Can anyone recommend simple noise-reducing headphones for a coach trip? And explain blue tooth

[Lucyluddite]

I am a pensioner ……and yes I know many pensioners are very tech savvy..I am just not one of them.
i am going on a 7 day coach trip through Germany and for the boring motorway bits I just want to read. My last trip I struggled as there was lots of constant chatter from neighbouring seats.
I want to invest in some noise reducing headphones or just watch a film on my iPad - there is WiFi on coach. I am clueless - does Bluetooth mean wireless …and even if I am not listening to anything do they still block out noise.
i want the old fashioned big ones which suggest keep away rather than those white dangly things.
I am not completely unfriendly but looking forward to catching up on a couple of books in relative quiet.

You don't need to spend a lot of money to get decent noise cancelling Bluetooth headphones. Search on Amazon and check the reviews. You don't need WiFi to use Bluetooth. share.google/gvt1uSErL2L0uD04G

Thanks - you see I didn’t know that - I thought blue tooth was internet .
i have looked on amazon but was a bit overwhelmed x

How are you with normal earplugs? That would Cover the reading bit but it wouldn’t cover films of course.

I have good quality noise cancelling headphones, I have the type that goes in your ear rather than over the ear kind. Next time I would buy over the ear.

They are good, but I don’t know if you would find them good enough to be worth the money?

mine getting annoying because the connection is falling off. If you just want quiet and you’re not connecting to music then that’s not so important. But you don’t want to spend a lot of money and find that that happens.

Would normal earplugs be better for you, is basically what I’m wondering, especially if you don’t like to use technology. You’d miss out on films on the coach, but how much time are you going to spend on the coach?

Also is coach Wi-Fi going to be good enough to watch a film? Unless you’re downloading them before in which case you don’t need the Wi-Fi.

I’d download some films on to your iPad beforehand if possible, it’ll make watching much smoother.

Thank you xxx I think I was looking at headphones as I would use them for my computer work and. Watching things on my iPad. I

Oh and Bluetooth is just a wireless way to connect the headphones (or other accessories) to your iPad or phone. You’ll find it in the settings menu on an iPhone, you just need to search and link the two.

I love my big old fashioned over the head headphones! I wear them on public transport even if they're off. Definitely don't talk to me vibes if you want that.
Bluetooth means your phone/iPad/laptop etc will connect over the air to the headphones without wires. You just have to "pair" them which basically means introduce one to the other, the headphones instructions will tell you how to put them in pairing mode. Once they've been introduced you can tell them to automatically connect when Bluetooth is on.

Oh and lots of models do have the option to turn on a separate noise cancelling mode.

Ive Bose noise cancelling headphones and have used them a lot travelling.You can use them with noise cancelling or without. I find they cancel out a lot of the background noise.

Bluetooth connects the headphones to the device (iPad or phone)

WiFi connects the device to the internet.

At home you can use WiFi to download (save) films and books to your device so you don’t have to use WiFi on the coach to view them.

I had Sony noise cancelling headphones that went over my head. You need to “pair” them to the device. Charge them up - open settings on the device (eg iPad) go to Bluetooth - press a wee button on the headphones and then they appear as an available item to pair on Bluetooth.

I have 'Soundcore' over ear headphones for in the house. They aren't 100% noise cancelling but useful for if DH is on the PlayStation and I'm trying to block the noise out to read or watch Netflix on my tablet. (I also sleep with them on to block out snoring....)

Think they were around £30-£40 for the noise cancelling ones so in a price bracket I wouldn't cry if I lost them or dropped them!

Tip, don't buy the white ones, my first pair eventually went rusty inside around the speaker area before they totally gave up the ghost and it looked like ear wax stains 🤢, stick to black or navy.

I would suggest you buy two products. Buy the big noise cancelling headphones for watching a movie and completely cutting out the sounds. Also I'd recommend loop ear plugs, they go into your ears and you can still hear but it takes the edge off. If surrounding chatter irritates you it will help you relax when reading. They are about 20 or so. I bought them in Boots and they come in a tiny case. I wore them at a gig and enjoyed it so much more. It just felt like lowering the volume everywhere.

I bought the Soundcore Q30 headphones after someone recommended them on here as a cheap noise cancelling headphones. They’re not the best but perfectly good for travelling and using as you suggest. The noise cancelling setting does leak sound but does bring down chatter and road/airplane noises considerably. I usually play something I’ve downloaded on Spotify or BBC Sounds. £50 on Amazon.

Bluetooth is a way to connect devices that are physically near each other, without a cable. Your iPad will have it and so will headphones, you "pair" them together. The headphones will need charging up every so often.

Your IPad will also need mobile connection (4G) if you want it to connect to internet during the travelling, or you can use WiFi at hotels and download movies to watch later.

Good Bluetooth noise cancelling headphones should be at least £100+ and be a brand like Sony or Sennheiser. Try Currys or John Lewis if you prefer a shop.

Thank you all so much - you have explained it simply to me so I have an idea what to look for x

We all have basic Q20 or Q30 ones. The more you pay the better they get I imagine, but these are good enough. I don't find "transparent" mode very useful though, it amplifies ambient sound into your ear which is just annoying. I would rather just offset one side from my ear a bit.

A few people have recommended Soundcore; I would go all out with the Q45 model. I‘ve found it good for a number of things by comparison with previous headphones (admittedly they were ancient corded Bose or cheapish JBL). For all I know these features are absolutely standard now.

1. They pair really well with my devices. In fact they pair with two devices (if you want to use your iPad but also hear phone calls).
2. A single charge lasts utterly ages.
3. I’m really impressed by the noise cancelling, but it doesn’t block sound altogether. It also has a transparency mode so if someone talks to you, you put a hand over one ear and it goes into transparent mode so you can hear what they’re saying without struggling for the switch or taking the phones off.
4. They’re comfortable enough for me to sleep in, in emergencies. Obviously Loop plugs are better for that though.

Before you get the impression I’m a plant fir SoundCore, I agree with the PP that getting them in a pale colour was a huge mistake. Go for a dark model.

What type of coach is it? Regiojet have screens with entertainment on the back of each seat (like an aeroplane). I am not sure if they are compatible with Bluetooth or if you need wired headphones though.

Could you go somewhere like john lewis to try some out? Then you can see how comfortable they are and how they sound.

My Soundcores have a lead that plugs into a standard headphone socket, which I use on planes For the in flight entertainment.