Wired headphones advice needed

[velos]

I am looking for noise-canceling headphones that will work on my desktop (OptiPlex 7010; Win7 Pro), without any other gizmos needed. Wired only models considered. Preferably under $300...the more under the better. It would have to be sold by B&H Photo, Newegg, etc., as I no longer deal with Amazon or Walmart. Any recommendations?

 

[Eppie]

I am looking for noise-canceling headphones that will work on my desktop (OptiPlex 7010; Win7 Pro), without any other gizmos needed. Wired only models considered. Preferably under $300...the more under the better. It would have to be sold by B&H Photo, Newegg, etc., as I no longer deal with Amazon or Walmart. Any recommendations?

That really limits what is available. Most options these days are wireless, which requires recharging. The benefit of going wired is not needing to charge batteries provided you use a USB connection. The standard 1/8" audio plug will not provide power, so if you want noise cancelling with a 1/8" plug you again need to recharge batteries. (I use the Bose Quiet Comfort in-ear and the battery lasts quite long.)

I went onto B&H and searched for headphones with USB connectors. That narrowed it down to 11 models, but of those models only one had noise cancelling being the Dell WH5024. It's only $90. (Note that noise cancelling mics are only for the microphone and do not provide active noise cancellation on the ear phones.) Unfortunately I can not comment on the quality or comfort of the Dell WH5024. It's "on-ear leatherette memory foam" but I prefer over the ear or in-ear.

 

[Wayde Robson]

I am not sure about wired headphones with noise cancelling, but it's possible someone out there has created one.

Normally, a pair of "passive", or wired headphones are fully dedicated to only convert the amplified audio signal into sound. It's that dedication to one analog purpose that makes them overall the best sounding headphones per-price range. Passive headphone designs tend not to have any other electronics, no on/off switch, or companion app for your phone.

Almost all wireless headphones these days will include ANC (active noise cancelling). Once you go wireless, you've introduced chips and digital electronics inside your headphones and opened the floodgates for all sorts of features, including an app.

The best "noise cancelling" you can get from wired headphones is to select a pair of "closed back" headphones, these are designed to block sound from the world outside while keeping your music inside the earcups, a passive sound isolation rather than "cancelling". Closed back headphones can do sonic isolation to varying degrees depending on the headphones, but nowhere near as effective as ANC.

The trouble with passive headphones plugging into a laptop without a DAC/Amp intermediary is that you're depending on the audio output of the laptop through its 3.5-mm jack, which will inevitably be noisy. But it can be done.

What you're probably really looking for to achieve sound quality through a wire directly to your headphones w/ ANC, is a pair of wireless headphones w/ ANC that can connect via USB.

The laptop's USB digital audio transmission to your headphones will be decoded by the headphone's own DAC/Amp and will likely provide better performance than a pair of passive headphones plugged into a laptop 3.5-mm audio jack. Certainly the noise cancelling will be better. If you're planning on wiring your headphones in public places that you want to sonically neutralize, you definitely want closed back. Almost all wireless headphones are closed back designs.

Look for a modestly priced pair of wireless headphones that can work off a direct USB connection. This may be called USB or DAC Mode. It might be tough to find because most people would just use it wirelessly, but many will have this capability even if they don't promote it in their marketing material.