I just purchased the Audio-Technica ATH-ANC7 over the ear headphones, but i plan to return them. I liked the sound, and the noise canceling was great, but they are too tight on my right ear. After just two minutes of wearing them, my ear starts twitching, probably due to a pinched nerve.

So, i am looking for some over the ear headphones in the $150 range that would have good noise canceling.

I have a pair of in-ear ones as well, but since my ear canals are asymmetrical, i can't get a tight seal, so they don't sound as good, nor do they drown out all the noise.

I love my sennheiser 280-hd pro's.

I keep seeing these pop up in my search. They don't seem to have noise canceling, but i figure if the seal is good, they'll be pretty quiet.
Do they come with a case?
I really liked how my iRiver H340 fit right in between the headphones.

EDIT: Looks like my local Best Buy has these in stock. I'll pick them up tonight.

Nope, just plain over the ear headphones.



Yes, they seal pretty good outside noise from coming in, and keeping your music from bleeding out.



Not that I recall, they do fold up relatively compactly given the size.

I've had mine for several years now, I wear them pretty much every (work) day.

I would ask if they have a pair you can try on, while I find them comfortable, they do have a snug fit which may or may not be ok for you.

They are still very highly rated on amazon, I suggest you check out some of the comments there as well.

I see you're planning on returning the AT's. I currently have a pair of ATH-M50's and LOVE them. They fit over the ear and even with a 2 and 6 year old, all I can hear is the music! The fit was very snug at first, and pinched my jaw, but the break-in was quick (a few weeks maybe?) and there is no more pain. I think in another thread someone might have mentioned leaving them out over a kleenex box to loosen them up. These fold up rather compact, come with a case, and are in your price range.

Just my $0.02

I also have the Sennheiser 280-HD. I use them at work. I don't hear any of the computer noise, I usually don't hear the telephone, and I usually don't hear my colleagues knocking the door either. So they are perfect for office listening! But they are not as good as my in-ear phones with active noise reduction for listening to music on the bus or a plane.

About comfort: They are a quite tight fit. In the beginning it felt like they were squeezing my brain soup out the nose. This become more comfortable after a while. And they don't squeeze the ears (unless you are Dumbo).

Mine didn't come with a case. They seem to be very solid, and they can be turned in different directions to make them flat and easier to fit in a bag.

I think they are too big and heavy to use when taking a walk. They are perfect for home or office, and many use them for studio work. The sound is quite neutral.

HD280 are pretty good unless you have significant sources of low-frequency noise. This will get through - and I'm pretty sure that it would happen for all cans with passive noise attenuation.

IME the MDR V900s are just about the only phones that I've tried that seal better than the HD-280s. However their seal is still far from perfect. There's a problem with using headphones for monitoring a live recording. If you are close to the stage enough low bass will get through that you will hear more bass than is actually on the recording.

+1

My ATH-M50s have less bass, are more comfortable, and are smoother on the top end than my HD-280s.

Not quite in the same league as my MDR-V900s which are less comfortable, whopping more bass, just as smooth on the top end, but a bit more detailed.

Comfortable, both sonically and physically.

Consider AKG 271s - they are the most comfortable headphones I ever had. They lack base a bit thought. They also cut off music when you take them off ;-)