find them to be good for noise-cancelling but not as good for sound quality as other headphones that also sell for $300. For my single trip, though, the price (free) is right!
Follow Ups:
while not active noise cancelling, they work perfectly well with and iPod turned up just a little bit to drown out all the ambient noise on a 3hr flight. I didn't even take them on the plane thinking I would use them, more for down time during a week of classroom training. Passengers were so noisy around me, I strapped them on and listened to Little Feat Waiting For Columbus and read a book. Worked beyond all expectations for a $40 pair of small headphones. I recommended them to my boss for a flight to Scotland and he bought a pair and said it was the best $40 he ever spent.
The headphone site innerfidelity.com tested a number of noise cancelling headphones, including the Bose 15 and the Audio Technica AT-ANC7b. Just go to the main page of the site and you'll see it.
I'm no lover of Bose and it hurts me to say it but the site ranked the Bose 15 as best overall (incl. both sound and noise cancelling), with the AT described as a lower cost alternative but with lower overall performance than the Bose. The other headphones tested were well behind these two.
I am not aware of a single "noise cancelling" headphone that rivals standard sealed headphones for sound quality. Audio Technica M50 standard sealed headphones costs half as much as the Bose QC-15, provide good noise isolation, and sound very good.
"He was one of those men who live in poverty so that their lines of questioning may continue." - John Steinbeck
Edits: 07/08/12 07/08/12
You wrote: "I am not aware of a single "noise cancelling" headphone that rivals standard sealed headphones for sound quality." Right, and take any sealed-back headphone you want onto an airplane and see how much music you're hearing when the airplane cabin ambient noise is typically ~60-65 dB. So the airplane traveler can either have no music (and no headphones) or else listenable sound quality with noise-cancelling headphones.
As far as "noise cancelling" headphones go, the AKG K-495 NC costs about the same as that Bose model but is said to provide much better sound quality than the Bose headphones. In a review of the Bose QC3 linked below, this reviewer claims that the QC3 blows the the QC15 away (4:35). Nevertheless, he thinks the AKGs far surpass the Bose in both sound quality and build quality... Have a happy flight!
"He was one of those men who live in poverty so that their lines of questioning may continue." - John Steinbeck
Edits: 07/08/12 07/08/12
This review says the Bose sounds better. For me, it's a non-issue, since I'm borrowing the Bose and not in the market for NC phones. I would get a set if I took more long plane trips.http://reviews.cnet.com/headphones/akg-k495-nc-acoustics/4505-7877_7-35136693.html
Edits: 07/08/12
As always, everyone has to decide for themselves...
"He was one of those men who live in poverty so that their lines of questioning may continue." - John Steinbeck
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