My Aiwa HP-CN5 that I bought in January 2002 are still useful (see my original review) but have proved to be not very comfortable, and are sub-optimal since they are open-air.
Interestingly enough, Phillip J. Windley got the same impression.
Anyway, since I ended up with tinnitus issues, I decided to have a look at August 2003's market.
Here is a list of candidates:
| Product | Comment | Price seen as of 19 August 2003 on DealTime |
|---|---|---|
| Bose QuietComfort 2 | The best, the most expensive | $300 |
| Koss QZ-2000 | Seems pretty good and comfortable though open-air | $130 (Epinions.com seem to have slightly better prices) |
| Sony MDR-NC20 | Closed-air, seem better than the MDR-NC5 | $90 |
| Sony MDR-NC5 | Open-air | $40 |
| Panasonic RP-HC100 | OK reviews, but not marketed as noise canceling; hissing; open-air? | $50 |
Which sums up Philip J. Windley's conclusion: you get what you pay for. And for the Bose ones, you have to pay a lot...
So it seems that if you want to get something good, it's the expensive Bose or nothing. Note that my cheapo Aiwa are still better than nothing.
Crutchfield has the Bose QuietComfort 2 for $299, and there is a 25$ off coupon.
There is also the Plane Quiet model, but it seems that nobody has reviewed it, and hardly anybody sells it...