My request for warranty service was met with a $20 discount for the new headphones since the old Solitude ones are not being manufactured due to patent infringement problems. In short, they just blew me off.

I ended up buying Audio Technica ATH-ANC7 noise cancelling headphones for $98 and they are far superior to the $200 Solitude phones I bought. Much better noise cancellation, better sound reproduction, and more comfortable fit. And, the swivels that connect the headphones to the headband are very robust.

So, maybe these headphones are OK… but I can guarantee you that the company does not stand behind their products, and there is a great, inexpensive alternative out there (the Audio Technica – I’ve now owned 4 different brands and these are the best). I can’t see a reason for buying these headphones given such a great alternative, and the very poor service, warranty, and attitude of the Out of the Box folks, the manufacturers of these headphones.

Battery life is also an issue. Apparently noise-cancelling headphones use batteries in the unit itself to provide power to the noise-cancelling feature (usually can be turned on and off). When the batteries die, no more noise cancelling. So carry a spare set – but then the airlines are starting to crack down on “extra batteries”.

Also, from what I’ve read, noise cancelling headphones don’t actually cancel out all the sound, just most of it. And some of them introduce more noise than they cancel (in particular, the Sony noise cancelling headphones seem to have this problem). You have to be careful/You get what you pay for.

(http://ak.buy.com/dbassets/largeimages/085/202152085.jpg)

They lasted about a month before the wire running from the headband to the housing on either side started to fray from repeated bending (poor design imo) and shorted out. At least I only paid ~$35 for mine.

The cancellation wasn’t half bad, but they sounded lousy, even compared to my 10yr old Sonys. Enabling the active noise cancellation made them sound worse, they weren’t great to begin with (murky bass, tinny treble, and warbly mids). Gave up on active noise cancellation, passive sounds much better imo. Loving my M-Audio Q40s now =) Real quality. Cost about what Julie paid for these.

• Noise cancel feature to work well. In the past, I tried some JVC pair and found their noise canceling feature to be less than adequate.
• Comfortable. I had a pair of Bose’s original QuiteComfort and the comfort part is just a lie: the headphones squish my head so hard that I feel my eyes would pop out; the inner part of the cups bit into my ears.
• Compact. I don’t mind the PlaneQuiet’s size, but for that size, the battery and control should be built into the the cups.
• Last but not least, sound quality. This is the only feature I like about the original Bose QuiteComfort.

I am going to research the Sony and Art Technica, but it seems the PlaneQuiet is not my cup of tea. I should mention that my current pair is the Etymotic ER 4, expensive, but excellent sound quality. They block out the ambient noises instead of cancel them, but they work well enough. Did I mention how compact they are? They only part I don’t like about them is I have to insert them deep into my ear canal, which gets uncomfortable after a while.

Hai

[Edited at September 17, 2008 10:42:49 AM.]

Thanks for the tip! I’d more likely purchase on-ear style for myself. Although the over-ear are more comfy, they tend to make my cheeks feel a bit sweaty after extended use – eew.

Thank you for your comments and experience with these particular headphones. Now I want to try the Audio-Technicas.

How do you think the audio quality compares to the PlaneQuiet Platinums?

Headphones with affixed wires are a nuisance. There are many times when you want to get out of your seat and having to figure out how and where to bundle the cord is a nuisance. I believe the affixed wires were part of the problem with my first set of Planequiet headphones failing. Originally Planequiet had a lifetime warranty. That was dropped a few years ago when the mfg would not back up the product.

I have also found that without a hard case, the headphones will not last too long in a briefcase or computer case. Luggage of any kind gets smashed around. Headphones are not designed for this.

The Planquiet Solitude headphones, my second set, did come with a hard case yet all the plastic pivots were not very durable even when packed in the hard case. Alll the other features I really liked. The pivots lasted 18 months and I was back looking for another set of headphones.

I am now carrying a pair of Audio-Technica headphones and they are very nice. Over the ear cups, detachable cord, very light and battery efficient. The only thing missing is a separate volume control on the headphones.

I have tried the Bose but really hate the fact that when the battery dies, so does all audio. Swapping batteries on a 14 hour flight is not fun especially if sleeping. There is a distinct difference between good batteries and dead batteries.

The best advise if to try on the pair befoore buying. All earphone cup sizes are not the same. Not all hoops between cups are well padded. Not all have decent speakers for listening to music with great sound quality.

[Edited at September 16, 2008 20:22:44 PM.]