To ask for help with headphones

[EmmaEmerald]

Posting for traffic

Hi
i'm hopeless at tech
My trusty in ear Bose noise cancelling headphones (wired) have finally failed, after 8 years of great service.

Now I'd like to replace with similar but can't find anything. I can see "noise isolation" but that isn't the same, or is it? I can't have anything that needs Bluetooth - must be wired, old school, and with a connection that works on old Sony MP3 and ipad.

They also were fine for about 8 hours use, which is great on days involving long journeys. Identical pairs seem to be around but not with guarantee.

If I can get the same but cheaper, I'll pleased. MN wisdom much appreciated. Thank you.

Try the Bose QC comfort range they are all fully noise cancelling. If you go on the Bose website into the outlet part they often have them on offer

Both our DC have diagnosed Misophonia and swear by these and their apple 2 in ear products

Noise isolation isn't the same thing as noise cancellation, no. Noise isolation is just that they cut out a good amount of noise by virtue of their design, noise cancellation is the headphones actively working to reduce background noise by having a microphone which picks up ambient noise, and the headphones try to cancel this out, to varying degrees of success.

As previous poster has said, your best bet if you need wired in ears with such a feature are the Bose QC ones, but they are pricey. You can get cheapy ones with active noise cancellation but they tend to be pretty shit.

Thank you but Bose seem to only do wireless now?

Thank you
I think the price for 8 years of solid use is good

what I was hoping was that with my lack of tech knowledge, something cheaper might match up. But it looks like the main problem is they are wireless! I can't find any wired Bose noise cancelling?

Op try getting refurbished ones from cex

I have wireless Bluetooth headphones but they also came with a jack and a wire, so do check the specs to see if it had that? Mine were advertised as Bluetooth

These have wired mode

Bose QuietComfort® 45 Bluetooth wireless noise cancelling headphones with microphone for phone calls - Triple Black amzn.eu/d/7hdWjuD

Ah, you are right, looks like the wired Bose ones (the quietcomfort 20s) which are wired (and the ones I have) have been discontinued. You can still find them on ebay it looks like if you are not fussed about refurbished ones or paying over the odds, or you might need to accept a pair without noise cancellation.

Unfortunately (for you) most headphones are now wireless as nearly all modern phones don't even have jacks anymore. You can get little dongles which you plug into a headphone jack to use wireless ones, that's maybe worth doing instead?

these aren't in-ear, but out of interest, does "wired mode" mean an old style wire is provided? Thank you.

I will also try CEX. I'm now wondering if anyone repairs these, I will shop around.

www.bose.co.uk/en_gb/products/headphones/noise_cancelling_headphones/quietcomfort-headphones-45.html?mc=05_PS_45_GE_00_GO_&&&&&gclsrc=aw.ds&gclid=CjwKCAjw5dqgBhBNEiwA7PryaFkIdI_9YxeQZhT_0mEn4ouTOd59rgiANMCzgJFAlAvEi2k9n1oBaBoCyUUQAvD_BwE#v=qc45_black

Wireless freedom for multiple devices
Bluetooth® 5.1 provides a strong, consistent connection up to 9.1 m. Connect to two devices at once and seamlessly switch between them.

Battery icon
UP TO 22 HOURS*

Listen longer
QuietComfort® 45 headphones give you up to 22 hours on a single charge, enough to keep going on even the longest overnight flight. They recharge fully in just 2.5 hours, and a 15-minute charge will give you up to 3 hours of use. For even longer play time, plug in the included audio cable to use in wired mode*

*Battery testing was conducted by Bose with active noise cancelling on and in continuous audio playback at 50% volume. Battery runtime is based on typical use and may vary based on usage.

Frabbits how does that work with the headphone jack please?

Rockhoppers those are wireless and overear

I'm looking for wired in ear?

Ok well I'm just showing you that they advertise as Bluetooth but often have a wire, so dig into the info screen and see if you can find that

I got the Sony link buds S

They do noise cancelling and transparent mode which is very useful.

They aren't the loudest things though and the adaptive control (where it decides whether to noise cancel or go transparent) can be annoying but it's easily overridden.

Only other downside for me is that my last pair had slightly better touch control and let you do a bit more controls in a more intuitive fashion

There not headphones then! They're earbuds.

Thanks Rockhoppers I see what you mean. So you have solved part of the mystery - a wired option probably only exists now with over ear.

MNWA sorry, in my day they were called earphones. I told you I was out of date.

OneTC I will look at those too.

thanks so much everyone. (I do feel sad that such a great item isn't made anymore though).

I’ve got these but think that’s not what you’re after :(
Bose Noise Cancelling Headphones 700 — Over Ear, Wireless Bluetooth Headphones with Built-In Microphone for Clear Calls & Alexa Voice Control, Black amzn.eu/d/4wgsIIf

@EmmaEmerald the wireless ones are fantastic. The charge covers Journey to and from Uni and a day in lectures/library etc. DD goes nowhere without them and even used them during A level exams (with an exemption)

Ive also found Bose to be fantastic with any problems, an ear pad burst it’s seam and they fitted new ones in store whilst we waited

If you want wired in ear there are still some places with their sports ones. I picked a pair up from Amazon but you need to check the cable as they do one for apple and one for android

OneTC I will look at those too.

Didn't realise you wanted wired ones when I posted. I would recommend giving wireless a try though, I wasn't convinced and only ended up making the switch because they removed the jack from the brand of phones I prefer. Downside is they're not as loud as wired ones and in theory you could lose them. I break wired headphones with amazing frequency though and find that wireless actually last me a bit longer because it's always the wire I kill, if you got 8 years out of a pair I don't imagine that's a consideration though.

You basically get a little dongle that plugs into the headphone jack and that transmits to wireless headphones.

Note that they draw power from the device so battery life does suffer a little bit.

Ah, thanks. But am I right in thinking that also transmits via bluetooth or something? I don't want that, nor will it work for my music.

I'll think on it but either try to get what I've already got or will just have to face life without noise cancelling. I'm moving soon and long journeys will hopefully be in the past, or once a month or something.

thanks for all the pointers, really appreciate it.

These Sennheiser ones are listed as being NC https://www.amazon.co.uk/Sennheiser-MX-375-Ear-Headphones-Black/dp/B0076Z7668/ref=asc_df_B0076Z7668/?tag=googshopuk-21&linkCode=df0&hvadid=309952060520&hvpos=&hvnetw=g&hvrand=8079652500030684634&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvqmt=&hvdev=m&hvdvcmdl=&hvlocint=&hvlocphy=1006677&hvtargid=pla-561218907347&psc=1
You might want to look at Creative too. I had some really good Creative ones.

Panasonic ErgoFit
www.amazon.co.uk/Panasonic-RP-HJE125E-K-Ergo-Ear-Headphone-Black/dp/B00CBU0IV8/ref=asc_df_B00CBU0IV8/?tag=googshopuk-21&linkCode=df0&hvadid=309841464204&hvpos=&hvnetw=g&hvrand=8153310888814734634&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvqmt=&hvdev=m&hvdvcmdl=&hvlocint=&hvlocphy=9046163&hvtargid=pla-362879266991&psc=1

Best earphones I've ever used.

Not noise cancelling, but they're perfectly shaped to keep noise out. I have tinnitus and I'm very sensitive to noise like neighbours, dogs, traffic etc. These are the only ones I've ever used in 40+ years that help me cope.
Maybe it's because they're perfectly shaped for my ears, I don't know, but I always keep a spare pair ready of the current ones fail and at less than £10, I pick these over ear plugs.
I love them with all my ears.

24K thanks, at this price I will order these so I have something while I ponder!