You can’t always believe your ears. At least not when it comes to those new noise cancellation headsets that are being aggressively sold to business travelers.
The idea behind the earphones sounds seductively simple: to block the most harmful sounds – the lower waves made by aircraft engines – by sending mirror-image “anti-noise” signals through the headset. So when you turn the device on, the cabin appears to go quiet, as if someone cut the engine off.
Page through any in-flight catalog these days, and chances are you’ll spot a noise cancellation headset retailing anywhere from $69 to $249. Widely available for the better part of a year now, they look a little bit like abbreviated portable stereo systems. The headphones are attached to a box that’s a little too small for a cassette or CD player.
Read the promotional copy and you’ll discover the most astounding promises. For example, by blocking out the offending noise (between 100-350 hertz) these headsets will actually help you arrive at your destination more rested. The implication is that a frequent traveler can sleep better on a flight thanks to noise cancellation technology.
Another unspoken promise: free movies. The headsets offer wires that connect to the carrier’s in-flight entertainment system. So no more $5 movies, thanks very much.
I tested two of the most popular headsets – the $200 Koss Quiet Zone 2000 and the $69 NoiseBuster Extreme – to find out if the rhetoric matched reality.
After a couple of flights with both systems, I generally liked them, but I also had lots of questions:
Q: How, exactly, do you sleep with a noise cancellation headphone?
A: I like to steal a couple of extra pillows from the overhead bin, prop them against the window, and catch some shut-eye on a flight. This doesn’t work with a headset on. Will somebody please tell me what I’m doing wrong?
“I’ve had great experiences with [the headset] on planes,” says Michael J. Koss, president and chief executive of the Koss Corp. in Milwaukee, Wis. “You just have to lay back straight, and not on your side.”
Got it. And to think I was sleeping wrong the whole time!
Q: Why not just buy a pair of earplugs?
A: Well, they’d be a lot cheaper, that’s for sure. Not to mention a whole lot easier to sleep in. But according to Joanna Lipper, a spokeswoman for Noise Cancellation Technologies Inc. in Stamford, Conn., which manufactures the NoiseBuster, earplugs only block out the higher frequencies – the hissing air ventilator or a conversation between two other passengers, for example.
Meanwhile, the lower frequencies continue to penetrate your body, raising your heart rate and blood pressure, she adds. While you may not notice the contrast between flying with and without the technology right away, you’ll probably feel the difference once the flight has landed.
Q: Are there any scientific studies on the benefits of noise cancellation technology?
A: Not really. To date, no research has been conducted on the benefits to airline travelers. Koss cited a study by the Medical College of Wisconsin, in which a group of intensive care unit patients were given earplugs to block out the hustle and bustle of the emergency room, while another group was issued noise cancellation headsets. Patients got more rest with the headphones.
Q: What’s this about free movies?
A: The headsets offer a way to tap into the plane’s in-flight entertainment system. Instead of having to shell out $5 for one of those plastic headsets, you can enjoy Titanic for free. But is it ethical?
“Come on, that’s like asking, ‘What would you do if you found $100 lying in the street,’” responds in-flight-entertainment-systems guru George Martin, who works for British manufacturer IEC International. “Technically, you’re renting the headset – not the movie. So if you have your own, you don’t need to rent one. Right?”
I’m not sure if the airlines would agree with Martin. However, since few business travelers have the time for an in-flight film, and fewer still think the headset rental practice isn’t a racket, I think that’s enough said.
Q: Do you have to turn them off during takeoff and landing?
A: Technically, no. The gadgets don’t interfere with any on-board electronics and won’t force your flight into a steep nose-dive, according to manufacturers. Try explaining that to a flight attendant who never bothered with college physics and wouldn’t know the difference between an algorithm and an aileron, and you might have some trouble.
I tried this once. My flight attendant, who apparently only understood every other word I was saying, then all but removed my headset for me. I guess even though the noise is unbearably loud during takeoff and landing, I’d rather endure it sans noise cancellation than get kicked off my flight.
Q: How do you remember to turn your headset off?
A: Sounds like a silly question. That is, until you try one of the headsets on. When the noise cancellation technology is in action, you can still hear what’s going on around you. When you take the headset off – presumably after landing — you can hardly notice the difference (after all, most of those harmful low-frequency waves are gone). It’s sometimes hard to remember that the headset needs to get turned off. I ran down my first set of batteries on the Koss Quiet Zone 2000 like that. Just forgot to switch it off.
Put a pebble in your shoe, tie a string around your finger or write yourself a note. Because when you’re getting “nothing” audible from your noise cancellation device, you’ll probably forget to turn it off from time to time.
Q: So do they work?
A: Absolutely. I just traveled with the Koss model yesterday, which I find to be the more comfortable of the two headsets I tested, and it blocked lots of the engine roar in seat 34C. I think the headsets are well worth the money for frequent travelers. Although the NoiseBuster Extreme is in my price range, I would probably splurge for the Koss if I were on the road more than a few times a month. It claims to block more noise, runs on regular AA batteries and is less constricting if you wear glasses. I did indeed arrive at my destination feeling better-rested. However, I wish aircraft were designed more thoughtfully, so that these expensive headsets wouldn’t be necessary in the first place.
Christopher Elliott is the author of Scammed: How to Save Your Money and Find Better Service in a World of Schemes, Swindles, and Shady Deals. Critics have called it “eye-opening” and “inspiring” — it’ll “grab your attention and won’t let go.” Order your copy now on Amazon, Barnes & Noble or iTunes.
Elliott is consumer advocate 
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