I have wanted to buy a pair of noise canceling headphones for a few years now. They are fantastic. I fell in love when I flew to Paris with Redcats and got a pair to use in Business Class. The reasons that have caused me to be hesitant are their cost, size, and I really don't want to miss an announcement on the train while commuting since the headphones really do work that well.
First the Bose headphones that are probably the gold standard for noise canceling headphones costs $350. I have done some research but haven't yet found a pair as good as the Bose but significantly cheaper. I heard they are out there but haven't found them yet.
Second issue is their size. The storage case for the Bose headphones is small but I am still not sure if it will fit into my relatively small Tumi bag I use to go back and forth to work. Other cheaper brands don't all offer cases and I know I will break my new headphones if they are just thrown into that bag.
My third issue is probably just me worrying but those headphones really do drown out most noise. I don't want to walk into traffic or miss a train warning so I have held off on a purchase.
What has changed recently is the fact that I got a seat in a new office. It is a desk in a wide open floor vs my old 2 person office. The odd thing about the new seat is it is quiet (I know I said the Q word) like a library half the time and the other half it has enough background chatter that I want to drown it out. My neighbors are actually pretty good (I am afraid I might be the noisy one nearby since I am on the phone a lot) but noise is noise.
If I get a new pair of headphones I can leave them in my desk at work now since I am regularly going to the same office and not roaming from office to office and desk to desk every day. I need to find some time to read a few more reviews. I just have a feeling I will end up with the Bose after all my work anyway, but I want to be an informed consumer!