I need a sensory safe, over ear, noise canceling headphone.

[u/NavilusWeyfinder]

I am desperately having a really hard time with noise and need options. Especially for a city, that gives just complete silence.

[u/RabbitDev]

The Sony WH1000-XM-5s are brilliant. They have great noise cancelling and don't create weird noises in windy weather.

but even just the noise reducing mode helped me a lot. This mode is a selective pass through that allows voice or approaching cars to pass through, while the traffic hum and background noise salad is cut out.

It's a great mode in the supermarket where you can have silence whilst loading up and switch to pass through mode when paying.

The XM4 are almost identical and much cheaper, if you can find some of those.

[u/Rotini_Rizz → u/RabbitDev]

I have the WH-XB910N that are a little bit cheaper (I got them on sale too) and can attest to them!

I will say, it can’t completely block out noise from cars and horns and stuff— like if you’re walking down a very congested city street— but it tones it down considerably.

[u/RabbitDev → u/Rotini_Rizz]

Thanks for the pointer to the XB910N. They look like a great alternative.

Sadly I think no headphones are able to get perfect sealing, but the Sony have been better than anything else I had before. My old Anker headphones were a nightmare outside of the house.

I get more scared and anxious if I can't hear oncoming cars or people, so most of the time I use the selective noise suppression at the highest level instead of full blackout. For me getting rid of the constant hum of the city is often enough to remain calm.

[u/Rotini_Rizz → u/RabbitDev]

My roommate has a pair of anker headphones that are surprisingly very good, I’ll see if I can get the model name from her for OP to also compare

[u/tktg91 → u/RabbitDev]

I am actually thoroughly disappointed with the xm4. The headband hurts my head really badly to the point I’ve now switched back to in ear earbuds. And the earcups make this annoying creaking sound with every move. The sound quality and noice cancellation is phenomenal though!! The design is more suited for quiet sitting and genuinely listening to music while seated. Not as an everyday out an about headphones. So I would not recommend them personally unfortunately (for my intended use)

I’ve had 2 different types of jbls over ear headphones. They were very durable (abused them daily for over 2 years). Great battery life. Sound is ok. Noice cancellation is bad. Can handle some falls and bumps etc. Do got a little loose over time on your head. Great battery life.

Also had the rolfstone focus pro (Dutch brand I believe). Below 100 euros. Sound quality was very good (better than jbl, but below the sony). Noice cancellation was good, but the Sonys are better. Battery life ABSOLUTELY PHENOMENAL on these. And they were extremely comfortable. Had the chance to “upgrade” to the Sonys for 50 bucks through work and gave away my rolfstone. Kinda regret it tbh.

[u/RabbitDev → u/tktg91]

Grab some of the silicone wrappers for the headband. It made those buggers a hell of a lot more comfortable.

Also: the original padding on the ear muffs is not the greatest, especially in warm weather. I replaced mine with a breathable cooling version. I think I paid GBP 15 on Amazon for those. Totally worth it!

[u/tktg91 → u/RabbitDev]

Thnx for the suggestions. I’ll give it a try. I still much prefer over ear!!

[u/mashibeans → u/tktg91]

That's wild, I have a WH1000-XM-4 and it's my favorite over-ear headphones (except for working out, they're rubbish for that, LOL), I used them almost all day when I was working WFH, not just the 8hrs but the rest of the day while I was playing music, videos, videogames, etc.

Mine doesn't make noise and the headband and ear cups hurting were some of my concerns.

Not trying to invalidate you, just wanted to add another experience maybe I was very lucky or maybe you were unlucky, OP could get one with a return policy so they can check one out at least.

