Anyone have any advice or reviews on noise-canceling headphones?

Question

I am moving in with a drummer and I expect that there will be lots of times when he is practicing and I want quiet. I was thinking of investing in noise canceling head-phones, but searching over the internet is proving to be tiresome. Does anyone have any advice on noise-canceling headphones? How well do they work? Do I have to be playing music on them or can I just have the sound of silence? Any advice or reviews is much appreciated. Thanks!

Answer 1

Noise cancelling technology works for continuous sound, such as the hum of an air conditioner. But more dynamic sound such as a voice, or perhaps your roommate's drums will not be effectively cancelled out.

The reason for this is because the technology has a microphone which picks up the outside noise, reverses the phase, and then generates the reverse wave. The original sound wave and the reversed wave will essentially cancel out each other and you won't hear anything.

Answer 2

1st they won't give you "silence", especially if you don't have music plugged in. They reduce the background "noise". Some better than others.

this is what I would google
"noise canceling headphone reviews"

the first couple hits look like a lot of info to me.