Apparently, I’m taking Mrs. BB61 on a Mediterranean cruise for our 30th wedding anniversary next year. I’ve read the thread about long distance flights and NCH but no suggestions as to what is a good option. I went by Best Buy and their latest and greatest Sony noise canceling headphones (NCH) were outstanding but also nearly $500.

What do you all suggest that won’t break the bank? Also, what is really good neck rest?

Thx!!

You’ve got some time, I would suggesr that rather than recommend a brand (mine happen to be Beats), to just wait for a sale price on any of the major brands. Costco runs deals, Amazon, especially Prime Days…. It happens that the next Prime Days are in the month of October.

I had some JBL (775nc) which i loved.

Wore them on a direct flight from San Diego to Washington DC. Listened to streaming music at a low volume most of the way.

Problem was, i am allergic to the ear cup material and my ears looked like raw burger the next morning - while at my $10M/yr supplier

If not for that, would still have them.

Bose Quiet Comfort.

https://www.bhphotovideo.com/c...over_ear_active.html

Probably will be $100 cheaper during Thanksgiving sales at various retailers.

I like the Bucky buckwheat hull pillow. https://bucky.com/collections/...with-bucky-bag-black

I usually forego a pillow for space/weight but have an inflatable seat pad to sit on or put behind my back. https://www.sportsmans.com/cam...qEAQYCSABEgJBmfD_BwE

I have Bose QC25 and QC 35. Both work extremely well and are not bank busters. the QC25 are wired only, the 35 has bluetooth.

I picked up a Sonos Ace headset earlier this year and absolutely love them. On sale right now for $299

Bose has been my standard. But I just picked up AirPods Pro Gen 2 and it's versatile. If you want to have a conversation, you just have to speak and it pauses the noise cancelling. The noise cancelling returns after a few seconds.

Beats Studio Pro are my go to for over the ear NR headphones. I got mine at Costco almost w years ago and have been very happy within them. If I recall they were on sale for $179.

Currently on sale at Amazon for $199 or $229 w/2yr AppleCare+ warranty.


https://www.amazon.com/Beats-S...ility/dp/B0CMZQNDR4/

For our Med cruise/flight, I got a refurbished set of Sony XM5 off ebay for about $190, and my mother an Edifier 830nb set for $80 from amazon.

Sony's ARE much better but the Edifiers aren't bad.

I'll add I like SoundGuys.com for reviews. They have a good reccs for different budgets.

Had Sonys, listened to Bose, have Wyze.

Sonys from Costco were good. The swivels on the earcups/headband connection started making plastic on plastic squeaks eventually.

Listened to Bose (the best at the time) when I had my Sonys. Good NC, more $.

I’m content with Wyze.

The Bose sounded best.

Thx. Some good suggestions to watch for as the holiday season is soon upon us.

these and earplugs.
https://shokz.com/pages/openrun

I have some Soundcore headphones that I bought 5-6 years ago and really like them for noise cancelling and streaming. They were a lot less expensive than the better known brands but work fine for what I want.

Disclaimer: 20+ years in the field artillery means my standards for sound quality and need for noise cancelling may be lower than yours.

If you have an iPhone the Air Pods Pro II are the best choice. They work, and they integrate seamlessly.

I have BOSE QC20 wired buds, QC30 wireless banded buds, QC35 cans, and QC Buds Gen II. The annoying thing is the wireless ones need a BOSE app to connect to my iDevices, but there are multiple apps depending on the age of the product.

Full size cans (QC35) are just too damn big and take up too much space for a frequent traveler using a backpack as a portable office. I take the old wired buds (QC20) on long trips because they can plug into the plane entertainment system. The wireless banded bunds (QC30) were nice at first, but you can't use them when charging (dumb). Battery life is good and one benefit is if they fall out of your ear they are tethered to the band. The QC Buds Gen I had failed and were replaced free under warranty with the Gen II's. Since they are small I keep them in the backpack at all times but rarely use them because the Air Pods Pro II work as well and are more convenient.

BUT, the Airpods Pro can fall out of your ears and into the seat and depending on the plane and layout you could lose them. The Bose buds have better options for the rubber ear pieces and can fit and retain better.

I fly about 20-25x a year, to include a trip I recently took to UK & France in May, I'm not a fan of the DJ-look with the large headphones as they take-up too much room with the rest of my carry-on gear.

I use a set of AirPods Pro's and they work out great. Besides all the standard Bluetooth connectivity, you can set them to varying degrees of noise cancellation or, how much background noise you want to let in. I know they can double as hearing aids as the seal around the ear opening and the active noise settings will turn-down what's playing if you're talking with someone, someone is talking directly to you or you can seal-off the outside world like on a flight where you want to zone-out. I've found them to be a nice bit of kit and not nearly as bulky or, costly as the big-headphone trend.

FYI- I also carrying a back-up of 'old-school' EarPods with the 35mm audio jack just in-case the in-seat Bluetooth isn't working...I've had that happen once

I use the Bose QC ultra over the ear headphones or the Sony M5 earbuds depending on what I'm feeling. These probably don't fit the "won't break the bank" part of your request but they can be found on sale to make them less of a budget breaker. I can't compare these to other ones, but depending on your preferences, either of these would work out well.

The Bose QC ultras are my go to for travel. I like the comfort of over the ear as well as the ease of on and off. If I fall asleep there is no worry of losing an earbud.
They come with a cord so you can plug them into a sound source without bluetooth like the airplane's entertainment system and they fold up to fit into a hard sided case that makes them more travel friendly. The battery life is supposed to be about 28 hours. I just used them on my trip to Seattle and after using them for about 6 hours on the flights there, when I turned them on the next time (for the return flights) the battery level was at 90%.