Earphones / Headphones: Where to try, what to buy?

Not sure if these are all hype and certainly not to my tastes aesthetically but they seem to have good reviews and if you hanker after a pair, promo code WTF gets them below 200 USD. Of course you'd then have to pay shipping so...

http://blue-headphones.com/lola.php

PL50s are great at aliexpress prices (~£25), if you can wait a couple of weeks for them. They're still my go-to headphones, as they're tiny, comfortable and sound great. Having bought a couple of other pairs of in-ear headphones recently I've realised that they are a little light on sub-bass, but detail and clarity are second to none.

A good pair I bought recently are fake Audio-Technica CKR9LTD from Aliexpress. They were about £35 but sound great. I didn't really go in for or understand all that audiophile soundstage talk, but these are great. Real clarity of every aspect of the music, I definitely notice new stuff when I listen compared to other headphones. I'll see if I can dig out a link. They're the bright red ones with push-pull drivers.

Edit: The CKR9LTDs are massive and shiny and red though, and not over-ear. So I don't really like wearing them in public.

AKG 451s are still £38 http://www.amazon.co.uk/AKG-High-Performance-Headphones-Microphone-Compatible/dp/B005LBQ7BY/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1450453374&sr=8-1&keywords=akg+451

Does anyone have experience of noise cancelling headphones and long haul flying?

I'm tempted by the Bose quiet comfort 25's to hopefully let me get some sleep on the way back from the US.

I bought these for my trip back to HK earlier this year, but I returned them after using them for a few days on short distance commute in London. They gave me a funny sensation when the noise cancelling is on, and when it's off, it felt like the songs were being played under water.

The commute I tested them on was on trains, and the noise wasn't cancelled completely, not that I expected it to. Instead it was more like distant and somewhat distorted noise. I didn't like it at all, and when I walked, I could hear my own footsteps more so (maybe I am a little strange on this). As for the actual sound quality, it's average, I have had better headphones that are far cheaper, but I am by no means an expert in sound and headphones etc. They do sit very well on my head and probably some of the more confortable headphones I have tried on.

I ended up returning them and got these instead after seeing folks here saying they are good. Not noise cancelling but for less than half the price. For me, they worked really well for both my flights to and from HK (11-13 hrs ish), if anything they are a bit big and did no agree with my earrings. I managed to sleep fairly well with these on... but flights from HK are almost always ovenight flights so it might explains the sleep...

I would have kept the Bose if it wasn't the weird distorted noise I could hear... I am sure they are great but just not for me. Hope it helps you decide in some small ways.

@Dammit
Everyone is different but try before you buy if you can. I found the active noise cancellation to create an unpleasant pressure in my head, made worse when on a flight. I couldn't handle more than 1 hour. That and my ears were far too hot to sleep! Plenty of people have no issue though and the ANC Bose use is very effective, especially with low frequencies. I'm always noticing people asleep on long haul flights, mouths gaping away with the quietcomforts on so...

My favourite solution is a pair of in-ear monitors (IEM). They passively cut noise by creating a physical barrier. Again personal preference, some people don't like things stuck deep into their ear canal. And fit is CRITICAL with this kind of earphone.

What I have used for years are Klipsch X10 with comply foam tips. Super comfortable for many flights between LHR and SYD. And good sound, and don't require batteries.

Not sure what your preference for sound and usage is but for £250 you can get a top flight IEM that will have amazing sound and isolation. eg. SHURE SE425 will sit flat in your ear and block out around 25db of sound. There's so many options from £80 - 200 you'll be spoilt for choice.

I've had a pair of qc15's for years but I picked up some qc25's over summer. They're no different really, apart from you can listen to music when they're 'off' - but as @ExTra said it sounds rubbish.

I get what you mean about the funny sensation, when 'turning them on' it can feel a bit like pressure on your ears even though theres no sound. But it's not caused me any problems and I find them comfortable to wear all day - but try a pair out first. For long haul they're excellent, but I would consider a decent pair of in ears next time.

IEM are effectively ear plugs then?

FWIW I find my Monster iSport Victory in ear buds as effective as Bose over ear ANCs and a lot more comfortable after a couple of hours or so.

IEM's in the music world use moulded in-ears. However you need to have to get moulds of your ears to make them worthwhile.

But they are superb if you spend the money on them.

So I have the RHA MA750 which I really like. I threw away the ear buds though and replaced them with foam to give a proper seal. That said, I also have ATH50x's for work, which absolutely destroy the RHAs. Not really a fair comparison though.

Only issue I have atm is my new phone Nexus 6P can't really drive them that well (too quiet). Stalling on portable Fifo amp.

Yep, but choose the right ones and they're brilliant.

IEM's in the music world use moulded in-ears. However you need to have to get moulds of your ears to make them worthwhile.

one day... but then you can get decent results with the foam tips or double flange silicone tips.

I could sell you a cheap Fiio E17 alpine DAC/amp?
Trying to get funds for an AudioQuest dragonfly to use with phone (OTG cable).
You definitely need an amp for the ATH50x , it'll really open up the sound.

or this:
http://www.zorloo.com/#!zuperdac/ci25

ahh I live in the US, so not really gonna work.

The dragonfly looks very good, wonder if it would work with my Nexus 6P.

My MBP can easily drive the ATH50x fine, and the MA750s. I tend to only use the MA750 with my Nexus 6P but that's where the volume problem starts. Shitty $20 headphones = loud, okish sound. MA750 = great quality, quiet as fuck

I have some Sennheiser noise cancelling headphones. I like them and they get a lot of use. They don't totally cancel the flight noise but they do significantly cut it down. I have some Klipsch X10 with Comply tips and I don't think they cut the sound out as well.

The sound quality isn't great for the price but I only tend to use them when I'm somewhere noisy anyway.

Comfort is important- it's a ten hour flight and in an ideal world I'd be able to sleep, something I've never really managed due to the noise. I wonder if simple ear plugs would be better?

Undeniably cheaper

True. I rather liked the idea of being able to put a pair of headphones on and, at the press of a button, all external noise vanishing. I'm guessing it's not actually like that?

For comfort, I have always found that over ear rather than on ear design makes a huge difference. My ears become very sore after a while with on ear designs.

I'm guessing it's not actually like that?

They have a store on Regent's Street where you can try 'em.

Definitely look into Dragonfly or the Zuperdac - desgined to work with an OTG cable from your phones USB. I had no issues when I used the Fiio with a HTC one and my current xperia z5 - bypasses the phones audio and outputs to the DAC. Because the dragonfly is small, not tiny it'll be like having a large inline remote hanging off your phone but should work well.
Being a nexus6 you will notice a big sound improvement and it should plug and play. If not check the USB connectivity options.

My MBP can easily drive the ATH50x fine, and the MA750s. I tend to only use the MA750 with my Nexus 6P but that's where the volume problem starts. Shitty $20 headphones = loud, okish sound. MA750 = great quality, quiet as fuck

It's the difference in impedance. The ATH50X is 16 ohm but the MA750 is 38 ohm so you'll get different volumes.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Headphones#Impedance

If only... I have found even music gets a little annoying after a few hours... I require absolute silence when I sleep, which is not at all possible on a flight. Did you say you are coming back from the US? If you are in the UK, just buy the bose from John Lewis for next day pick up and try them for a few days, see how you like them.