Bose QuietComfort QC20

My Bose QC20 from 4 years ago have a specific function for this in their noise cancellation (so eg you can ear and talk with the flight attendant for your food, while still having strong noise cancellation of other things like plane engine noise). So not only what you're talking about is entirely possible, you can also have it done by type/frequency of noises.

I also hate the ux for these headphones. Have you found a good alternative? I loved the wired qc20s (the earbud ones) but they aren’t being made anymore.

I have an old wired Bose QC25 which still works great. Although I have taken it to many flights, I recently bought the Bose QC20 wired because headphones are harder to sleep in especially if you sleep on the side. I would recommend the old Bose QC20. I wish Bose would update this and still keep it wired, it's great.

what would you plug them in to? but seriously... wow up to 5 hours of listen time? My wired QC20 headset gives me ... 160 hours of listen time, and then it keeps going even more. But even the 'functionality' - the noise cancelling aspect - gives me > 8 hours of noise cancelling on a short charge. And when it's out of power, the music still comes through. When the airpods can be used on airplane flights... maybe I'll take the plunge. (and yeah, for now, I still have an SE for the headphone jack)

I use Bose QuietComfort 20's and even though they are awesome, they still not good enough. Active noise cancellation is great for airplane noise (predictable, repetitive), but not for voices.

And also[1]. I think they say the QC20 have better noise cancelling but I have a pair and I think over the head QC35's are more comfortable [1] http://thewirecutter.com/reviews/best-noise-cancelling-in-ea...

I would highly recommend Bose QC20 in ear. I have the over ear version and while mine may excel in the noise cancellation department, the QC20 beats mine out of the water in terms of noise blocking overall.

I have always used my QC20 noise cancelling earbuds in this way so I'm glad it will get better. Just last weekend in a noisy eatery I put them in and my SO and her friend thought I was listening to music, but I said, "No, now I can hear YOU". Cool.

I second these and also recommend the new QC20's. Neither offer the best sound quality, but hands down the best noise canceling capabilities. The QC20's are in-ear and much more wearable outside of the office.