Shut out the world!

May 1, 2012 9:32 AM

Please recommend your favourite in-ear/earbud noise-cancelling headphones with an iPod/iPhone control and mic.

UK sites preferred, maximum budget is £100.

posted by ellieBOA to Technology (7 answers total)

I really like my Klipsch Image S4i headset. The earplugs block out enough noise that I take them out when walking in bad neighborhoods. The sound quality is awesome. And they can get quite loud, much louder than the crappy Apple white earbuds.

Fit and comfort are a challenge with these earplug-style headphones. The Klipsch comes with several size tips, I think you can get other brands with different shapes too. The default ones worked for me.
posted by Nelson at 10:02 AM on May 1, 2012

Do you really mean noise-cancelling? These are headphones that "use miniature built-in microphones within the earpieces to sense the environmental ambient noise around the headphones via an active (battery powered) electronic circuit". If so, Nelson's recommendation is not noise-cancelling. If you just mean noise-isolating (i.e. forms a seal that blocks out a lot of noise), I like the Etymotic MC3.
posted by caek at 10:48 AM on May 1, 2012

I love the Etymotic hf3. It pushes pretty close to your £100 budget, but these things are fantastic. I've found that the best noise isolation comes from using the flange earbuds. These take some getting used to, but yeah...they're great. I will add that some critics dislike the understated bass, but I've never had a problem with it.
posted by bluejayway at 11:52 AM on May 1, 2012

I'm assuming you're not looking for active, electronic noise cancellation, because good noise-cancelling headphones may be hard to find within your price range, but will be okay with passive earplug-style noise blocking. In that case, the very best in-ear headphones I've ever heard are right at the top end of your price range: Ultimate Ears TripleFi 10 (the 10vi model, with iPhone control, often sells for an unreasonable amount more — but a replacement cable with the iPhone controls and mic can be found separately on eBay for not too much money). For great sound while spending less money, the Shure 215 and the Klipsch S4 are well worth a listen.
posted by RogerB at 11:55 AM on May 1, 2012

I actually like Apple's in-ear buds (though some people say they are terrible, I guess YMMV). But you have to replace the stock silicone tips with foam ones. Complyfoam.com makes really decent one that fit a number of earbuds, including Apple's. They are relatively inexpensive and do a very nice job sealing the ear canal.
posted by robabroad at 1:27 PM on May 2, 2012

I really like my Phonak Audéo in-ear headphones. There's currently a voucher code floating around that gives you half off the PFE-122 model (with mic and iphone answer/pause/skip control, but no volume control), until 13 May. These headphones are already great value for money at the usual price (search through the head-fi forums for reviews), and they're a steal at half price (£65).
posted by klausness at 11:09 AM on May 5, 2012

Seconding the Klipsch S4i. I've never been in such love with a pair of headphones before, and I've tried hundreds of pairs (including some much more expensive).
posted by iarerach at 7:59 PM on May 13, 2012