Well, yes... and no. The noise that is added is in exact opposition to the noise that is being canceled, and they really do cancel each other out. In other words, if the noise cancellation were perfect, you would "hear" complete silence. However, the cancellation is not perfect, and (at least in the case of the Bose noise canceling earphones) seems optimized for canceling the jet engine drone inside a commercial jet, in particular leaving the normal speaking range (say from 200--500 Hz) essentially unfiltered.




Those are not noise canceling earphones. They are ordinary earbuds that (according to the manufacturer's claims) fit tightly enough that they keep extraneous noise from entering your ears. I don't believe their claims. They look like ordinary earbuds to me with greatly inflated price. I use similar earbuds, and while there is noticeable attenuation of external noise, it is nothing like true noise cancellation.

The setup I am currently using has proven to be better than I had anticipated, for my purposes at least. I can't personally speak to sound quality since all I am listening to is low-bitrate audiobooks, but other reviewers seem satisfied. It takes quite some time and fiddling to bend the wires (they twist and bend like pipe cleaners) to get the perfect comfortable and snug fit with the earbuds pointed just right into the ear canals, but once that is done the noise isolation is significant. The whole thing is so lightweight that I can't imagine what sort of gyrations would be necessary to involuntarily dislodge it, and the freedom from dangling wires is something you won't fully appreciate until you experience it for yourself.

The downside is that you must pair the headphnes with a Generation 2 iPod Shuffle that is no longer being manufactured. They are still available here and there, both new and used, although the larger capacity 2GB model is harder to find. You must also be sure that the Shuffle fits your listening style, as there is no display screen so navigation to specific tracks is next to impossible. Best way to do it is build and organize your playlist in iTunes, then load it into the iPod with shuffle-mode turned off. Note also that reaching the iPod's controls (volume up/down, track forward/back) is much easier than with a regular setup since it is always right there out in the open on the back of your neck. Since I use mine only for audiobooks, I went so far as to disable my shuffle switch with a drop of epoxy after twice inadvertently shuffling my book chapters.

You might give the Arriva 'phones with iPod Shuffle a try. They work well for me.

tanstaafl.