Hows the sound quality of Panasonic Headphones ?

Eh. I’m not a fan of noise cancelling headphones. Go for the noise reduction ones (work like ear plugs) if you’re okay with having things actually in your ear. Better sound quality (no “cancelling” hiss), and they don’t require batteries.

Etymotic ER-6 or 6i would be my recommendation (at 4x the price of the Panasonic ones…)

I second bpeoples. Noise canceling is overrated. Instead go for noise reduction… I like my Shure’s earbuds (e2c, I think). and I know Etymotic’s are great. I also have an old pair of IXUS closed ear headphones which really block the sound, without the need for “noise cancelling.”

Koss has a pretty good warranty program—you can see if your headphones are covered here. They replaced my headphones a couple of years ago; I had to pay $6 shipping, which seemed fair.

I also agree that noise reduction is probably preferable to noise cancellation. And there is a lot to be gained by spending a little more (or a lot more) on headphones.

the reason why i wanted to get noise-cancelling headphones is that i travel alot(mainly buses and a few planes) and i have heard poeple say about how awesome they can be for flights, I personally had a pair of Sony noise-reduction earphones but what i hated was that i find earphones are too loud and the music is to direct. I like ear-cup headphones because they sort-of spread out the music around the ear. Also i read an article on the NY Times, about how noise-cancelling are better for one’s ear than normal headphones.

@bob: thanks for the heads-up about the repair but i think its time for me replace my two-year old headphones anyway

I would go for the v moda vibes. They have been the best headphones for the price that I have ever had. They are by far the most comfortable and they come with six pairs of different tips so you can get the best fit. I Did notice the sure e2c are only 50 at target regular 99 so that may be a good cost effective idea also.

Just so you know—noise-canceling headphones aren’t better for your ears, except that you can play them at lower volumes. Noise-reducing, earplug-style headphones will give you exactly the same benefit.

@curtaincall: I don’t see the e2c at Target online—can you give me a link? Those for $50 would be a great deal!

Mirza, the noise-canceling headphones you can get for $25 will probably sound bad. But they could be OK, and you won’t make yourself deaf. Go for those, or if you want to move up, look at something like the Sennheizer PXC 150 or 250 ($100 and $150, respectively).

Or, if that’s a little too pricey, you could try some regular sealed headphones like the AKG K26P—regular old headphones, no fancy noise-cancellation, but sealed well enough that you can listen to music while traveling without killing your eardrums.

All those links go to headphone.com. I’ve bought headphones from them in the past, and they are very nice. They’re biased towards extremely pricey headphones, but they have extensive reviews and lots of recommendations.

@vbb – the price of the headphones is about $ 90 at amazon, best buy – its 25 at a local store thats closing down

I saw them while at a target today with the orange price cut sticker on it they may not be featured online

@bob: you can find new shure e2c headphones for about $55 on eBay

I came across an interesting article that I can’t find now, a study by audiologists (not somebody trying to sell electronics, but healthcare professionals) that asserted that the majority of the performance features found in audiophile equipment are undetectable by the average human ear, especially at higher volumes. Only those few with exceptionally sensitive hearing were able to physically distinguish any benefit conveyed by the more expensive audio equipment, and they theorized (other than obvious flaws in really cheap equipment, like hissing) the majority of the benefit perceived by the majority of consumers is a psychosomatic product of the marketing, packaging and price of the more expensive equipment.

I have always been amused by those who clearly spent way too much money on high end audio equipment, only to play “music” which, putting my personal tastes aside, benefits little from clarity or faithful reproduction.

thanks for the help everyone
I ended up getting the Sony MDR-NC60 for $ 80 at the sony store . It was above my price range but the headphones are amazing – possibly the best headphone i have ever had. The noise-cancelling feature is amazing and so is the passive sound