Headphones

Many people use their portable music players while working out, jogging, or taking public transportation to work - activities where shutting out the surrounding noise can be inconvenient or even dangerous.

While traveling, however, music players are used as an isolation device, especially on an airplane where they provide an escape from crying babies, chatty seatmates, and engine noise. There are two main choices to accomplish this effectively: active noise canceling headphones and passive noise blocking earbuds. The first generate sound waves to cancel out existing noise, while the latter simply keep the external sound from entering your ear. Two hybrid models reviewed here attempt, with mixed success, to bridge the gap.

People with sensitive ears may want to avoid the “on the ear” noise cancelling headphones or at least try them out in a store first. With these there is more pressure in the ear canal from the noise cancellation sound waves. The passive noise cancellation ones may let in more external noise, but they don't apply additional pressure.