[TenTec] NC headphones

[Jim McDonald]

I admit they're expensive $300), but I really do like my Bose Quiet Comfort
2 noise cancelling headphones.  I wear them primarily on airplanes but they
do get rid of fan noise in the shack and are very comfortable to wear.
They're light weight so seem light duty.  The cord, for example, makes
RG-174 coax look sturdy.  My ears are totally enclosed within the pads, so
there's no pressure on the ears.  I wear lightweight glasses.  The AAA
battery is said to last 35 hours, I think, and that seems about right or
maybe conservative.  They swivel and fit into a pretty slim travel case. 

They have a HiFi frequency response so don't expect them to do any
filtering.

Jim N7US 

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W9OY:

I am now the proud owner of 3 different noise canceling headphones.

Heil $99
RCA hpnc-250  $30
TDE $10

I've had the Heil for several months.  I found the RCA's at Walmart over the
holidays, and I found the TDE's at a CVS in Orlando.  The Heil are the most
comfortable to wear.  They do not touch the earlobe but cup the ear, and
provide good isolation.  The noise canceling works well especially on things
like fan noise.  The sound quality is excellent and the N/C doesn't add any
artifacts.  The effect when you turn them on is similiar but not identical
to entering an an-echoic chamber.  In other words the effect is a distinct
lack of noise that I would characterize as "deadness"  

The RCA while 1/3 the price are as good in terms of the noise canceling
effect.  They have good audio quality and are confortable, but the ear pads
do contact the ear lobe so over all they may not be the best for long hours
of listening.  

The CVS phones are clearly inferior ot these other phones.  They are about
the equivalent to the RCA in both comfort and audio quality but the noise
canceling is much inferior.  Where the others leave you with the perception
of "deadness" the CVS acts more like a high pass filter where the lows are
reduced, but what then passes are highs so you end up with higher pitched
noise that lacks the lows instead of "deadness".  It seems to just shift the
noise up the spectrum so to speak, instead of cancel it.  

So that's my experience with noise cancelers.  YMMV

73  W9OY