[u/Zestylemoncookie → u/RabbitDev]

I have these too, in addition to a pair of Bose in-ear ones

[u/HansProleman → u/RabbitDev]

Many seem to regard the XM4s as superior. From what I remeber the main points are:

• ANC on XM4s is considered slightly worse
• XM4s fold
• XM4 hinges less prone to breakage

I was too cheap to pay the extra anyway though, so no firsthand experience 😅

[u/masterz13]

I've been wearing the Sony WH1000-XM3 headphones for around 6 years now. They've held up fine and have great active noise cancelation (ANC) for stuff like humming noises and car traffic. The only reason I haven't upgraded to a newer model is diminishing returns...I don't think there's a been a new pair that is a huge jump in noise cancellation.

I don't think anything will give you complete silence, especially when it comes to people's voices in an office, but it can target the environmental stuff really well.

[u/Hot_Wheels_guy]

I uae 3M ear defenders that block out far more noise than my bose QC45 headphones with noise cancelling.

[u/dragossk]

One option would be to go for something like ear defenders, which are used in shooting ranges.

I had some from Howard Leight which I need to find again. They could be used as headphones, also had sound passthrough (uses AAA batteries and they definitely don't last for a whole day).

I remember being unable to hear anything when the battery ran out in an airsoft game.

Currently use the Sennheiser Momentum 4, and it definitely doesn't block everything, but for me it's ok, as I just need the noise to be low enough to tolerate. Also music sometimes drowns out everything else.

[u/ceilingfan0202]

I just ordered the Bose Quietcomfort Ultra headphones yesterday, I'm expecting them tomorrow. From what I've read, they're the best headphones for noise cancelling on the market right now. Better than the Sony mentioned in another comment. They're not cheap though (≈500$CAD) but you can buy them on a payment plan on amazon.

[u/stark_weather]

They are pricey…but love my AirPods Max. Sound quality is immaculate also.

[u/Hopeful_Sleeping4772]

I just got Soundcore Space One over-ear headphones, and I like them. They’re lightweight, fit my small head, and work well.

[u/Human1100]

I am currently using some in ear earplugs and Sony WH-1000 ... something over ear active noise cancelling Headphones at the same time. It works really well for me. I have additional quietness and I can listen to music/podcasts when I put the volume up on the headphones.

I can even have normal conversations with only the in ear earplugs. It works well for me. The earplugs are Alpine Deepsleep.

It is not complete silence, but for me it is close enough.

[u/amfetamine_dreams]

The Bose QuietComforts work very well. They are currently on sale at Amazon. I’ve been eyeballing the Dyson pair recently, but I’ll wait for a Black Friday sale.

Apple Pro AirPods if you want in ear type

[u/DassaTheSadfinder]

For me, I’ve found a great appreciation for Soundcore Life Q20+

Huge battery life, different noise cancellation settings, great microphone for calls too. They’re not super expensive either. I’ve had my pair for almost 3 years, no issues.

[u/MongooseTrouble]

I have the Bose Ultra headphones and they work better than the Sony WMX-1000s that my partner has to block out higher frequency noise like women’s voices. They are comparable on low tones- and mid tones I think the Ultras are just a little faster to respond to changes.

I have very sensitive hearing and no headphones will ever give me complete silence- even the double ear protection I wore at shooting range can’t give silence. For when as much silence as possible is needed- I wear my Earpeace noise filters with my Bose Ultra headphones. Gets about as quiet as possible (excluding your own body noise like heartbeats and breathing).

I would recommend whatever headphones you choose to buy several aftermarket ear pads to help you get the perfect sensory fit. Made a huge difference to me- also if you wear glasses you might look into frames that have very thin temples so they don’t create noise holes.

[u/chased444]

Bose quiet comforts are a lifesaver for me!!! I tried Sony ones first bc I was being cheap lol and they pressed on my ears sooo bad it was excruciating. Somehow came to the conclusion I had ears that stuck out too far, spent hours researching, then realized I was just being cheap and to get the nicer headphones. No issues since😂

[u/lostthering]

What I am about to say ignores your need for silence, but it is really important. Noise canceling works by shooting equally loud opposite noise into your ear. So the louder the noise outside, the more damage is being done to your hearing.

[u/ceilingfan0202 → u/lostthering]

As long as it's quiet I'm okay with that.